NFL Snap Counts Report Week 3

Snap counts tell us who is playing but they don’t always paint a clear picture of who is producing for our fantasy football lineups. By digging deep into the NFL Snap Counts Report Week 3, we are able to pull some interesting takeaways that can help us win moving forward.

(minimum 10 snaps in Week 3) 

SNAPS Total offensive snaps played by player.
SNAP % Percentage of offensive snaps played.
RUSH % Percentage of snaps played where player had a rushing attempt.
TGT % Percentage of snaps played where player was targeted by a pass attempt.
TOUCH % Percentage of snaps played where player touched the football (includes pass attempts, rush attempts and receptions).
FPTS Fantasy points scored by player.
PTS/100 SNAPS Average fantasy points scored by player per 100 snaps

RUNNING BACKS

• One of the biggest takeaways from last week’s action was Devin Singletary’s usage. Singletary was in on 73% of Buffalo’s snaps. He ran 45 routes compared to just 15 for Zack Moss and James Cook. Singletary also had 19 opportunities while his backfield mates combined for just 11. That’s lead-back usage but we’ll see if it carries over this week against the Ravens.

• Expect Jamaal Wiliams to surge up to a 65% or higher snap rate for the next two weeks. Williams is already a big part of Detroit’s offense. But with D’Andre Swift expected to miss two games, Williams offers weekly RB2 value ahead of the Lions’ Week 6 bye.

• Dameon Pierce continues to take on more of a role in Houston. However, his ability to be a reliable RB2 will come down to game flow. The rookie isn’t doing much in the passing game. With the Texans likely to be losing often, that hurts his chances of racking up valuable targets and late-game snaps.

Dameon Pierce continues to trend up each week.

Week 1- 20 snaps (30%), 11 att., 1 target
Week 2- 39 snaps (66%), 15 att., 1 target
Week 3- 35 snaps (59%), 20 att., 2 targets

Texans host the Chargers this week, who have allowed the 7th-most fantasy points to RBs

— Jody Smith #TagsStrong💪 (@JodySmithNFL) September 27, 2022

TIGHT ENDS

• After three weeks, Zach Ertz ranks third among all tight ends in snaps (189), second in targets (25), and seventh with an 18.1% target share. He’s been tremendous but the Arizona offense has not. With Rondale Moore back on the practice field, things could be about to change for the struggling Cardinals offense.

• Cole Kmet played a massive 92% of Chicago’s snaps in an exploitable matchup and still came away with two catches. The sad news is those were his first two grabs of the season. The Bears’ passing attack is on pace to be a historically bad unit. Despite the snap counts, there is simply no reason to hold onto Kmet.

• Don’t 0ver-react to Jelani Woods’ pair of TD grabs. The rookie was only in on 16 snaps and is likely to remain in a rotation. Until we see an uptick in playing time, leave Woods on your bench.

• Tyler Conklin now leads all NFL tight ends with 209 snaps and a 90.1% snap rate. That’s massive usage but there is some room for concern. Zach Wilson is back under center now for the Jets. That could and is likely to cause a massive change in target distribution starting this week.

• Mike Gesicki fell to a measly 17 snaps and is now tied for 38th with just 6 targets this season. We were off of Gesicki this summer but the floor has fallen out much worse than we anticipated. Gesicki can be dropped in all formats.

• Austin Hooper has only recorded four receptions through Tennessee’s first three games. Hooper was out-snapped by Geoff Swaim 40-24 against Las Vegas. This is a situation to avoid in fantasy football.

WIDE RECEIVERS

• Ja’Marr Chase has now a position-leading 226 snaps. While it feels like Chase has been a bit of a disappointment, he is leading the league in targets (35) and enters Week 4 as the WR11 in PPR. Things should improve for the Bengals in the coming weeks, which will only help Chase reclaim his top-5 status.

• Baker Mayfield is absolutely destroying Carolina’s offense. D.J. Moore ranks 30th overall in snaps but has been naturalized by Mayfield’s poor play. There isn’t a better alternative for the Panthers, either. As long as Moore remains this involved he’s on the weekly fantasy radar, but he’s no longer a must-start. That’s one of the most depressing developments of 2022 so far.

• Josh Reynolds continues to play a surprising amount of snaps for the Lions. He tied D.J. Chark for a team-high 62 snaps versus the Vikings. Reynolds has topped 12 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks and enters Week 4 with more PPR points than Juju Smith-Schuster, Brandon Aiyuk, and Brandin Cooks.

• It’s finally Romeo Doubs SZN. The rookie played a hefty 55 snaps against a very good Tampa secondary and had the best game of his career. After drawing praise from the coaching staff, Doubs delivered and should have secured his place in the Green Bay lineup. Expect big things to come for Doubs moving forward.

• Jaylen Waddle leads all wideouts with a .42 fantasy points per snap. That’s an incredible- and unsustainable- figure. Waddle’s 29.7% target share ranks 8th among all wideouts. That number will also fall. We’re not saying to sell high on Waddle, but suggest you don’t get too accustomed to his extraordinary numbers.

• If you’re looking for a “buy low” candidate, see if you can snag Elijah Moore. He ranks third among all WRs with 209 snaps and should see a boost in usage with Zach Wilson back under center. Moore has only drawn 14.9% of New York’s targets but that figure should shoot up starting in Week 4.

 

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