Snap Count Observations: Transactions to Make for Week 14 (Fantasy Football)
Detroit Lions
Isaac TeSlaa 92%
In an unfortunate and all-too-common situation, Amon-Ra St. Brown got rolled up on while blocking downfield very early in the game. He did not return to the game, which allowed Isaac TeSlaa to play major snaps. Of course, he caught a TD (he has three TDs on six career receptions), but otherwise, he was pretty quiet while Jared Goff hyper-targeted the RBs and Jameson Williams. Detroit’s inability to convert a couple of 4th downs didn’t help with opportunities for TeSlaa, though.
It should be noted that Kalif Raymond was also not playing in this game due to an ankle injury (injured Lions pass catchers now include St. Brown, Sam Laporta, and Kalif Raymond). Essentially, three injuries combined opened the door for more TeSlaa, which says a lot.
Despite playing major snaps, TeSlaa was out-targeted and out-produced by perennial practice squad member, Tom Kennedy. TeSlaa was considered a project who flashed big-time in the preseason, similar to Jacory Croskey-Merritt for Washington. He is unlikely to make a major impact for the Lions this season because he’s not a polished receiver, St. Brown and Raymond are both likely back in the next week or two, and the Lions’ offensive line is not holding up for the types of routes that TeSlaa runs best. Oh, and despite getting ALL my hopes up last Wednesday, All-Pro Center Frank Ragnow is not coming to save the season.
Conclusion: Don’t bid much or at all on Isaac Teslaa.
New York Jets
Adonai Mitchell 86%
Adonai Mitchell was squarely in the Colts’ doghouse after his too-early celebration/fumble in Week 4. Mitchell was essentially a throw-in to the Sauce Gardner trade. Good on the Jets for realizing there was some juice in a player simply being punished for barely making a mistake.
We talked last week about how the Jets are using the remainder of 2025 to see what they have in a couple of WR castoffs (Mitchell and John Metchie). Mitchell delivered big time in Week 13 (12/8/102/1). Metchie was targeted a fair bit too, but did not make an impact like Mitchell did. Typical “against Atlanta’s bad passing defense” caveats apply here, but this receiving line should not be ignored simply because of the opponent.
Tyrod Taylor has been competent, and the Jets’ passing offense at least looks respectable. Mitchell looks like the real winner here and could be a very good complement to Garrett Wilson if the Jets can bring in a better QB in 2026.
Conclusion: Adonai Mitchell could have value this season and certainly in dynasty formats.
New Orleans Saints
DeVaughn Vele 88%; Chris Olave 88%; Devin Neal 82%
Similar to the Jets, the Saints are using 2025 to try out all their young players to see what they have. Tyler Shough has been steadily improving every week and is actually making a few Saints relevant in deeper formats. Devaughn Vele looks like Shough’s favorite target and scored a TD while playing the same number of snaps as Chris Olave.
The competent offense is also allowing us a respectable view of Devin Neal‘s abilities. He looks fine, but the ceiling of this offense remains capped even with a rookie QB playing adequate football.
Conclusion: I am not rushing to pick up any of these players, but Vele might be worth a low-risk bid. Neal’s opportunity renders him relevant.
Buffalo Bills
Keon Coleman 45%
The Bills finally let Keon Coleman out of “timeout,” and he proceeded to do the same thing he’s done all year: essentially nothing. He played meaningful snaps, and did catch a TD, but saw only three targets and two catches on 33 snaps for a grand total of nine yards.
Truth be told, this isn’t just a Keon Coleman problem. The entire Bills WR room is in rough shape. In fact, the Bills’ target leader in Week 13 was a 3rd-string RB. That about says it all. They are trying to piece together a passing game with six WRs who all have different but narrow skill sets. They are even giving Brandin Cooks a try now. A good idea in theory, but not really working outside of the wins.
It’s not going to happen for Coleman this year or maybe ever. He might have a good game or two, but he cannot be relied upon. The Bills’ offense runs through James Cook and Josh Allen‘s legs.
Conclusion: Keon Coleman and the entire Bills WR room are unusable in fantasy.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving 52%; Rachaad White 38%; Sean Tucker 15%
The return of Bucky Irving spelled an instant death-blow to Sean Tucker‘s fantasy value. The Bucs didn’t even bother with the typical lower usage, “ramp-up” week for the returning-from-injury player. Bucky was back, and they ran with him. Tucker saw only two worthless (literally, 0 total yards) carries and played mostly special teams.
Conclusion: Sean Tucker only has fantasy value when Bucky Irving is hurt. Drop him.
Denver Broncos
Courtland Sutton 81%; Pat Bryant 70%; Evan Engram 54%; Troy Franklin 53%
Pat Bryant set a career high in snap counts this week, and it paid dividends, as only Evan Engram saw more targets than Bryant for the Broncos. This opportunity has been brewing for a while, as Sean Payton noted at the beginning of November that his blocking had notably improved. The coaching staff’s trust is finally turning into playing time.
Bryant is a big-bodied receiver who looked good out of Illinois. I followed his draft process quite closely because he had a lot of ties to the Lions (but the Lions ended up going all in for TeSlaa). It looks like he may have jumped Troy Franklin as the team’s WR2.
Despite all the winning, the Broncos’ offense has looked a bit stagnant at times. Perhaps the change in receiving personnel is Payton’s attempt to jump-start an offense in need of something. To me, this has the potential to be a real thing.
Conclusion: After Adonai Mitchell, Pat Bryant would be my main WR waiver wire target. You can probably get him for next to nothing.