Snap Count Observations: Transactions to Make for Week 13 (Fantasy Football)
Carolina Panthers
David Moore – 94%; Adam Thielen – 61%
I guess because Kansas City is contractually obligated to play every team close, the Panthers almost pulled off a shocking upset.
Adam Thielen returned from IR and played approximately his season-average snap share, so that is good to see. He managed to get four targets for a decent 57 receiving yards. But the story of the Panthers was WR David Moore. Moore was a lightly used wide receiver who had been averaging below 45% snap usage, but he must have shown something in practice recently because, against the Chiefs, he played over both Xavier Legette and Thielen. He popped too, with 10(!!!) targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs’ defense is no joke, so this performance is certainly noteworthy.
Now that Bryce Young isn’t playing like a laughingstock, we have to take note of Panthers WRs. David Moore looks like he may have earned the number one role, or at least a role where he never comes off the field. He seems to have Young’s trust more than Thielen and Legette.
Conclusion: David Moore is someone worth adding to any team.
Houston Texans
Nico Collins – 79%
Houston played a crap game and lost to the meager Titans, but Nico Collins appears to be back to full speed after the hamstring injury. The Texans took it slow with their star receiver, giving him five weeks away from an NFL game, and they ramped him up slowly. Last week, he played a mere 47% of the snaps, far short of his 71% average. This week he exceeded his average, which is a great sign that he is finally healthy.
Collins needs a little help though. CJ Stroud is facing a ton of pressure (181 pressures, which leads the league). That pressure is leading to sacks, stalled drives, and errant throws by the Stroud. Nico is still awesome—nine targets for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Conclusion: Collins is back to full usage after his injury. His ceiling could be higher if the Texans could manage QB pressure better.
Miami Dolphins
Jonnu Smith 69%
Jonnu Smith‘s usage in Miami cannot be ignored. Smith has steadily increased his usage, particularly over the last month. This past week, which was a massacre of the Patriots, Smith scored again and is now the third-highest usage player in Miami, behind only Waddle and Hill.
Normally, I’d probably write this usage off, but Tyreek is playing through a major injury, and it’s impacting him. The Dolphins have turned to Smith to help fill the gap in production, and it’s working. The Dolphins look like an elite offense again with a healthy Tua, and Jonnu Smith is a major part of the game plan.
Smith is probably rostered already (75% on Sleeper), but if he isn’t, it’s time to grab him.
Conclusion: Jonnu Smith should be close to 100% rostered.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans – 60%; Cade Otton – 82%
Mike Evans returned from injury and immediately impacted the Buccaneers’ offense. He was okay (six targets for 68 yards), but a bit disappointing in a game where the Bucs scored 30. But the bigger impact of Evans’ return was on Cade Otton, who went from target hog to irrelevant. Otton played his normal allotment of snaps and ran the same number of routes, but the targets just didn’t come his way (three targets leading to one catch for 30 yards).
The Bucs want to run this offense through the WRs, and with Evans back, the Bucs slid Sterling Shepard into the Chris Godwin role, which resulted in seven targets (a team-high) for Shepard.
This game was a bloodbath, and the Giants look like a team ready to fire their coach and head to the offseason, but still, there is a trend here: when Evans is healthy, Otton is rarely targeted.
Conclusion: Cade Otton belongs on benches when Mike Evans is healthy.
Dallas Cowboys
Luke Schoonmaker – 65%
With Jake Ferguson sidelined with an injury, the Cowboys turned to their second-year TE out of the University of Michigan. He looked great, particularly on the 22-yard touchdown pass. Basically, Schoonmaker looked a lot like Ferguson out there.
The Cowboys still, very much, have an alpha on their team. CeeDee Lamb saw 12 targets, which is triple what Schoonmaker saw. But Schoonmaker’s four targets were tied for the second most on the team. Also, the quarterback situation in Dallas leaves a bit to be desired, but Rush looked better this week against a decent team.
Schoonmaker was a highly drafted TE (second-round pick in 2023—fifth tight end taken). He was a very good player at Michigan, just overshadowed by soon-to-be first-round pick, Colston Loveland. The point is, he is no slouch even if he was playing behind Ferguson for most of the year.
Schoonmaker’s outlook looks positive, and he should definitely be someone you consider picking up, particularly in dynasty formats (only 58% rostered in dynasty).
Conclusion: Pick up Schoonmaker, particularly in dynasty formats.