Tracking snap counts is a good way to get an indication of how much a player is on the field, and what their future usage outlook could look like. We are going to dive into some of the more interesting situations around the league regarding snap count numbers. You will also see risers and fallers; which is a useful tool for valuing a player’s fantasy stock. The notable snap counts section is based around injuries sustained in the previous week.

Seahawks RB

The Seahawks rotated three running backs pretty evenly this week. Thomas Rawls led the way with 31 snaps, followed by J.D. McKissic with 23, and lastly by Eddie Lacy with 21. Once again none of the backs impressed, each finishing with a below 3.4 YPC average. All three should continue to see similar playing time until one of them step up and produce like a featured back. For now, Thomas Rawls is the back to own, given his playing time lead and history with the organization. You will want to avoid putting any of these guys in your fantasy lineup.

Giants RB

The Giants, much like the Seahawks, used a pretty even three man rushing attack this week. Wayne Gallman led the way with 22 snaps, followed by Orleans Darkwa with 21, and lastly Shane Vereen with 16. Despite the snap lead for Gallman, it was Darkwa who led the way in touches for the second straight week. The three backs combined for 16 carries and 54 rushing yards. All three backs had at least 2 receptions as well. With each back seeing similar roles it makes it difficult to determine what to do with this backfield. For now, Darkwa is the best bet for your starting lineup. Gallman is worth stashing, and Vereen can be left on the wire.

Risers

Demarcus Robinson played a season high 49 snaps in week 6 and that number jumped to a new high of 61 in week 7. This is a player trending up and fast. He should be rostered in deep leagues. The 61 snaps were also a team high and it wasn’t even close, as Tyreek Hill finished second with 40. He turned the playing time into production as he finished with 5 receptions for 69 yards, in what finished as the best game of his young career. Robinson is oozing with athleticism and with this kind of playing time he will be able to carve out weekly production. He should draw his third straight start Monday night in a brutal matchup with the Broncos.

Josh Doctson took over the role of WR1 for the Redskins this week in place of Terrelle Pryor, who took a hard fall down the depth chart. Doctson had his snap count rise from just 19 in week 6 to a season high 54 in week 7. However, much like Pryor had done to this point in the season, there was not a lot of production in that playing time. Doctson finished with 3 receptions for 39 yards. It has become to be expected in this Redskins offense. Fantasy owners hoping for big time production from the WR spots in this offense may be waiting a while. Neither the two players with the most receptions or the two people with the most receiving yards come from the WR position. The Bills are the only other team that shares that in common with the Redskins. It is simply not an offense built for WR’s to excel currently. The oline is a disaster which is limiting time for downfield throws, which when coupled with Kirk Cousins (who struggles with downfield throws) is not a recipe for success for the WR position.

Robert Woods played a season high 69 snaps, a nice uptick from his 52 in the prior week. Woods led the team in receptions (5) and in yards (59), despite being third in targets (7). Woods is turning into a very consistent player, but one that lacks big game upside. Over the last three weeks he has five receptions in every game and has totaled between 59-70 receiving yards in each contest. For now he is very playable in your starting lineup, but keep expectations reasonable. In DFS you will want to avoid him for GPP’s.

Fallers

Terrelle Pryor played a season low 30 snaps in the week 7 loss to the Eagles, a huge drop from his 61 snaps in week 6. As mentioned above, Pryor and Doctson reversed roles. The move did not lead to success for either player or for the Redskins. He finished the game with 2 receptions for 14 yards, and had a pretty bad drop. Pryor hasn’t been great this year and already has 3 drops, but as mentioned above not all the blame should be pointed his way. For fantasy owners, this look likes a player that can be dropped in most formats. There is still upside there, but his new role puts him on the backburner. He will not see the volume needed to make any kind of splash on a weekly basis. For now, he is looking like one of the biggest busts of the fantasy season.

Adrian Peterson finished with just 21 yards on 11 carries in his 26 week 7 snaps.  The 26 snaps were a big drop-off from his 48 in week 6. Is the AD hype train over after just one week? It should be, but it should have never started. He is not the player he once was, and one big game does not change that. Now with Carson Palmer out with injury, AD will be facing a higher percentage of stacked boxes, which will only make it harder for him to find room to run. The Cardinals will also likely be losing most games which does not bode well for AD who has never been a dynamic pass catcher. Sell high on him if you still can. This is a name that people love, and he should be able to net you a useable player in a trade.

Tarik Cohen has been trending down for a few weeks, and in week 7 he took a cliff dive.  Yes he turned his one touch into a 70 yard reception, but how much production can be expected going forward from a guy who gets one touch? He played a season low 7 snaps in week 7, down from his 26 in the previous week. The 0 rushing attempts he had marked his first game below 5. He is a change of pace back, and nothing more. If his playing time in week 8 is similar to what it was in week 7 it will be time to cut bait on the rookie running back.

Notable Snap Counts

Rookie sensation Leonard Fournette was out this week with an ankle injury.  Chris Ivory drew the start in his place and finished with 38 snaps. Ivory had a rough day on the ground and also finished with zero receptions, but he did reward fantasy owners with a goal line TD. T.J. Yeldon (who was active for the first time this season) had a huge game. He played 23 snaps and managed to rush for 122 yards on just 9 carries. He also added in 2 receptions for 15 yards. Despite operating as the backup RB, it was arguably the best game of his career. Scatback Corey Grant was on the field for 8 snaps and finished with just 8 yards on 6 carries. Leonard Fournette should be back on the field for the Jags following their week 8 bye week, but the usage of his backup running backs when he is out is worth noting for the future.