Snap Count Observations: Five Transactions for Week 8 (Fantasy Football)
So Footclan, did you survive Week 7? I sure didn’t, but that’s beside the point. Sunday was one of the uglier days of football in recent memory, and Monday night was one of the worst individual football games I’ve watched at any level. Thankfully the week is over, and we can move onto another weekend, but this time we only have two teams sitting out. There are some solid options available that shouldn’t cost you too much in the trade market or on the waiver wire. For example, Kenneth Gainwell will be a top pickup, but Boston Scott saw a higher rush share with Miles Sanders on the bench. Scott almost made this list, so consider him an honorable mention. The reason he missed the cut was because if you’re required to play someone like Scott, you may be in too much trouble to even care about this article anymore. The players I chose are much more impactful for positive or negative reasons, and all five of these moves can help you during this stretch of uncertainty. A couple of these should free up roster spots that have clogged your bench, and a couple of them are high value targets that can help you win in Week 8 and beyond.
The Washington Football Team Running Backs
Antonio Gibson: 42% Snap Share, 48% Rushing Share, 5.6% Target Share
J.D McKissic: 64% Snap Share, 14% Rushing Share, 16.7% Target Share
It’s middle school all over again I guess, because here we are, begging for Smooches. J.D McKissic is going to be a thing in Washington until he retires or gets released, and it’s frustrating if you roster Antonio Gibson. Gibson has had some injury issues this season but he also hasn’t seen the uptick in passing game usage that a lot of us predicted when we drafted him in the top twenty picks. McKissic is still the passing game back for the most part, and it doesn’t appear like that’s going to change anytime soon. He actually played more snaps this weekend than the aforementioned Gibson did, which makes sense given the gamescript heavily favored a passing attack and Gibson’s shin is fractured. This is going to be the case in plenty of games going forward, so McKissic is going to provide a lot of value in an ugly running back landscape. Smoochie is still available in over 42% of leagues, so he’s worth an add if he’s on your waiver wire this week. Managers that play in full PPR leagues should be extra aggressive. As far as what we should do with Gibson, you’re likely holding him. He is still going to be a very solid back to have on your roster, but the potential for workhorse usage has evaporated. If someone still thinks he has upside in that department, you should ship him out and try to return RB1 value.
Conclusion: Add J.D McKissic, Consider Trading Antonio Gibson
The Kansas City Chiefs Running Backs
This one makes me sad, considering I just recommended adding Williams a few weeks ago before CEH went down. I didn’t expect the Chiefs offense to function as poorly as it has in recent weeks, so I’ve changed my tune a bit on their veteran backup. Williams’ campaign as a waiver wire wonder started off strong after he found the end zone twice, but his usage last week was ugly and his production was awful. The Chiefs trailed for most of the game, and Williams was a nonfactor in the passing game. This means that his only real value will be during weeks where the Chiefs play with a lead since they rely so heavily on the pass. They get the Giants this week which puts him in flex consideration territory, but after that they have a brutal stretch of games against the Packers, Raiders, and Cowboys. You certainly don’t want to drop Williams because any team with Patrick Mahomes can turn things around instantly, but for now he’s better off on your bench given how poorly things look in KC. To put it plainly – if he’s not a factor in the passing game when the Chiefs are struggling, then we shouldn’t be rolling him out during a period of struggle.
Darrel Williams: 64% Snap Share, 38% Rushing Share, 8% Target Share
Jerick McKinnon: 30% Snap Share, 0% Rushing Share, 8% Target Share
Conclusion: BENCH Darrel Williams
The Arizona Cardinals Receivers
DeAndre Hopkins: 83% Snap Share, 32% Target Share
A.J Green: 84% Snap Share, 10.7% Target Share
Christian Kirk: 71% Snap Share, 17.9% Target Share
Rondale Moore: 52% Snap Share, 10.7% Target Share
The Cardinals pass catchers could have made this article every single week, which is part of the reason I left them out nearly every single week. Usages fluctuated drastically through the first six weeks, but one thing remained constant. Two things, actually. DeAndre Hopkins and A.J Green are the clear top options for Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury, and the third spot on the totem poll has bounced between Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore. Kirk has had some big games, and Moore had a few stretches of brilliance that reignited his hype train. It’s been awhile since Moore lead the Cardinals in any statistical category, and this week reenforced his role as the 3B in snap share. He’s not pushing Kirk at all right now, so even if there are a few stretches of high level play from the dynamic rookie, the inconsistency risk is much greater than the output will be. Moore is simply a boom or bust talent for now, and finding those on the waiver wire is easy on any given week. Holding Moore on your team in the hopes that he overtakes Kirk for the third spot in a passing attack is low upside game theory, so it’s pointless to hold on any longer. His future is bright, but his short term fantasy outlook is dim. He can be safely dropped in all formats.
Conclusion: DROP Rondale Moore
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The Cincinnati Bengals Receivers
Ja’Marr Chase: 84% Snap Share, 27% Target Share
Tee Higgins: 66% Snap Share, 41% Target Share
Tyler Boyd: 71% Snap Share, 19% Target Share
It’s Ja’Marr Chase‘s world, and we’re all just living in it. Tee Higgins at least has a continent though, and most people aren’t noticing. This past week he had an insane 41% target share, and his talent is undeniable. He may not be the type of player that Chase is, but he’s an excellent young receiver that should be relevant for a long time. Chase is going to command double coverage going forward, and that should help open up things for Higgins on the other side. The emergence of CJ Uzomah was an unexpected development that has capped Higgins’ touchdown upside so far, but I expect that situation to regress in Higgins’ favor. The Bengals are finally starting to air it out in the way we expected them to in the preseason, so there are some huge weeks for Higgins on the horizon. Chase will continue to dominate I’m sure, but that narrative alone is enough to discount Higgins’ in the mind of fantasy managers that took him earlier than the dynamite rookie. The snap shares still favor Tyler Boyd and Chase, but that may be due to Higgins’ being banged up recently. He should be fully healthy going into this week, and I expect him to return to WR2 glory in our fantasy lineups more often than not. Go acquire the player seeing a Davante Adams like target share in a good offense, and reap the statistical awards when the touchdown regression starts to favor Higgins.
Conclusion: Trade for Tee Higgins
The Washington Football Team Tight Ends
Ricky Seals-Jones: 100% Snap Share, 19.4% Target Share
Why is this man still available in nearly 50% of leagues? This is a crime. Ricky Seals-Jones played 100% of snaps for Washington in back-to-back weeks now, which is something not even Terry McLaurin has done this year. He’s seen 22 targets over the past three weeks which ranks fourth amongst tight ends, and he’s seen a healthy dose of red zone targets along the way. He’s playing in a role that Logan Thomas played in, but with an even stronger target share. He’s seen nearly 21% of the Football Team’s targets since Thomas went down, and there are no real signs of that slowing anytime soon. The tight end position is better this year than it has been in the past, but it’s still a tough position to lock down with a weekly starter. Ricky Seals-Jones has become a weekly starter, but the industry hasn’t caught up to it yet. His receiving props have hit in three straight weeks, and his fantasy totals are likely to increase soon with the Team projected to play from behind more often than not. He should be added by any team that needs a tight end, and he’s the top streaming option for any Mark Andrews owners who won’t have him in Week 8. If I don’t see 75%+ roster percentages by next week, I just might have to write a strongly worded letter to a lot of people. Don’t make me do that, Footclan. Add RSJ.
Conclusion: ADD Ricky Seals-Jones