Snap Count Observations from Week 13 (Fantasy Football)
HAPPY PLAYOFFS! If you’re reading this, I’m going to go ahead and assume that your chances for a #FootClanTitle are alive and well. Pat yourself on the back…and get back to work! In honor of this wonderful time of year, I’m going to do things just a bit differently for our snap count observations. If you are a member of the Foot Clan (you should be), then you may have been taking advantage of The Fantasy Footballers awesome Strength of Schedule tool this season. This week, I will be focusing on the snap counts of teams that have the best and worst playoff schedules for RBs, WRs, and TEs. Some of these situations may be pretty clear-cut and there may not be much to say. Others might present an opportunity to load up your roster and bring a trophy home after Week 16.
For more info on teams with great (and terrible) playoff schedules, check out the episode the Ballers did on the subject or the excellent write up that Peter Chung did to recap the show.
100% Club
Every week, I like to highlight any RB, WR, or TE that plays every snap for his team. With a Tuesday night game this week, there may be some players left off of this list, but after the Sunday and Monday games, DeAndre Hopkins and Logan Thomas were the only players to hit the 100% mark in Week 13.
Week 13 Snap Count Observations
Tennesse Titans RBs (Derrick Henry 39, Jeremy McNichols 33)
The Titans have the best playoff schedule for fantasy RBs and there really isn’t much to figure out in this backfield. They are going to feed Derrick Henry early and often. He is the king of December and if you don’t have him heading into the fantasy playoffs, you wish you did. This week’s game, however, shows that he is very mortal. He managed just 60 yards on 15 carries and was basically non-existent in the passing game. If you have a deep bench, McNichols did vulture a TD this week and would be the new primary if Henry were to get hurt, but that is not something I would be banking on.
Green Bay Packers RBs (Aaron Jones 40, Jamaal Williams 21)
The Packers have the 2nd best schedule for fantasy RBs and there may be a piece to be had in free agency. While Aaron Jones is probably on many playoff rosters, Jamaal Williams is available in 38% of Yahoo leagues. Jones had a great game this week, totaling 148 yards a TD. Williams didn’t do much and managed just over four fantasy points. While Jones far outplayed Williams in this game, they are both playing about 47% of snaps on the season and Williams has some sneaky Flex value and is a great insurance plan at RB.
Kansas City Chiefs RBs (Le’Veon Bell 33, Darrell Williams 31, Clyde Edwards-Helaire 0)
The Chiefs have the 2nd worst playoff schedule for RBs and the backfield itself is already kind of a mess. CEH was sick all week, to the point where he actually lost weight, and while he was active for the game, they decided not to play him. In his absence, Bell still split time with Darrell Williams and neither back had more than 40 yards rushing. Edwards-Helaire has shown fantasy value this season, but a split backfield combined with a bad schedule is a red flag for the fantasy playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings RBs (Dalvin Cook 79, Ameer Abdullah 4, Mike Boone 2)
Much like the Tennessee backfield, not much guesswork is needed here. Cook is the man and will see insane volume but the Vikings have the worst schedule for RBs during the fantasy playoffs. With Alexander Mattison likely to miss the rest of the season, the Vikings made it clear that they will give Cook all the playing time he can handle. You’re not benching Cook but temper your expectations and there is no way you could start either Abdullah or Boone if he were to get hurt.
Los Angeles Rams WRs (Robert Woods 62, Cooper Kupp 54, Van Jefferson 40, Josh Reynolds 38)
The Rams have the 2nd best playoff schedule for WRs (Tampa Bay is #1 but they were on bye) and Woods and Kupp are definitely the top dogs. Woods caught 10 balls for 85 yards this week and Kupp added eight catches for 73 yards. Jared Goff continues to struggle with TDs, throwing just five total TDs in his last five games, but Woods and Kupp are still must-starts every week. Josh Reynolds had been playing well and seeing volume, but Jefferson overtook him this week. Neither did much in this game and neither deserves a fantasy roster spot, even with the easiest playoff schedule.
Chicago Bears WRs (Darnell Mooney 56, Allen Robinson 51, Anthony Miller 39)
While the Bears have the 3rd best playoff schedule for WRs…they also have Mitch Trubisky (or Nick Foles) at QB and that destroys almost all confidence. Things have been better with Trubisky over the last few weeks but you just know regression is coming. This week, all three WRs hit over 40 yards but none found the endzone. Robinson is rostered everywhere and should probably be started every week but Mooney and Miller are likely available in many leagues. Starting them is a gamble but the schedule might help that gamble pay off.
New England Patriots WRs (Jakobi Meyers 56, Damiere Byrd 52, N’Keal Harry 34)
On top of having the 3rd worst schedule for WRs in the playoffs (Carolina has the 2nd worst but were on bye in Week 13), the Patriots also do not throw the ball with any consistency. The leaders of this team this week were Harry, who managed a TD on two catches for 15 yards, and Gunner Olszewski, who played just six snaps and scored a 38-yard receiving TD (he added a punt-return TD as well). The long and short is that you cannot start a Patriots WRs in your fantasy playoffs and you are safe to drop any and all of them.
Seattle Seahawks WRs (DK Metcalf 70, Tyler Lockett 62, David Moore 45)
Much like Dalvin Cook, it doesn’t matter how bad the schedule is for Seattle, even if it’s the worst for the fantasy playoffs (it is), you are not benching Lockett or Metcalf. Both WRs scored about 10 fantasy points in Seattle’s disappointing loss to the Giants this week and they are likely a large part of why you are in the playoffs, but expect less and hope to be surprised over the next three weeks. Moore has had a big game here and there but could cede playoff time to a returning Josh Gordon. Neither should be rostered nor played in the fantasy playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks TEs (Will Dissly 39, Jacob Hollister 39)
There are a couple of things working for this TE group heading into the fantasy playoffs: 1. They have the easiest schedule for fantasy TEs. 2. Their WRs have the toughest schedule for WRs. This could lead to more balls finding their way to the TEs…if only we knew which one we could start. Dissly caught four balls for just 28 yards this week and Hollister only managed 20 yards on three catches. The schedule is tempting but until there is some certainty here, you cannot play either.
Jacksonville Jaguars TEs (Tyler Eifert 51, James O’Shaughnessy 33)
Eifert has been on and off the fantasy radar for streamers this entire season and has the 2nd best schedule for TEs heading into the playoffs. He went 6 for 6 and had 45 yards this week, so that inspires some confidence going into the final three weeks. If you don’t have one of the premium TEs, Eifert is definitely a name to keep in mind to fill that roster spot for you.
Indianapolis Colts TEs (Mo Alie-Cox 44, Jack Doyle 38, Trey Burton 25)
Much like the Chiefs’ RBs, the Colts have a tough schedule and a committee approach hurting their TEs. Indy has the 2nd worst playoff schedule for TEs and no true TE1 to lead them. For a while, Trey Burton looked like he was taking a step forward but he played the 3rd most snaps this week and none of the bunch managed more than four fantasy points. As the Colts’ WRs have gotten involved, the TEs have taken a back seat. You cannot trust any of them to end your season.
Arizona Cardinals TEs (Maxx Williams 18, Dan Arnold 9)
Until this week, I would have told you to not waste much time here. Arizona hadn’t fielded a relevant fantasy TE this season and you aren’t playing any TE from this team. Then, Dan Arnold scored two TDs in Week 13 and finished as the TE5 for the week. The schedule is still the worst for fantasy TEs and this game feels like the exception, not the rule for Cardinals’ TEs. You can safely avoid them in the fantasy postseason.
*All Snap Counts are from Fantasy Data