Snap Count Observations: Week 2
Snaps lead to opportunity, opportunity leads to production, production leads to fantasy points, fantasy points leads to #FootClanTitles (not the dark side!). Let’s get into some interesting snap count situations from Week 2.
Browns WRs – Jarvis Landry 95% / Antonio Callaway 81% / Rashard Higgins 74%
Now that Josh Gordon has been traded to the Patriots, people will be looking for fantasy-relevant WRs on the Browns beyond Jarvis Landry. The name that is the most intriguing here is Antonio Callaway. Callaway was a highly talented prospect out of college with some personality red flags. However, in Week 2 he looked the part of an NFL starter. He caught 3 balls for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Saints and could draw more targets going forward.
Colts RBs – Nyheim Hines 41% / Jordan Wilkins 38% / Marlon Mack 30%
Here’s the Week 2 boxscore for the Colts’ RBs:
[lptw_table id=”150601″ style=”default”]I’m going to be honest… this backfield looks like it’s going to be messy all season long. This was Marlon Mack‘s first game back from his lingering hamstring injury. I think that Marlon Mack will be getting more involved starting next week, but if Wilkins continues to outplay him, then 1st and 2nd down duties may be left to the rookie. I should mention Robert Turbin will also be returning from a four-game suspension for PEDs in Week 5.
Bills WRs – Zay Jones 82% / Kelvin Benjamin 65% / Andre Holmes 58% / Robert Foster 47%
As I mentioned in Hot Fire Questions for Week 2, no player on the Buffalo Bills had more than 5 targets in Week 2 against the Chargers. Josh Allen played the entire game as the starting quarterback and threw the ball 33 times. There was a total of 11 players targeted in that game. In my opinion, I don’t think that there will be a reliable WR on the Bills this year for fantasy purposes. Zay Jones is the most interesting, who has some big-play potential. In Week 2, he caught only two balls but went for 63 yards on the day.
Titans TEs – Jonnu Smith 100%
There was only one player on the Titans other than the QB and the offensive line who played 100% of the Titans’ snaps in Week 2. That player is Jonnu Smith. I already know what you’re thinking, “Kent, he didn’t even get a target! He’s a bum!” Well, unfortunately, the Titans played without Marcus Mariota — who was active — and instead, Blaine Gabbert took the start. Gabbert racked up an impressively low 117 passing yards and one touchdown, even though he threw the ball 20 times. With Delanie Walker out for the season and Mariota likely back soon, Jonnu will start getting targets if he’s on the field this often.
Raiders WRs – Jordy Nelson 83% / Amari Cooper 83% / Martavis Bryant 40% / Seth Roberts 35%
This one came as a bit of a shock to me, personally, considering their stat lines ended up looking like this:
It was nice to see Amari Cooper have a 100% catch rate considering his history with dropping the football. Martavis Bryant was handed another year-long suspension by the NFL, but is allowed to play while appealing it. Jordy playing 83% of the snaps might be a reduction from his Week 1 tally of 97%, but he continues to play often. Jordy has only had eight targets so far on the season, but I think by midseason he could mesh better with Carr and see a few more targets.
49ers RBs – Alfred Morris 48% / Matt Breida 39%
Alfred Morris was given more opportunity this week, but he paled in comparison to sophomore RB Matt Breida. Morris rushed 14 times for 48 yards, while Brieda rushed 11 times for a whopping 138 yards and a big touchdown late in the third quarter. Morris has now had a few weeks to acclimate to the 49ers rushing scheme, but he hasn’t made much of it yet. If Breida continues to play at a hyper-effective level, Morris may get phased out rather quickly.