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 snap counts from Week 12, we are able to pull some interesting takeaways that can help us win moving forward.
NFL snap data courtesy: SportsData – Previous Weeks: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4|Week 5|Week 6|Week 7|Week 8 |Week 9 |Week 10|Week 11
(minimum 15 snaps in Week 12)
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
Week 12 was Latavius Murray‘s second game since returning from IR and he was once again out-snapped and touched byDevonta Freeman. Murray mustered all of 14 yards on his eight carries and was not targeted. At this point, there’s simply no reason to hold onto Murray in redraft leagues. Freeman looks like a good bet to be the featured back, albeit one with a limited ceiling.
Over the last two weeks, Matt Breida has been the highest-scoring fantasy RB in Buffalo, despite playing far fewer snaps than Devin Singletary. Zack Moss was a healthy scratch last week and we should start to see Breida take more of the touches moving forward.
Rex Burkhead has led Houston in carries in each of the last two weeks but is still seeing fewer targets than David Johnson. Burkhead also dipped from 18 to just 12 carries in Week 12. Without those precious targets to boost his production, there isn’t much upside to justify starting Burkhead for a Texans squad that will be lucky to win another game in 2021.
Only Derrick Henry and Jamaal Williams have been utizliezd on a higher percent of snaps than Damien Harris, who gets the ball on 53.5% of the snaps he’s on the field. Of course, the lack of tarets means that the vast majority of Harris’s touches are carries, which somewhat limits his PPR upside.
The Titans have found an effective duo, pretty much trotting out a 50/50 split backfield. Dontrell Hilliard played one more snap than D’Onta Foreman but both backs surprisingly exceeded 100 rushing yards against the Patriots. If this rotation continues, Hilliard is far more likely to remain involved in the passing game.
Tajae Sharpe tied for the team-lead with another 46 snaps but Sharpe continues to be one of the least effective fantasy wieouts in the game, despite the ample playing time. Sharpe’s 0.64 fantasy points per snap ranks 122nd in the NFL.
The Ravens rotated receivers behind Marquise Brown quite a bit. While Hollywood saw his customary 75% snap share, Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and Sammy Watkins all evenly split snaps, with Bateman being the only receiver to make much of a fantasy impact. With QB Lamar Jackson struggling, there’s simply no reason to count on anyone in Baltimore’s passing game other than Brown, and possibly Bateman as a WR3/4.
Despite playing just 43 snaps, Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins was the PPR WR2 in Week 12, snagging 6-of-8 targets for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. Higgins’s 33% target share was fourth last week, and his .41 fantasy points per snap ranked 3rd.
Davante Adams led all wide receivers with 80 snaps in Week 12. Those 80 snaps are the most by any wideout this season in a non-overtime game.
You have to love the extensive usage for both Odell Beckham Jr. and Van Jefferson, who each logged a 98% snap rate for the Rams. More than half of Jefferson’s snaps came in the slot, which is a new wrinkle for sophomore pass-catcher.
With another 53 (96%) snaps in San Francisco, Adam Thielen now leads all NFL wideouts with a 95.2% snap rate for the season. Thielen’s 10 TD grabs are also tied with Cooper Kupp and Mike Evans for the league lead.
Hard to read much into the New Orleans receiving corps. The only discernable takeaway is that Tre’Quan Smith and Marquez Callaway are the only wideouts you can depend on seeing decent snaps in a low-volume passing attack. Further clouding the picture beginning in Week 13 will be Taysom Hill getting the start under center. View Smith and Callaway as little more than middling WR4/flex options but Hill’s presence will likely cut back on any touchdown opportunities for the receiving corps.
Josh Reynolds is a player to keep an eye on. In his second game with Detroit, Reynolds played 43 (88%) snaps and posted a 3/70/1 line on five targets. The winless Lions will continue to see positive game scripts, which could lead to more solid performances by Reynolds.
