Welcome to the Week 6 edition of Snaps, Pace, & Stats, where we examine trends in snap totals and no-huddle usage for fantasy football purposes. It is meant to be a 30,000-foot view of upcoming games, with the goal of identifying which matchups will – and which will not – be played on fertile fantasy soil.

Up in pace

Rank Week 5 Snaps 2017 Snaps/Game Opponent Wk 5 Snaps 2017 Opp Snaps/Gm 1 Pittsburgh (77) Arizona (69.2) Jacksonville (77) San Francisco (70.8) 2 Indianapolis (73) Philadelphia (69) Houston (73) Tampa Bay (68.8) 3 Kansas City (73) New England (67.8) N.Y. Giants (73) N.Y. Giants (67) 4 L.A. Chargers (73) Denver (67.3) San Francisco (73) N.Y. Jets (67) 5 Dallas (72) Houston (66.6) Green Bay (72) JAX / TEN (66.6)

The Buccaneers average 62 plays (24th-most), but increased their snaps in each of the last two weeks. The Cardinals allow the eighth-most snaps (65.4) and ensure game scripts will be pass-heavy. Both the Bucs (64.3 percent, fourth-highest) and Cardinals (league-high 67.8 percent) throw often in neutral situations (one-score games). Tampa Bay attacked the Patriots primarily through the air on Thursday night (66.7 percent) and wound up with a season-high 68 plays. Despite Doug Martin’s solid debut (fourth-highest Week 5 rushing grade), Arizona’s 10th-best-graded run defense (3.3 yards per carry, sixth-lowest) is an unappealing target.

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The Cardinals are a snap factory, both for opponents and themselves (league-high 69.2 per game). Facing the Bucs, who allow the second-most plays per game, won’t change that. Tampa Bay gives up the seventh-fewest yards per carry and Arizona’s clown-car backfield averages the fewest (2.6). Adding current-day Adrian Peterson won’t be a revelation. Considering the defenses rank seventh and eighth in passer-rating against, it isn’t a major leap to expect significant play volume. While this aids the PPR prospects of Cardinals players, their many snaps have been hollow. Arizona hasn’t scored more than 18 points since Week 1, and only the flatlining Dolphins average fewer points per play.

Buoyed by their second overtime game in as many weeks, the 49ers average the ninth-most snaps (65). Yet, the elevated snap volume comes more from an evolving offensive profile than a couple of extra drives. For the season, San Francisco ranks fifth in situation-neutral pass rate (63.6 percent), and since their Week 3 barnburner with the Rams, it’s jumped from 51.6 percent (19th), to 65.8 percent (fifth), to 70.4 percent (second). After two weeks, San Francisco ranked 24th in no-huddle rate (two percent) and 14th in seconds-per-snap pace (28.6). Since then they’re sixth in no-huddle rate (14.3 percent) and their seconds-per-snap (25.4) ranks third-quickest.

The 49ers also surrender a league-high 70.8 plays per game, which will boost a Washington offense that was decidedly low volume until they ran 72 snaps before their bye week. San Francisco’s funnel defense features the league’s worst-graded coverage unit, as well as an ascending front seven holding opposing ball carriers to a 3.6-yard average (ninth-lowest). With Washington’s rushing grade ranking second-lowest, and their best running back a passing game dynamo, Kirk Cousins will be busy. Considering the Redskins’ defense faces the 13th-highest pass rate in neutral situations, and is far more appealing to throw against without top cornerback Josh Norman, this matchup should be a shootout.

Low volume outlook

Rank Week 5 Snaps 2017 Snaps/Game Opponent Wk 5 Snps 2017 Opp Snaps/Gm 32 N.Y. Jets (51) Oakland (54.6) Cleveland (51) Carolina (57) 31 Jacksonville (53) N.Y. Jets (57.4) Pittsburgh (53) Philadelphia (57.8) 30 Oakland (54) Tennessee (58.6) Baltimore (54) Washington (58.5) 29 Chicago (56) Miami (59.3) Carolina (56) Houston (59.2) 28 Detroit (56) L.A. Chargers (60.8) Minnesota (56) Denver (59.5)

The Eagles average the second-most plays per game (69) and have a pass-happy reputation earned during the season’s opening weeks. After two games, they were the second-most pass-heavy offense in neutral situations (66.7 percent). Since then, however, they rank second-lowest (46.9 percent). Philadelphia operates at the league’s fifth-slowest pace (30.9 seconds per snap), which has helped them to surrender the second-fewest plays (57.8). While opponents throw against them at the league’s highest situation-neutral rate (68.4 percent), Eagles games have not overflowed with snaps. Their keep-away tendencies are a well-kept secret.

The Panthers may have awakened the last two weeks with 60 combined points, but they are not a high-volume offense (62.4 plays per game) and allow a league-low 57 plays per game. Their games average the second-fewest snaps, and Carolina operates at the NFL’s slowest pace (32.0 seconds per snap). Opponents skew pass-heavy against them, with the third-highest situation-neutral pass rate (63.2 percent), but the Panthers remain a ground-based offense when games are close (sixth-highest run rate). Throw in the Thursday night slop factor on top of the Eagles’ offense missing Jenga lineman Lane Johnson — but returning a healthy Fletcher Cox for the defense — and this matchup looks more interesting for real football than voluminous for fantasy.

With Derek Carr expected back, it’s easy to have visions of a reignited Raiders’ passing game trading blows in a shootout. More relevant are Jack Del Rio’s visions of a reinjured Carr and if he’d be safer handing off all game. Oakland already averages the sixth-fewest passes (30.4), in part due to running the league’s fewest plays (54.6). Their low-volume offense has little to do with Carr’s recent absence, as they are miles from 31st. The Raiders operate at the sixth-slowest seconds-per-snap pace (30.3) and will almost certainly pound the ball against a league-worst-graded run defense allowing 5.0 yards per carry (fourth-worst). It wouldn’t be a novel idea, as the Chargers face the fourth-highest situation-neutral run rate (48.8 percent).

Los Angeles isn’t exactly pumping out the plays either, with their 60.8 per-game average ranking fifth-lowest. It includes a 73-snap Week 5 matchup in which play volume was boosted by the Giants’ up-tempo approach. The Raiders’ plodding pace won’t do them any such favors. The Chargers were helped to their first win by again feeding Melvin Gordon, and a similar strategy makes sense against a defense that’s allowed running backs 5.3 yards per carry over their last two games. Over the last three seasons, the first meeting of the year between these teams has averaged 63.3 points and the second game 32.3 points – but from a snap volume perspective, the matchup likely disappoints this time.

No-huddle notes

Rank Wk 5 No-Huddle % 2017 No-Huddle % Wk 5 Seconds/Snap 2017 Sec/Snap 1 N.Y. Giants (59.1) Detroit (36.9) Houston (22.9) N.Y. Giants (26.3) 2 Detroit (55.4) N.Y. Giants (33.3) Arizona (24.2) Cleveland (26.3) 3 Pittsburgh (31.2) Pittsburgh (21.1) Pittsburgh (24.3) Arizona (26.4) 4 L.A. Rams (25.4) Tampa Bay (20.6) L.A. Rams (24.3) San Francisco (26.4) 5 San Francisco (17.1) Cleveland (16.5) N.Y. Giants (25.7) L.A. Chargers (26.5)