Snap Count Observations: Transactions to Make for Week 11 (Fantasy Football)
Chicago Bears
D’Andre Swift 62%; Kyle Monangai 38%
Last week, I mused that it was possible that Ben Johnson has been looking for an excuse to replace D’Andre Swift as the Bears’ top RB. It seems that I may have jumped the gun on Monangai overtaking Swift—Week 10 made that crystal clear. Healthy again, Swift reclaimed the lead role with more snaps, touches, and targets, while Monangai settled into a complementary role.
Despite Kyle Monangai’s explosive Week 9 performance, the Bears reaffirmed their trust in D’Andre Swift in Week 10. Swift outsnapped Monangai 42 to 26 and handled 65% of the rushing attempts along with a season-best 22% target share. Monangai still saw action—scoring a TD on limited carries—but Swift’s efficiency and versatility kept him firmly atop the depth chart.
Conclusion: For now, Swift remains the leader of Chicago’s backfield.
Houston Texans
Woody Marks 80%; Nick Chubb 13%
In Week 10, the Texans trailed by 19 late in the third quarter, forcing a shift to a more pass-friendly game script. But even before needing to rely so heavily on the pass, Woody Marks dominated the backfield usage, while Nick Chubb logged just five carries and one reception. This is an excellent sign that Nick Chubb is being phased out. Not only is Marks the more dynamic playmaker, but the team is trusting the rookie in pass protection situations too.
This was the fourth time in five games that Mark has outsnapped Chubb. However, this is the biggest disparity between playing time so far this season.
Conclusion: If this trend continues, Marks could be on the verge of taking over the backfield outright.
Minnesota Vikings
Aaron Jones 71%; Jordan Mason 25%
Jordan Mason saw limited action against the Ravens because Minnesota leaned heavily on the passing game in a failed comeback attempt, and Aaron Jones is the preferred RB in passing situations, as we have seen over the year when Jones is healthy.
Aaron Jones logged 13 carries and six targets, while Mason managed just four carries and one target. Compounding Mason’s reduced role was the game script: the Vikings trailed early and relied on J.J. McCarthy’s arm to close the gap, abandoning the run despite averaging nearly six yards per carry.
Conclusion: Unfortunately, it appears that Jordan Mason needs a positive game script or an injury to Jones to remain usable.
Los Angeles Chargers
Kimani Vidal 93%; Jaret Patterson 5%
Vidal has complete control over the Chargers’ backfield, so I hope you picked him up when you had a chance. Jaret Patterson had 20 carries combined in the last two Chargers games, so it is quite surprising to see that he only saw one carry and a handful of snaps. Also, this was a game where the Chargers’ defense completely stifled Pittsburgh, and the game was never really in doubt.
Conclusion: Unless and until Omarion Hampton returns, this is Vidal’s backfield.
New England Patriots
Mack Hollins 79%; Stefon Diggs 59%
This has been brewing for a while, but Mack Hollins is becoming a real thing in New England. He has led the team in targets over the past several weeks, and now he is playing the most of any Patriot WR. The timing of this playing time bump does correspond with an injury to Kayshon Boutte, but those peripheral numbers suggest that he really is becoming an integral part of this offense.
It’s hard to ignore 10/6/106 with a 54-yard reception mixed in. Hollins is tied to a good QB, playing a lot, and demanding targets
Conclusion: Pick up Mack Hollins if you need a WR.
Detroit Lions
Jameson Williams 87%
A lot changed in Detroit in Week 10. The biggest thing is that Dan Campbell assumed the role of play-caller for the Lions. The result? The Lions did not punt for an entire game and scored points on every drive, excluding the kneel-downs to end the game. Things did not click for offensive coordinator John Morton, and Campbell will be calling the plays moving forward. Based on a very small sample size against a team with an awful defense, it looks like good things will result from this change.
The biggest beneficiary was Jameson Williams. Jamo caught 6 of 7 targets for 119 yards and a TD. He also played every single snap before the starters were pulled at the end of the game due to it being a blowout. So, yes, it’s a small playing time bump, but when he was playing, his usage was very different. Four of his six catches were crossing routes across the shallow or middle part of the field; the other two were comeback routes. That is not how John Morton has been using Williams. Morton’s offensive philosophy focuses on generating more deep shots. Theoretically, that would be a great fit for Jameson Williams, who is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL. But the deep passing game is not Jared Goff‘s forte. It’s also not something the offensive line was allowing time to develop. So, rather than just running Williams straight and far, the Lions got him involved over the center of the field with Dan Campbell as play-caller. Williams can still use his incredible speed running across the field rather than down it. His TD catch was a short crossing route that he maneuvered into the end zone.
The point is the offense looks revived with Dan Campbell calling plays. The utilization of Williams is different with Campbell’s philosophy.
Conclusion: Jameson Williams looks like a player who could really thrive in the second half of the season under a new play-caller.