NFL

Between the Lines: Week 1 Snap Count Analysis

Sam Hoppen  —  @SamHoppen Sep 16th, 2020

In fantasy football, one way to gain an edge over opponents is to look beyond the box score and examine player snap counts. While a quick scan of player stats can tell us who actually performed and produced, snap count data can give us an indicator of guys who are seeing the field on a consistent -- or inconsistent -- basis.

After all, opportunities breed fantasy points, and snap counts are one of the more predictive metrics for fantasy football performance. This makes sense, intuitively, as the more a player is on the field, the more opportunities he'll have to touch the ball, and the more opportunities he'll have to score fantasy points.

In each of these weekly articles, I'll evaluate each position by looking at snap count, opportunity, and efficiency trends. All data, unless otherwise noted, comes from Lineups.

Running Backs

Player Team Snaps Snap
Percent 		Total
Opportunities 		Fantasy
Points 		Opportunities
per Snap 		Fantasy Points
per Snap
Kenyan Drake ARI 58 71% 18 13.5 0.31 0.23
Chase Edmonds ARI 28 34% 11 12.0 0.39 0.43
Todd Gurley ATL 36 46% 19 12.7 0.53 0.35
Brian Hill ATL 21 27% 5 3.0 0.24 0.14
Ito Smith ATL 20 25% 4 2.1 0.20 0.11
J.K. Dobbins BAL 23 39% 7 14.2 0.30 0.62
Mark Ingram BAL 21 36% 10 2.9 0.48 0.14
Gus Edwards BAL 15 25% 4 1.7 0.27 0.11
Zack Moss BUF 39 45% 13 10.2 0.33 0.26
Devin Singletary BUF 51 59% 16 7.8 0.31 0.15
Christian McCaffrey CAR 65 97% 27 26.9 0.42 0.41
David Montgomery CHI 29 45% 16 7.9 0.55 0.27
Tarik Cohen CHI 30 46% 9 5.7 0.30 0.19
Joe Mixon CIN 40 59% 21 5.6 0.53 0.14
Giovani Bernard CIN 20 29% 6 4.8 0.30 0.24
Kareem Hunt CLE 36 49% 19 10.1 0.53 0.28
Nick Chubb CLE 35 48% 11 5.1 0.31 0.15
Ezekiel Elliott DAL 63 88% 26 26.2 0.41 0.42
Melvin Gordon DEN 37 63% 18 14.1 0.49 0.38
Phillip Lindsay DEN 19 32% 8 4.0 0.42 0.21
Adrian Peterson DET 24 31% 17 12.9 0.71 0.54
D'Andre Swift DET 34 44% 8 9.8 0.24 0.29
Kerryon Johnson DET 20 26% 7 1.4 0.35 0.07
Aaron Jones GB 42 54% 22 15.6 0.52 0.37
Jamaal Williams GB 31 40% 11 6.2 0.35 0.20
David Johnson HOU 48 81% 15 18.4 0.31 0.38
Duke Johnson HOU 14 24% 6 1.4 0.43 0.10
Nyheim Hines IND 39 53% 15 23.3 0.38 0.60
Jonathan Taylor IND 26 35% 15 11.9 0.58 0.46
James Robinson JAX 34 68% 17 9.5 0.50 0.28
Chris Thompson JAX 12 24% 2 1.6 0.17 0.13
Bruce Miller JAX 11 22% 1 0.7 0.09 0.06
Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC 46 67% 27 19.8 0.59 0.43
Darrel Williams KC 23 33% 9 4.0 0.39 0.17
Joshua Kelley LAC 18 24% 12 12.0 0.67 0.67
Austin Ekeler LAC 50 68% 20 9.2 0.40 0.18
Malcolm Brown LAR 44 60% 22 24.5 0.50 0.56
Cam Akers LAR 24 33% 15 4.8 0.63 0.20
Josh Jacobs LV 49 78% 31 33.9 0.63 0.69
Myles Gaskin MIA 39 63% 13 8.6 0.33 0.22
Matt Breida MIA 14 23% 5 2.2 0.36 0.16
Dalvin Cook MIN 30 58% 14 21.3 0.47 0.71
Alexander Mattison MIN 19 37% 10 10.0 0.53 0.53
Sony Michel NE 19 30% 10 9.7 0.53 0.51
James White NE 19 30% 8 6.7 0.42 0.35
Rex Burkhead NE 19 30% 7 3.2 0.37 0.17
Alvin Kamara NO 45 66% 20 21.2 0.44 0.47
Latavius Murray NO 23 34% 16 4.8 0.70 0.21
Saquon Barkley NYG 59 87% 24 9.6 0.41 0.16
Josh Adams NYJ 13 23% 4 9.2 0.31 0.71
Le'Veon Bell NYJ 32 57% 8 5.6 0.25 0.18
Frank Gore NYJ 14 25% 6 2.4 0.43 0.17
Boston Scott PHI 38 56% 11 6.4 0.29 0.17
Corey Clement PHI 25 37% 8 3.1 0.32 0.12
Benny Snell Jr. PIT 29 45% 20 11.3 0.69 0.39
James Conner PIT 15 23% 10 2.7 0.67 0.18
Jaylen Samuels PIT 20 31% 2 0.8 0.10 0.04
Chris Carson SEA 28 45% 12 21.6 0.43 0.77
Carlos Hyde SEA 21 34% 7 8.3 0.33 0.40
Travis Homer SEA 13 21% 5 1.3 0.38 0.10
Tevin Coleman SF 6 10% 6 2.9 1.00 0.48
Raheem Mostert SF 37 60% 20 23.1 0.54 0.62
Jerick McKinnon SF 19 31% 8 11.9 0.42 0.63
Ronald Jones II TB 33 47% 20 9.2 0.61 0.28
Leonard Fournette TB 9 13% 6 2.4 0.67 0.27
LeSean McCoy TB 25 36% 1 0.7 0.04 0.03
Derrick Henry TEN 61 75% 34 14.6 0.56 0.24
Peyton Barber WAS 29 41% 17 14.9 0.59 0.51
Antonio Gibson WAS 18 26% 11 5.4 0.61 0.30
J.D. McKissic WAS 31 44% 8 0.4 0.26 0.01


- In the first Sunday Night Football game of the season, Malcolm Brown came out strong, commanding the majority of snaps (44) and carries (18) for the Los Angeles Rams backfield. Rookie running back Cam Akers wasn't far behind in overall usage, but his -0.22 Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) per carry (46th among backs with at least five carries) does not inspire a ton of confidence. Darrell Henderson also had little impact and appears to be a tertiary part of the backfield rotation, leaving Brown and Akers to be the Rams' primary 1-2 punch.

- Last year, I wrote numberFire's Running Back By Committee report, so I'm keenly aware of how frustrating it is to try to project the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield usage. After signing Leonard Fournette shortly before the start of the season, we all wondered what impact that would have on the prospects of one Ronald Jones. As it stands, Jones is the lead back, but that could change on a dime, depending which side of the bed Bruce Arians wakes up on next week. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention LeSean McCoy, too, who was second on the team in running back snaps. He only got one target, but he could see increased usage as the team's primary passing-downs back if the Bucs are in more negative game scripts like they were on Sunday.

- The Washington Football Team played in a weird game to kick off the season, coming back from down 17 points against the Philadelphia Eagles to win by double-digits. Unfortunately for Antonio Gibson fans, both J.D. McKissic (31) and Peyton Barber (29) garnered more snaps than Gibson (18) in Week 1. That said, Gibson's 61 percent utilization rate was much higher than both McKissic (26 percent) and Barber (58 percent). Keep in mind that this was Gibson's first NFL game, so as he builds more confidence with the coaching staff, he will see more playing time.

Wide Receivers

Player Team Snaps Snap
Percent 		Opportunities Fantasy
Points 		Opportunities
per Snap 		Fantasy Points
per Snap
DeAndre Hopkins ARI 77 94% 16 22.1 0.21 0.29
Larry Fitzgerald ARI 65 79% 5 5.4 0.08 0.08
Christian Kirk ARI 63 77% 5 0.5 0.08 0.01
Calvin Ridley ATL 68 86% 13 29.4 0.19 0.43
Julio Jones ATL 65 82% 12 20.2 0.18 0.31
Russell Gage ATL 55 70% 12 15.9 0.22 0.29
Willie Snead BAL 39 66% 4 14.4 0.10 0.37
Marquise Brown BAL 37 63% 6 12.6 0.16 0.34
Miles Boykin BAL 40 68% 4 5.2 0.10 0.13
John Brown BUF 81 93% 10 16.0 0.12 0.20
Stefon Diggs BUF 82 94% 9 12.6 0.11 0.15
Cole Beasley BUF 55 63% 7 7.8 0.13 0.14
Gabriel Davis BUF 43 49% 2 2.6 0.05 0.06
Robby Anderson CAR 55 82% 8 22.5 0.15 0.41
D.J. Moore CAR 58 87% 9 7.4 0.16 0.13
Curtis Samuel CAR 50 75% 9 6.8 0.18 0.14
Anthony Miller CHI 27 42% 6 15.6 0.22 0.58
Allen Robinson CHI 53 82% 10 9.8 0.19 0.18
Javon Wims CHI 23 35% 2 6.6 0.09 0.29
Darnell Mooney CHI 21 32% 3 5.3 0.14 0.25
A.J. Green CIN 45 66% 9 7.6 0.20 0.17
Tyler Boyd CIN 55 81% 5 5.3 0.09 0.10
John Ross CIN 57 84% 5 2.7 0.09 0.05
Mike Thomas CIN 15 22% 3 2.7 0.20 0.18
Jarvis Landry CLE 52 71% 6 8.6 0.12 0.17
Odell Beckham Jr. CLE 55 75% 10 3.7 0.18 0.07
Rashard Higgins CLE 16 22% 1 1.4 0.06 0.09
KhaDarel Hodge CLE 40 55% 3 1.7 0.08 0.04
Amari Cooper DAL 68 94% 14 13.1 0.21 0.19
CeeDee Lamb DAL 59 82% 6 8.4 0.10 0.14
Michael Gallup DAL 69 96% 5 6.5 0.07 0.09
Jerry Jeudy DEN 44 75% 8 7.6 0.18 0.17
Tim Patrick DEN 50 85% 5 4.9 0.10 0.10
DaeSean Hamilton DEN 47 80% 3 2.3 0.06 0.05
Danny Amendola DET 43 55% 7 10.6 0.16 0.25
Marvin Jones DET 71 91% 8 7.5 0.11 0.11
Quintez Cephus DET 62 79% 10 5.8 0.16 0.09
Marvin Hall DET 16 21% 2 3.1 0.13 0.19
Davante Adams GB 70 90% 17 34.6 0.24 0.49
Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB 42 54% 6 17.6 0.14 0.42
Allen Lazard GB 68 87% 5 16.2 0.07 0.24
Will Fuller HOU 47 80% 10 15.2 0.21 0.32
Randall Cobb HOU 46 78% 3 3.3 0.07 0.07
Brandin Cooks HOU 31 53% 5 3.0 0.16 0.10
DeAndre Carter HOU 13 22% 2 1.3 0.15 0.10
Parris Campbell IND 61 82% 10 11.0 0.16 0.18
T.Y. Hilton IND 59 80% 9 7.3 0.15 0.12
Zach Pascal IND 46 62% 3 2.8 0.07 0.06
Michael Pittman Jr. IND 39 53% 2 2.0 0.05 0.05
Laviska Shenault Jr. JAX 31 62% 6 12.2 0.19 0.39
Keelan Cole JAX 33 66% 5 13.2 0.15 0.40
DJ Chark JAX 42 84% 3 10.0 0.07 0.24
Chris Conley JAX 16 32% 1 1.1 0.06 0.07
Sammy Watkins KC 55 80% 10 18.0 0.18 0.33
Tyreek Hill KC 59 86% 6 13.1 0.10 0.22
Demarcus Robinson KC 33 48% 6 3.5 0.18 0.11
Mecole Hardman KC 20 29% 1 1.1 0.05 0.06
Mike Williams LAC 58 78% 9 8.9 0.16 0.15
Keenan Allen LAC 70 95% 8 5.7 0.11 0.08
Jalen Guyton LAC 47 64% 1 2.1 0.02 0.04
Robert Woods LAR 61 84% 9 14.9 0.15 0.24
Cooper Kupp LAR 62 85% 5 6.0 0.08 0.10
Van Jefferson LAR 33 45% 3 3.6 0.09 0.11
Josh Reynolds LAR 37 51% 1 2.2 0.03 0.06
Henry Ruggs III LV 42 67% 7 8.1 0.17 0.19
Hunter Renfrow LV 30 48% 2 3.1 0.07 0.10
Bryan Edwards LV 47 75% 1 1.4 0.02 0.03
DeVante Parker MIA 23 37% 4 6.7 0.17 0.29
Preston Williams MIA 56 90% 7 5.1 0.13 0.09
Jakeem Grant MIA 33 53% 4 4.0 0.12 0.12
Isaiah Ford MIA 46 74% 4 2.3 0.09 0.05
Adam Thielen MIN 50 96% 8 28.0 0.16 0.56
Olabisi Johnson MIN 33 63% 4 7.1 0.12 0.22
Justin Jefferson MIN 36 69% 3 3.6 0.08 0.10
Julian Edelman NE 37 58% 8 10.5 0.22 0.28
N'Keal Harry NE 51 80% 6 4.4 0.12 0.09
Michael Thomas NO 55 81% 5 3.2 0.09 0.06
Emmanuel Sanders NO 33 49% 5 9.0 0.15 0.27
Tre'Quan Smith NO 44 65% 1 0.9 0.02 0.02
Darius Slayton NYG 58 85% 9 25.2 0.16 0.43
Sterling Shepard NYG 53 78% 6 7.7 0.11 0.15
C.J. Board NYG 21 31% 2 2.7 0.10 0.13
Jamison Crowder NYJ 48 86% 13 21.0 0.27 0.44
Breshad Perriman NYJ 56 100% 5 3.2 0.09 0.06
Chris Hogan NYJ 51 91% 4 0.5 0.08 0.01
Jalen Reagor PHI 40 59% 4 6.0 0.10 0.15
DeSean Jackson PHI 37 54% 7 5.6 0.19 0.15
Greg Ward PHI 30 44% 7 5.6 0.23 0.19
John Hightower PHI 27 40% 4 0.3 0.15 0.01
JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT 55 86% 6 21.9 0.11 0.40
James Washington PIT 37 58% 3 10.4 0.08 0.28
Chase Claypool PIT 19 30% 3 5.7 0.16 0.30
Diontae Johnson PIT 55 86% 10 6.7 0.18 0.12
D.K. Metcalf SEA 61 98% 8 17.5 0.13 0.29
Tyler Lockett SEA 58 94% 8 13.2 0.14 0.23
David Moore SEA 33 53% 4 5.5 0.12 0.17
Freddie Swain SEA 16 26% 1 2.2 0.06 0.14
Kendrick Bourne SF 57 92% 5 4.4 0.09 0.08
Trent Taylor SF 21 34% 5 1.7 0.24 0.08
Chris Godwin TB 66 94% 7 10.9 0.11 0.17
Scott Miller TB 43 61% 7 10.4 0.16 0.24
Mike Evans TB 65 93% 4 6.7 0.06 0.10
Corey Davis TEN 66 81% 8 13.6 0.12 0.21
Adam Humphries TEN 44 54% 7 7.7 0.16 0.18
A.J. Brown TEN 66 81% 8 6.4 0.12 0.10
Terry McLaurin WAS 65 93% 7 8.6 0.11 0.13
Steven Sims WAS 58 83% 3 6.5 0.05 0.11
Dontrelle Inman WAS 36 51% 5 3.1 0.14 0.09


- D.J. Chark is clearly the alpha receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but who's going to pick up the slack behind him? Fantasy football heartthrob Laviska Shenault made a case for being the number two option along with fourth-year receiver Keelan Cole. Cole saw more targets and snaps than Shenault, though they each scored a touchdown on opening weekend. However, Shenault's versatility makes him that much more valuable - according to PFF, Shenault lined up in the backfield as a rusher or as the quarterback on just under 10 percent of his snaps.

- On the other side of the game in Jacksonville was a less-than-stellar performance from Philip Rivers in his first start with the Indianapolis Colts. The lone bright spot of this passing attack was Parris Campbell's breakout game, hauling in 6 receptions for 71 yards on a team-high 9 targets. He also got the team's most snaps at the wide receiver position, out-snapping veteran T.Y. Hilton. Behind those two, it was a mix of Zach Pascal and rookie Michael Pittman Jr. -- each of them saw over 50 percent of the teams' snaps but garnered a combined five targets between them. In a game that figured to give Indianapolis a heavily-positive game script, the Colts were actually forced to throw the ball quite a bit and couldn't run the ball as much as they would've liked. I'll be keeping an eye on this wide receiver corps in the weeks to come to see if one of Pascal or Pittman can separate himself as the Colts WR3.

- With Kenny Golladay missing Week 1, many eyes were locked in on who would take over in his absence. Marvin Jones was the obvious answer, but it was actually rookie wide receiver Quintez Cephus who made a name for himself, hogging 24 percent of the team's targets! Jones led all Lions' wide receivers in snaps (71), with Cephus not far behind (62). Danny Amendola maintained his role as the WR3 option, so it'll be worth tracking who sees a dip in playing time between him and Cephus when Golladay returns to the field.

Tight Ends

Player Team Position Snaps Snap
Percent 		Opportunities Fantasy
Points 		Opportunities
per Snap 		Fantasy Points
per Snap
Dan Arnold ARI TE 45 55% 2 3.1 0.04 0.07
Hayden Hurst ATL TE 62 78% 5 5.3 0.08 0.09
Mark Andrews BAL TE 42 71% 6 20.3 0.14 0.48
Nick Boyle BAL TE 39 66% 3 1.3 0.08 0.03
Dawson Knox BUF TE 56 64% 3 3.6 0.05 0.06
Ian Thomas CAR TE 44 66% 2 2.6 0.05 0.06
Chris Manhertz CAR TE 36 54% 1 0.9 0.03 0.03
Jimmy Graham CHI TE 52 80% 7 10.0 0.13 0.19
C.J. Uzomah CIN TE 49 72% 5 6.5 0.10 0.13
Drew Sample CIN TE 24 35% 1 1.2 0.04 0.05
David Njoku CLE TE 17 23% 3 12.5 0.18 0.74
Austin Hooper CLE TE 56 77% 2 2.5 0.04 0.04
Harrison Bryant CLE TE 31 42% 2 1.0 0.06 0.03
Blake Jarwin DAL TE 25 35% 1 1.7 0.04 0.07
Dalton Schultz DAL TE 50 69% 4 1.6 0.08 0.03
Noah Fant DEN TE 43 73% 6 16.6 0.14 0.39
Jake Butt DEN TE 16 27% 2 0.5 0.13 0.03
Nick Vannett DEN TE 16 27% 2 -0.1 0.13 -0.01
T.J. Hockenson DET TE 50 64% 5 14.1 0.10 0.28
Josiah Deguara GB TE 24 31% 2 1.7 0.08 0.07
Jordan Akins HOU TE 48 81% 2 10.9 0.04 0.23
Darren Fells HOU TE 25 42% 2 2.9 0.08 0.12
Jack Doyle IND TE 54 73% 4 6.4 0.07 0.12
Mo Alie-Cox IND TE 29 39% 2 3.0 0.07 0.10
Tyler Eifert JAX TE 28 56% 1 1.3 0.04 0.05
James O'Shaughnessy JAX TE 20 40% 1 0.5 0.05 0.03
Travis Kelce KC TE 61 88% 6 14.0 0.10 0.23
Hunter Henry LAC TE 59 80% 8 9.8 0.14 0.17
Virgil Green LAC TE 24 32% 2 1.5 0.08 0.06
Tyler Higbee LAR TE 65 89% 4 5.5 0.06 0.08
Gerald Everett LAR TE 24 33% 2 1.2 0.08 0.05
Darren Waller LV TE 56 89% 8 7.5 0.14 0.13
Jason Witten LV TE 28 44% 1 0.7 0.04 0.03
Mike Gesicki MIA TE 45 73% 5 4.5 0.11 0.10
Kyle Rudolph MIN TE 32 62% 2 3.8 0.06 0.12
Irv Smith Jr. MIN TE 31 60% 1 1.6 0.03 0.05
Ryan Izzo NE TE 63 98% 2 3.0 0.03 0.05
Jared Cook NO TE 44 65% 7 10.5 0.16 0.24
Kaden Smith NYG TE 29 43% 2 2.7 0.07 0.09
Evan Engram NYG TE 64 94% 7 1.9 0.11 0.03
Levine Toilolo NYG TE 24 35% 1 1.8 0.04 0.08
Chris Herndon NYJ TE 40 71% 7 4.7 0.18 0.12
Dallas Goedert PHI TE 54 79% 9 20.1 0.17 0.37
Zach Ertz PHI TE 58 85% 7 9.3 0.12 0.16
Eric Ebron PIT TE 40 63% 2 2.3 0.05 0.06
Vance McDonald PIT TE 38 59% 2 0.8 0.05 0.02
Greg Olsen SEA TE 41 66% 4 10.4 0.10 0.25
Will Dissly SEA TE 25 40% 2 1.8 0.08 0.07
George Kittle SF TE 61 98% 6 7.3 0.10 0.12
O.J. Howard TB TE 37 53% 6 11.6 0.16 0.31
Rob Gronkowski TB TE 54 77% 3 2.1 0.06 0.04
Jonnu Smith TEN TE 59 73% 7 11.6 0.12 0.20
MyCole Pruitt TEN TE 31 38% 1 6.6 0.03 0.21
Anthony Firkser TEN TE 32 40% 2 1.5 0.06 0.05
Logan Thomas WAS TE 52 74% 8 11.7 0.15 0.23


- New year, same Eagles scheme. Philadelphia picked up right where they left off, using 12 personnel (one running back, two wide receivers, and two tight ends) on an NFL-high 56.7 percent of their snaps this week. Amidst a contract dispute with Zach Ertz, I was curious to see how the Eagles would use him in their first game of the season. The dismay between the two had little impact on Ertz' usage as he was in on an astounding 85 percent of the team's plays. Dallas Goedert wasn't far behind, though, at a 79 percent snap rate. In fact, Goedert heavily outscored Ertz in fantasy football, recording his first-ever game with over 100 receiving yards. This could be one of the few "tight ends by committee" in which the two trade off production each week.

- Those hoping for an Irv Smith Jr. breakout may have to wait a couple weeks, as the Minnesota Vikings put those plans on hold for now. Despite playing in a negative game script for the entirety of the second half, Smith only saw one target the entire game. Both he and Kyle Rudolph got a nearly identical snap share at about 60 percent, but neither was heavily used outside of that. Hopefully, better days are ahead for Smith, but if this trend continues, he could be a quick drop to the waiver wire.