NFL

Between the Lines: Week 7 Snap Count Analysis

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 Back

Name Team Week 7
Snaps
Week 7
Snap %
YTD
Snaps
per Game
YTD
Team
Snap %
Chase Edmonds ARI 51 61% 29.3 40%
Kenyan Drake ARI 34 40% 45.0 63%
Todd Gurley ATL 53 71% 41.7 57%
Brian Hill ATL 17 23% 19.0 26%
Keith Smith ATL 14 19% 13.7 19%
Devin Singletary BUF 40 54% 45.6 69%
Zack Moss BUF 35 47% 28.8 41%
Mike Davis CAR 33 72% 38.3 61%
Alex Armah CAR 4 9% 9.9 15%
David Montgomery CHI 52 83% 46.0 70%
Giovani Bernard CIN 57 76% 28.7 38%
Samaje Perine CIN 19 25% 6.0 8%
Kareem Hunt CLE 47 90% 34.1 54%
D'Ernest Johnson CLE 2 4% 10.7 16%
Ezekiel Elliott DAL 37 66% 61.0 80%
Tony Pollard DAL 19 34% 16.0 21%
Melvin Gordon DEN 46 60% 47.8 69%
Royce Freeman DEN 18 23% 17.2 25%
Phillip Lindsay DEN 14 18% 24.3 38%
D'Andre Swift DET 28 45% 23.3 34%
Adrian Peterson DET 19 31% 25.3 38%
Kerryon Johnson DET 14 23% 16.8 25%
Jamaal Williams GB 55 89% 34.0 52%
A.J. Dillon GB 14 23% 7.8 12%
David Johnson HOU 54 79% 48.6 80%
Duke Johnson HOU 20 29% 19.0 29%
James Robinson JAC 57 90% 42.6 65%
Bruce Miller JAC 10 16% 8.0 12%
Dare Ogunbowale JAC 6 10% 5.5 9%
Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC 27 53% 43.7 64%
Le'Veon Bell KC 17 33% 31.7 52%
DeAndre Washington KC 10 20% 10.0 20%
Darrell Henderson LA 40 56% 27.3 41%
Malcolm Brown LA 29 40% 33.1 50%
Cam Akers LA 3 4% 8.8 12%
Joshua Kelley LAC 38 47% 29.5 41%
Justin Jackson LAC 31 38% 26.3 38%
Gabe Nabers LAC 14 17% 11.3 16%
Josh Jacobs LV 32 49% 44.0 64%
Jalen Richard LV 19 29% 15.2 22%
Devontae Booker LV 15 23% 9.8 14%
Rex Burkhead NE 25 48% 28.5 44%
Damien Harris NE 21 40% 18.7 31%
James White NE 10 19% 25.0 39%
Alvin Kamara NO 51 73% 47.2 70%
Latavius Murray NO 23 33% 22.2 33%
Wayne Gallman NYG 32 53% 13.2 22%
Dion Lewis NYG 15 25% 21.1 34%
Devonta Freeman NYG 12 20% 27.2 46%
La'Mical Perine NYJ 40 70% 24.2 38%
Frank Gore NYJ 16 28% 25.4 38%
Boston Scott PHI 56 69% 24.4 33%
Corey Clement PHI 18 22% 9.4 13%
James Conner PIT 66 84% 45.7 63%
Jaylen Samuels PIT 9 11% 7.8 11%
Benny Snell Jr. PIT 6 8% 14.8 21%
Carlos Hyde SEA 41 49% 23.3 32%
Travis Homer SEA 16 19% 15.5 24%
Chris Carson SEA 15 18% 32.2 50%
DeeJay Dallas SEA 12 14% 11.5 16%
Jeff Wilson SF 37 56% 17.2 25%
JaMycal Hasty SF 15 23% 9.5 14%
Jerick McKinnon SF 12 18% 28.3 40%
Leonard Fournette TB 40 56% 20.2 30%
Ronald Jones TB 31 43% 36.4 52%
Derrick Henry TEN 42 74% 47.0 68%
Jeremy McNichols TEN 15 26% 17.2 25%
Khari Blasingame TEN 8 14% 11.8 17%
J.D. McKissic WSH 34 49% 33.3 50%
Antonio Gibson WSH 33 48% 29.7 45%
Peyton Barber WSH 23 33% 10.7 16%


- Regrettably, there wasn't much value in the Los Angeles Chargers backfield this week as Justin Herbert rained fire all over the Jacksonville Jaguars secondary. But, with reports sprouting this week that Austin Ekeler could be out longer than expected, it's worth diving into how the team's running backs were used. In the first week that Ekeler missed in full (Week 5), Justin Jackson led the backfield in both snap share (59 percent) and opportunities (21). However, that flipped this week in favor of Joshua Kelley, who secured 17 opportunities on a 47 percent snap share, compared to 11 opportunities on a 37 percent snap share for Jackson. Next week, the Chargers will play the Denver Broncos in what could be an ugly divisional matchup.

- With two games under our belt without Bill O'Brien as the head coach of the Houston Texans, it's time we dive into their running back usage. In these two games, David Johnson has remained the clear bell-cow back, commanding a whopping 78 percent snap share and seeing 79 percent of the backfield opportunities. That said, Duke Johnson has maintained his role as a pass-catching specialist, earning seven targets to David Johnson's six over the past two weeks. According to Mike Clay, the Texans rank fifth in game-script-adjusted passing rate, demonstrating their proclivity for airing out the ball. That said, following a Week 8 bye, the Texans play their division rival Jaguars, who are top-five in fantasy points allowed to the running back position.

- For the first time in two games, Leonard Fournette saw decent usage, siphoning enough opportunities from Ronald Jones to give Jones his worst game since Week 3. Fournette saw his highest snap share of the year at 46 percent, while Jones saw his second-lowest snap share of the year at 43 percent. Jones still got 15 opportunities, which is great to see, but Fournette edged him out there, too, with 18 total opportunities. It should also be noted that Fournette ran 25 routes this week (per PFF), which is more than Jones has seen in any individual game this season. This usage could have been a function of game script as Tampa Bay led by double-digits for the entire second half. That said, this may be a sign that workhorse RoJo may no longer be the case while Fournette remains involved.

Wide Receiver

Name Team Week 7
Snaps
Week 7
Snap %
YTD
Snaps
per Game
YTD
Team
Snap %
DeAndre Hopkins ARI 80 95% 65.7 91%
Christian Kirk ARI 66 79% 51.0 70%
Larry Fitzgerald ARI 66 79% 57.0 80%
Andy Isabella ARI 42 50% 23.1 33%
Julio Jones ATL 59 79% 52.4 68%
Calvin Ridley ATL 58 77% 57.7 79%
Brandon Powell ATL 25 33% 14.4 20%
Russell Gage ATL 24 32% 41.6 56%
Olamide Zaccheaus ATL 11 15% 31.7 46%
Christian Blake ATL 5 7% 10.7 15%
Stefon Diggs BUF 72 97% 61.4 91%
Gabriel Davis BUF 70 95% 46.0 68%
Cole Beasley BUF 61 82% 41.6 61%
Isaiah McKenzie BUF 15 20% 15.0 22%
D.J. Moore CAR 42 91% 54.3 86%
Robby Anderson CAR 40 87% 48.4 77%
Curtis Samuel CAR 22 48% 40.0 63%
Seth Roberts CAR 19 41% 13.3 22%
Darnell Mooney CHI 51 81% 41.9 63%
Allen Robinson CHI 50 79% 55.4 83%
Anthony Miller CHI 37 59% 35.7 54%
Javon Wims CHI 18 29% 19.0 28%
Cordarrelle Patterson CHI 13 21% 12.3 19%
A.J. Green CIN 65 87% 51.6 69%
Tee Higgins CIN 63 84% 50.1 67%
Tyler Boyd CIN 60 80% 58.3 78%
Mike Thomas CIN 16 21% 23.3 31%
Rashard Higgins CLE 44 85% 27.8 46%
Jarvis Landry CLE 40 77% 47.0 73%
Donovan Peoples-Jones CLE 36 69% 20.5 33%
Michael Gallup DAL 51 91% 66.9 89%
Amari Cooper DAL 42 75% 62.0 81%
CeeDee Lamb DAL 31 55% 52.1 68%
Cedrick Wilson DAL 20 36% 15.6 21%
Jerry Jeudy DEN 58 75% 47.8 70%
Tim Patrick DEN 51 66% 52.7 78%
K.J. Hamler DEN 30 39% 37.5 53%
DaeSean Hamilton DEN 27 35% 35.8 53%
Tyrie Cleveland DEN 13 17% 5.6 8%
Marvin Jones DET 56 90% 59.5 89%
Kenny Golladay DET 52 84% 52.0 78%
Danny Amendola DET 33 53% 33.3 50%
Jamal Agnew DET 13 21% 13.5 20%
Davante Adams GB 57 92% 54.3 79%
Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB 51 82% 51.7 79%
Darrius Shepherd GB 29 47% 23.5 38%
Malik Taylor GB 10 16% 22.8 36%
Will Fuller HOU 67 99% 51.3 84%
Brandin Cooks HOU 55 81% 50.3 82%
Randall Cobb HOU 49 72% 42.3 69%
Kenny Stills HOU 22 32% 19.9 32%
D.J. Chark JAC 55 87% 53.5 82%
Keelan Cole JAC 48 76% 48.6 73%
Laviska Shenault JAC 47 75% 44.2 67%
Chris Conley JAC 16 25% 25.6 38%
Collin Johnson JAC 12 19% 14.3 22%
Tyreek Hill KC 37 73% 58.1 86%
Demarcus Robinson KC 34 67% 42.4 62%
Byron Pringle KC 31 61% 14.2 22%
Mecole Hardman KC 22 43% 32.3 47%
Robert Woods LA 65 90% 60.3 90%
Cooper Kupp LA 62 86% 57.9 87%
Josh Reynolds LA 53 74% 46.1 69%
Van Jefferson LA 3 4% 13.4 19%
Keenan Allen LAC 69 85% 59.5 81%
Mike Williams LAC 61 75% 57.6 74%
Jalen Guyton LAC 54 67% 53.0 73%
Tyron Johnson LAC 11 14% 8.0 12%
Nelson Agholor LV 51 78% 41.7 62%
Henry Ruggs LV 49 75% 46.3 67%
Hunter Renfrow LV 35 54% 36.3 53%
Rico Gafford LV 10 15% 8.5 13%
Zay Jones LV 10 15% 23.2 33%
Damiere Byrd NE 48 92% 60.0 93%
Jakobi Meyers NE 41 79% 15.8 28%
Julian Edelman NE 31 60% 44.2 68%
N'Keal Harry NE 11 21% 46.2 70%
Tre'Quan Smith NO 57 81% 56.0 83%
Marquez Callaway NO 51 73% 39.3 54%
Deonte Harris NO 20 29% 18.8 29%
Austin Carr NO 13 19% 13.0 19%
Darius Slayton NYG 55 92% 56.0 91%
Sterling Shepard NYG 46 77% 38.0 59%
Golden Tate NYG 28 47% 39.5 66%
Austin Mack NYG 12 20% 24.0 48%
Breshad Perriman NYJ 54 95% 48.3 79%
Braxton Berrios NYJ 48 84% 32.3 51%
Denzel Mims NYJ 45 79% 45.0 79%
Jeff Smith NYJ 12 21% 53.3 75%
Travis Fulgham PHI 78 96% 54.8 79%
Greg Ward PHI 77 95% 49.0 67%
DeSean Jackson PHI 39 48% 39.8 53%
John Hightower PHI 30 37% 40.4 56%
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside PHI 13 16% 15.8 22%
JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT 65 82% 56.0 79%
Diontae Johnson PIT 59 75% 38.6 55%
Chase Claypool PIT 51 65% 43.0 59%
James Washington PIT 18 23% 38.5 54%
Ray-Ray McCloud PIT 8 10% 10.5 14%
D.K. Metcalf SEA 81 96% 64.2 96%
Tyler Lockett SEA 78 93% 63.0 94%
David Moore SEA 29 35% 28.3 43%
Freddie Swain SEA 23 27% 22.2 33%
Brandon Aiyuk SF 50 76% 56.3 82%
Deebo Samuel SF 41 62% 45.8 67%
Kendrick Bourne SF 30 45% 47.0 69%
Richie James SF 16 24% 11.0 17%
Mike Evans TB 62 86% 58.0 84%
Chris Godwin TB 59 82% 55.0 80%
Scotty Miller TB 43 60% 37.9 55%
Tyler Johnson TB 29 40% 29.6 42%
Justin Watson TB 12 17% 29.2 43%
A.J. Brown TEN 53 93% 57.3 82%
Corey Davis TEN 52 91% 55.8 82%
Adam Humphries TEN 31 54% 37.8 54%
Cam Sims WSH 61 88% 15.4 22%
Terry McLaurin WSH 58 84% 62.4 94%
Dontrelle Inman WSH 20 29% 42.9 64%


- I still don't know why teams feel the need to put their best weapons in on special teams to return kickoffs and punts, but here we are. Because of this mind-numbing decision, DeSean Jackson left the game before Philadelphia's final drive after getting rolled up on a punt return. Up to that point, Jackson had played on only 54 percent of snaps, so he wasn't getting a full workload anyway. But where I want to bring attention to is with the rest of the receiving corps, as it's likely that Jackson will miss several weeks due to this injury. It appears as though Travis Fulgham is the real deal as he's carved out a nice role in an offense that has clearly lacked playmakers this season. His 96 percent snap share was the highest for any Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver in a single game this season. Concurrently, Greg Ward had a 95 percent snap share, which, you guessed it, was the second-highest snap share for a Philadelphia wide receiver this season. Both of these guys look to be the top-two options at receiver right now until Alshon Jeffery and Jackson return.

- Apparently, Nelson Agholor has seen a career rebirth in his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders. While many expected Henry Ruggs to be the primary deep threat, Agholor has encroached on this territory, averaging a well-above-career-high 14.3 yards per target and 14.0 average depth of target. Agholor has seen a snap share of at least 78 percent in each of the Raiders' last four games, which is extremely significant for a wide receiver. On the other hand, Ruggs has gotten a snap share of 88 percent and 75 percent after missing two games due to injury. Hunter Renfrow remains in the mix as well, averaging a solid 50 percent snap share on the season, but his ceiling is capped with tight end Darren Waller seeing a lot of the same intermediate targets as Renfrow. It'll be tough to tell which of these receivers might pop off in a given week as it seems that they're all cannibalizing each other's opportunities.

- If you haven't followed, it appears as though Mecole Hardman is really only a direct backup to Tyreek Hill. In the past two games that Sammy Watkins has missed, Hardman has only been in on 40 and 43 percent of the plays, respectively. Much to the chagrin of many fantasy managers, Demarcus Robinson is the Watkins handcuff (if you can even call it that). While he had been involved before Watkins' injury (3 targets per game, 63 percent snap share), he has gotten snap shares of 95 and 67 percent in the past two games. Hill is the alpha in this offense with Travis Kelce heavily involved as well, but it's tough to trust any of those receiving options behind them on a weekly basis.

Tight End

NameTeamWeek 7
Snaps
Week 7
Snap %
YTD
Snaps
per Game
YTD
Team
Snap %
Darrell DanielsARI4250%36.952%
Dan ArnoldARI2125%33.948%
Hayden HurstATL5573%53.773%
Luke StockerATL3547%29.741%
Tyler KroftBUF5878%31.749%
Reggie GilliamBUF1318%4.57%
Ian ThomasCAR3270%40.764%
Chris ManhertzCAR2043%34.353%
Jimmy GrahamCHI4876%47.071%
Cole KmetCHI2032%21.031%
Demetrius HarrisCHI1829%27.040%
Drew SampleCIN7397%56.776%
Harrison BryantCLE4077%34.754%
David NjokuCLE3160%23.038%
Dalton SchultzDAL4580%57.176%
Blake BellDAL2036%21.929%
Noah FantDEN5470%49.271%
Nick VannettDEN3545%26.238%
Albert OkwuegbunamDEN3140%27.539%
T.J. HockensonDET4471%47.070%
Jesse JamesDET2540%33.249%
Isaac NautaDET610%12.017%
Marcedes LewisGB3150%27.440%
Robert TonyanGB3150%40.260%
Jace SternbergerGB2032%17.026%
Darren FellsHOU5378%41.667%
Pharaoh BrownHOU1928%16.826%
James O'ShaughnessyJAC4470%34.653%
Ben EllefsonJAC1930%19.030%
Travis KelceKC4078%58.386%
Deon YelderKC1427%9.816%
Nick KeizerKC1224%18.628%
Gerald EverettLA5576%32.949%
Johnny MundtLA4664%14.020%
Hunter HenryLAC6277%62.285%
Virgil GreenLAC2025%23.533%
Donald Parham Jr.LAC1822%8.711%
Darren WallerLV5991%63.292%
Jason WittenLV2132%24.536%
Foster MoreauLV1117%15.322%
Dalton KeeneNE2446%24.046%
Ryan IzzoNE2344%49.775%
Jared CookNO3449%35.853%
Josh HillNO3043%29.343%
Adam TrautmanNO2840%18.829%
Evan EngramNYG5083%53.186%
Kaden SmithNYG3660%26.643%
Chris HerndonNYJ3154%42.765%
Ryan GriffinNYJ2747%25.639%
Richard RodgersPHI6985%31.342%
Jason CroomPHI911%4.05%
Eric EbronPIT6684%53.374%
Vance McDonaldPIT3544%38.755%
Greg OlsenSEA5262%44.367%
Will DisslySEA4958%30.345%
Jacob HollisterSEA2327%11.817%
George KittleSF6091%65.697%
Ross DwelleySF2233%23.634%
Rob GronkowskiTB5576%55.981%
Cameron BrateTB1217%14.320%
Jonnu SmithTEN4070%50.874%
Anthony FirkserTEN1526%24.034%
MyCole PruittTEN1526%23.033%
Logan ThomasWSH5478%56.785%
Jeremy SprinkleWSH2841%13.920%
Temarrick HemingwayWSH2638%13.720%


- Have a game, Cleveland Browns tight ends! In Sunday's shootout with the Cincinnati Bengals, Harrison Bryant and David Njoku combined for 7 receptions, 112 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Austin Hooper was ruled out just 90 minutes before kickoff, leaving Bryant and Njoku to take over the reins. Bryant led the two of them with a 77 percent snap share and would be my bet to thrive if Hooper continues to miss time. Njoku wasn't far behind with a 60 percent snap share, but with the trade deadline coming up next week, many eyes will be on the Browns to see whether they deal Njoku after trade rumors have swirled several times this year.

- Fortunately, Kyle Allen under center hasn't hurt the fantasy value of the ancillary players for the Washington Football Team. This includes Logan Thomas, who has found paydirt in back-to-back weeks. It was bound to happen, too, as Thomas has been near the top of the tight end ranks in several advanced metrics, which includes his snap share. On the season, Thomas is seeing the field on 85 percent of the team's snaps and hasn't had a game under 74 percent all season. A lot of this is due to the lack of competition that Thomas has in the tight end room. Jeremy Sprinkle is the only tight end on the team with two games with at least a 40 percent snap share, so we can be confident that Thomas will remain the team's primary tight end option.