NFL

Between the Lines: Week 3 Snap Count Analysis

Sam Hoppen  —  @SamHoppen Sep 29th, 2020
This week was highlighted by a trio of rookie wide receivers breaking out. What do their snap counts tell us about how their roles have changed?

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 numberFire's Snap Count page.

Running Backs

Name Team YTD
Snaps
Per Game 		YT
Team
Snap % 		Week 3
Snaps 		Week 3
Team
Snap %
Kenyan Drake ARI 44 68% 44 68%
Chase Edmonds ARI 21 32% 21 32%
Todd Gurley ATL 35 51% 35 51%
Brian Hill ATL 23 34% 23 34%
Keith Smith ATL 19 28% 19 28%
J.K. Dobbins BAL 24 43% 24 43%
Mark Ingram BAL 18 32% 18 32%
Gus Edwards BAL 13 23% 13 23%
Devin Singletary BUF 55 89% 55 89%
T.J. Yeldon BUF 6 10% 6 10%
Mike Davis CAR 39 76% 39 76%
Alex Armah CAR 7 14% 7 14%
Reggie Bonnafon CAR 2 4% 2 4%
David Montgomery CHI 46 56% 46 56%
Tarik Cohen CHI 26 32% 26 32%
Joe Mixon CIN 52 72% 52 72%
Giovani Bernard CIN 18 25% 18 25%
Nick Chubb CLE 34 54% 34 54%
Kareem Hunt CLE 29 46% 29 46%
Andy Janovich CLE 17 27% 17 27%
Ezekiel Elliott DAL 80 98% 80 98%
Tony Pollard DAL 6 7% 6 7%
Melvin Gordon DEN 39 62% 39 62%
Royce Freeman DEN 24 38% 24 38%
Adrian Peterson DET 40 60% 40 60%
Kerryon Johnson DET 20 30% 20 30%
D'Andre Swift DET 6 9% 6 9%
Aaron Jones GB 44 71% 44 71%
Tyler Ervin GB 23 37% 23 37%
Jamaal Williams GB 19 31% 19 31%
David Johnson HOU 45 96% 45 96%
Jonathan Taylor IND 24 40% 24 40%
Nyheim Hines IND 20 33% 20 33%
Jordan Wilkins IND 17 28% 17 28%
Chris Thompson JAC 30 45% 30 45%
James Robinson JAC 30 45% 30 45%
Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC 52 69% 52 69%
Darrel Williams KC 16 21% 16 21%
Darwin Thompson KC 6 8% 6 8%
Darrell Henderson LA 34 49% 34 49%
Malcolm Brown LA 34 49% 34 49%
Austin Ekeler LAC 56 72% 56 72%
Joshua Kelley LAC 23 29% 23 29%
Josh Jacobs LV 35 59% 35 59%
Jalen Richard LV 20 34% 20 34%
Myles Gaskin MIA 46 75% 46 75%
Matt Breida MIA 11 18% 11 18%
Jordan Howard MIA 4 7% 4 7%
Dalvin Cook MIN 48 74% 48 74%
Alexander Mattison MIN 16 25% 16 25%
Rex Burkhead NE 32 46% 32 46%
Sony Michel NE 26 38% 26 38%
J.J. Taylor NE 15 22% 15 22%
Alvin Kamara NO 41 67% 41 67%
Latavius Murray NO 21 34% 21 34%
Dion Lewis NYG 20 38% 20 38%
Wayne Gallman NYG 18 35% 18 35%
Devonta Freeman NYG 15 29% 15 29%
Frank Gore NYJ 26 41% 26 41%
La'Mical Perine NYJ 21 33% 21 33%
Kalen Ballage NYJ 19 30% 19 30%
Miles Sanders PHI 71 78% 71 78%
Boston Scott PHI 13 14% 13 14%
Corey Clement PHI 6 7% 6 7%
James Conner PIT 53 66% 53 66%
Benny Snell Jr. PIT 15 19% 15 19%
Anthony McFarland Jr. PIT 10 13% 10 13%
Jaylen Samuels PIT 6 8% 6 8%
Chris Carson SEA 44 58% 44 58%
Carlos Hyde SEA 16 21% 16 21%
Travis Homer SEA 16 21% 16 21%
Jerick McKinnon SF 48 62% 48 62%
Jeff Wilson SF 23 30% 23 30%
JaMycal Hasty SF 6 8% 6 8%
Ronald Jones TB 35 51% 35 51%
Leonard Fournette TB 25 37% 25 37%
LeSean McCoy TB 11 16% 11 16%
Derrick Henry TEN 56 75% 56 75%
Khari Blasingame TEN 19 25% 19 25%
Jeremy McNichols TEN 9 12% 9 12%
Darrynton Evans TEN 8 11% 8 11%
J.D. McKissic WSH 34 52% 34 52%
Antonio Gibson WSH 26 40% 26 40%
Peyton Barber WSH 7 11% 7 11%


- With Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman sequestered to the bench due to injury, it seems as though Jerick McKinnon has a stronghold on the San Francisco 49ers backfield. On Sunday, McKinnon paced the backfield in snaps (48, 62 percent), touches (17), and total yards (77) while adding a score to his great day. The only other back to play a significant role was Jeff Wilson, who had 15 touches on 23 snaps. That doesn't tell the whole story, though, as 8 of Wilson’s 15 touches came on the team’s final drive while leading 29-9. McKinnon is a solid RB2 start while Mostert and Coleman remain sidelined.

- For a second, it looked like Austin Ekeler may be ceding significant playing time to rookie Joshua Kelley. Ekeler dispelled that belief on Sunday, looking every bit the workhorse running back. Ekeler's 72 percent snap share was his highest of the season so far, as were his 23 total touches (11 of which were receptions). Meanwhile, Kelley took a backseat and appears to be in the doghouse after a first-half fumble. Kelley only played 29 percent of the Los Angeles Chargers' snaps a week after getting over half of the team's snaps. With a stout Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense coming up in Week 4, Kelley may just be a bench stash until he proves he can get meaningful playing time.

- The Detroit Lions continue to unearth ways to frustrate fantasy football players. In the last three years, Detroit has used the 43rd overall pick on Kerryon Johnson and the 35th overall pick on D'Andre Swift. So what do they do? Give dusty Adrian Peterson the bulk of the work. Through three weeks, Peterson leads the Lions in snaps (79) and carries (43), which is laughable. Johnson (59 snaps) and Swift (60 snaps) aren't far behind Peterson, but the coaching staff confusingly trusts Peterson more with the ball in his hand. Fortunately, Swift seems to have secured the pass-catching role for the Lions -- he currently has a healthy 12% target share through three games.

Wide Receivers

Name Team YTD
Snaps
Per Game 		YTD
Team
Snap % 		Week 3
Snaps 		Week 3
Team
Snap %
DeAndre Hopkins ARI 61 94% 61 94%
Larry Fitzgerald ARI 56 86% 56 86%
KeeSean Johnson ARI 46 71% 46 71%
Andy Isabella ARI 26 40% 26 40%
Calvin Ridley ATL 63 93% 63 93%
Olamide Zaccheaus ATL 54 79% 54 79%
Brandon Powell ATL 37 54% 37 54%
Russell Gage ATL 12 18% 12 18%
Miles Boykin BAL 46 82% 46 82%
Marquise Brown BAL 44 79% 44 79%
Devin Duvernay BAL 7 13% 7 13%
Stefon Diggs BUF 61 98% 61 98%
Gabriel Davis BUF 46 74% 46 74%
Cole Beasley BUF 38 61% 38 61%
John Brown BUF 29 47% 29 47%
Isaiah McKenzie BUF 17 27% 17 27%
D.J. Moore CAR 45 88% 45 88%
Robby Anderson CAR 40 78% 40 78%
Curtis Samuel CAR 33 65% 33 65%
Seth Roberts CAR 17 33% 17 33%
Allen Robinson CHI 64 78% 64 78%
Darnell Mooney CHI 51 62% 51 62%
Anthony Miller CHI 47 57% 47 57%
Javon Wims CHI 23 28% 23 28%
Ted Ginn Jr. CHI 16 20% 16 20%
Cordarrelle Patterson CHI 11 13% 11 13%
Tee Higgins CIN 57 79% 57 79%
A.J. Green CIN 55 76% 55 76%
Tyler Boyd CIN 54 75% 54 75%
Auden Tate CIN 25 35% 25 35%
Mike Thomas CIN 16 22% 16 22%
Odell Beckham CLE 51 81% 51 81%
Jarvis Landry CLE 45 71% 45 71%
Khadarel Hodge CLE 35 56% 35 56%
Michael Gallup DAL 70 85% 70 85%
Amari Cooper DAL 65 79% 65 79%
CeeDee Lamb DAL 49 60% 49 60%
Noah Brown DAL 29 35% 29 35%
Cedrick Wilson DAL 24 29% 24 29%
K.J. Hamler DEN 58 92% 58 92%
Tim Patrick DEN 53 84% 53 84%
Jerry Jeudy DEN 46 73% 46 73%
DaeSean Hamilton DEN 12 19% 12 19%
Marvin Jones DET 61 91% 61 91%
Kenny Golladay DET 49 73% 49 73%
Danny Amendola DET 30 45% 30 45%
Jamal Agnew DET 14 21% 14 21%
Quintez Cephus DET 10 15% 10 15%
Allen Lazard GB 59 95% 59 95%
Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB 57 92% 57 92%
Darrius Shepherd GB 23 37% 23 37%
Brandin Cooks HOU 41 87% 41 87%
Randall Cobb HOU 34 72% 34 72%
Kenny Stills HOU 8 17% 8 17%
Michael Pittman Jr. IND 35 58% 35 58%
T.Y. Hilton IND 31 52% 31 52%
Daurice Fountain IND 19 32% 19 32%
Ashton Dulin IND 13 22% 13 22%
Chris Conley JAC 53 80% 53 80%
Keelan Cole JAC 50 76% 50 76%
Laviska Shenault JAC 45 68% 45 68%
Collin Johnson JAC 20 30% 20 30%
Dede Westbrook JAC 16 24% 16 24%
Sammy Watkins KC 65 87% 65 87%
Tyreek Hill KC 60 80% 60 80%
Demarcus Robinson KC 41 55% 41 55%
Mecole Hardman KC 29 39% 29 39%
Robert Woods LA 67 97% 67 97%
Cooper Kupp LA 62 90% 62 90%
Josh Reynolds LA 62 90% 62 90%
Van Jefferson LA 8 12% 8 12%
Keenan Allen LAC 75 96% 75 96%
Jalen Guyton LAC 63 81% 63 81%
Mike Williams LAC 40 51% 40 51%
K.J. Hill LAC 38 49% 38 49%
Nelson Agholor LV 50 85% 50 85%
Hunter Renfrow LV 39 66% 39 66%
Bryan Edwards LV 24 41% 24 41%
DeVante Parker MIA 56 92% 56 92%
Preston Williams MIA 35 57% 35 57%
Isaiah Ford MIA 27 44% 27 44%
Adam Thielen MIN 61 94% 61 94%
Justin Jefferson MIN 51 78% 51 78%
Chad Beebe MIN 22 34% 22 34%
Bisi Johnson MIN 5 8% 5 8%
Damiere Byrd NE 66 96% 66 96%
Julian Edelman NE 56 81% 56 81%
N'Keal Harry NE 46 67% 46 67%
Jakobi Meyers NE 7 10% 7 10%
Tre'Quan Smith NO 61 100% 61 100%
Emmanuel Sanders NO 48 79% 48 79%
Deonte Harris NO 22 36% 22 36%
Bennie Fowler NO 11 18% 11 18%
Darius Slayton NYG 51 98% 51 98%
Golden Tate NYG 48 92% 48 92%
C.J. Board NYG 24 46% 24 46%
Damion Ratley NYG 18 35% 18 35%
Braxton Berrios NYJ 52 81% 52 81%
Chris Hogan NYJ 51 80% 51 80%
Josh Malone NYJ 38 59% 38 59%
Lawrence Cager NYJ 29 45% 29 45%
John Hightower PHI 78 86% 78 86%
Greg Ward PHI 76 84% 76 84%
Deontay Burnett PHI 39 43% 39 43%
DeSean Jackson PHI 28 31% 28 31%
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside PHI 18 20% 18 20%
Chase Claypool PIT 61 76% 61 76%
JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT 58 73% 58 73%
James Washington PIT 49 61% 49 61%
Diontae Johnson PIT 19 24% 19 24%
Tyler Lockett SEA 74 97% 74 97%
D.K. Metcalf SEA 73 96% 73 96%
Freddie Swain SEA 34 45% 34 45%
David Moore SEA 31 41% 31 41%
Kendrick Bourne SF 64 83% 64 83%
Brandon Aiyuk SF 56 73% 56 73%
Trent Taylor SF 30 39% 30 39%
Mohamed Sanu SF 20 26% 20 26%
Mike Evans TB 61 90% 61 90%
Chris Godwin TB 55 81% 55 81%
Scotty Miller TB 29 43% 29 43%
Tyler Johnson TB 21 31% 21 31%
Corey Davis TEN 55 73% 55 73%
Cameron Batson TEN 45 60% 45 60%
Adam Humphries TEN 39 52% 39 52%
Kalif Raymond TEN 20 27% 20 27%
Terry McLaurin WSH 64 98% 64 98%
Dontrelle Inman WSH 45 69% 45 69%
Isaiah Wright WSH 29 45% 29 45%
Steven Sims WSH 23 35% 23 35%
Antonio Gandy-Golden WSH 19 29% 19 29%


- Have a day, Justin Jefferson! The rookie wide receiver had his breakout game (7 receptions for 175 yards), punctuated by a 71-yard receiving touchdown. While Adam Thielen is still the alpha in this offense (93 percent snap share through three games), Jefferson (68 percent snap share) looks to have locked up the WR2 role over the likes of Olabisi Johnson (eight percent snap share). It may be hard for Jefferson to come by receiving production like this consistently, as the Minnesota Vikings are averaging the fourth-fewest passing yards per game and want to be a run-first team. But, in games that the Vikings play a pass-funnel defense or project to be playing from behind, Jefferson and Thielen could both have big day.

- Staying on theme for rookie wide receivers breaking out, it appears as though Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins have built quite the connection. Higgins hauled in 5 receptions for 40 yards and 2 touchdowns on a 79 percent snap share on Sunday. Not to mention, Higgins led the team in routes run, a sign that they want him out on the field in passing situations. Additionally, it looks like Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green may be flip-flopping roles on a weekly basis, though both of them figure to be vital pass-catching options for Burrow. It's important to note that John Ross was a healthy scratch this week, which certainly opened up more opportunities for Higgins, but this could be a sign of things to come if he's able to stay on the field.

- To round out the rookie wide receiver love-fest, I present to you Mr. Chase Claypool! It's never great when a breakout player gets injured (Diontae Johnson suffered a concussion in the first half of the game after just 19 snaps), but Claypool became the clear beneficiary of Johnson's absence. In fact, Claypool (61) led all Pittsburgh Steelers in snaps this week, earning more than veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster (59). Claypool showed off his electric speed last week with an 84-yard touchdown, so his ceiling could be unlocked with more playing time if Johnson doesn't return right away.

Tight Ends

Name Team YTD
Snaps
Per Game 		YTD
Team
Snap % 		Week 3
Snaps 		Week 3
Team
Snap %
Darrell Daniels ARI 38 58% 38 58%
Dan Arnold ARI 31 48% 31 48%
Hayden Hurst ATL 43 63% 43 63%
Luke Stocker ATL 32 47% 32 47%
Mark Andrews BAL 44 79% 44 79%
Nick Boyle BAL 26 46% 26 46%
Tyler Kroft BUF 44 71% 44 71%
Lee Smith BUF 1 2% 1 2%
Ian Thomas CAR 35 69% 35 69%
Chris Manhertz CAR 24 47% 24 47%
Jimmy Graham CHI 55 67% 55 67%
Demetrius Harris CHI 34 41% 34 41%
Cole Kmet CHI 26 32% 26 32%
Drew Sample CIN 64 89% 64 89%
Cethan Carter CIN 9 13% 9 13%
Austin Hooper CLE 54 86% 54 86%
Harrison Bryant CLE 40 63% 40 63%
Dalton Schultz DAL 55 67% 55 67%
Blake Bell DAL 27 33% 27 33%
Noah Fant DEN 53 84% 53 84%
Jake Butt DEN 18 29% 18 29%
T.J. Hockenson DET 55 82% 55 82%
Jesse James DET 33 49% 33 49%
Robert Tonyan GB 39 63% 39 63%
Jace Sternberger GB 20 32% 20 32%
Marcedes Lewis GB 20 32% 20 32%
Jordan Akins HOU 32 68% 32 68%
Darren Fells HOU 24 51% 24 51%
Mo Alie-Cox IND 36 60% 36 60%
Jack Doyle IND 32 53% 32 53%
Tyler Eifert JAC 40 61% 40 61%
James O'Shaughnessy JAC 27 41% 27 41%
Travis Kelce KC 61 81% 61 81%
Nick Keizer KC 20 27% 20 27%
Tyler Higbee LA 50 72% 50 72%
Gerald Everett LA 28 41% 28 41%
Hunter Henry LAC 69 88% 69 88%
Virgil Green LAC 12 15% 12 15%
Darren Waller LV 56 95% 56 95%
Foster Moreau LV 15 25% 15 25%
Jason Witten LV 15 25% 15 25%
Durham Smythe MIA 42 69% 42 69%
Michael Gesicki MIA 30 49% 30 49%
Adam Shaheen MIA 24 39% 24 39%
Kyle Rudolph MIN 48 74% 48 74%
Irv Smith Jr. MIN 36 55% 36 55%
Ryan Izzo NE 43 62% 43 62%
Devin Asiasi NE 29 42% 29 42%
Adam Trautman NO 32 52% 32 52%
Jared Cook NO 21 34% 21 34%
Josh Hill NO 20 33% 20 33%
Evan Engram NYG 44 85% 44 85%
Kaden Smith NYG 16 31% 16 31%
Chris Herndon NYJ 51 80% 51 80%
Ryan Griffin NYJ 18 28% 18 28%
Zach Ertz PHI 84 92% 84 92%
Richard Rodgers PHI 33 36% 33 36%
Dallas Goedert PHI 6 7% 6 7%
Eric Ebron PIT 60 75% 60 75%
Vance McDonald PIT 41 51% 41 51%
Greg Olsen SEA 48 63% 48 63%
Will Dissly SEA 30 39% 30 39%
Jacob Hollister SEA 11 14% 11 14%
Ross Dwelley SF 62 81% 62 81%
Jordan Reed SF 18 23% 18 23%
Rob Gronkowski TB 63 93% 63 93%
O.J. Howard TB 33 49% 33 49%
Cameron Brate TB 5 7% 5 7%
Jonnu Smith TEN 66 88% 66 88%
MyCole Pruitt TEN 25 33% 25 33%
Anthony Firkser TEN 19 25% 19 25%
Logan Thomas WSH 55 85% 55 85%
Marcus Baugh WSH 14 22% 14 22%
Jeremy Sprinkle WSH 7 11% 7 11%


- For the second week in a row, Mo Alie-Cox rewarded fantasy managers who started him by finding the end zone for the first time this season. Even with Jack Doyle back in the lineup, Alie-Cox led Indianapolis Colts tight ends with a 60 percent snap share. Notably, this snap share was also good for second-best on the team for Colts pass-catchers, behind only Zach Pascal. Doyle didn't record a single target this week, so we can safely assume that Alie-Cox will be the leader in the tight end room for the rest of the season.

- In the wake of Blake Jarwin tearing his ACL, Dalton Schultz has stepped in admirably to take over the Dallas Cowboys' leading tight end role. The third-year tight end has played in 67 percent of the team's snaps in each of Dallas' first three games. Even though the Cowboys have a plethora of stud receiving options at wide receiver, Schultz plays in an offense that leads the league in passing yards per game right now. With an average of nearly 7.0 targets per game through the first three weeks, if his playing time continues, he'll likely finish the season as a top-12 fantasy tight end.