Snap Count Observations: Week 7

Snaps lead to opportunity, opportunity leads to production, production leads to fantasy points, and fantasy points lead to #FootClanTitles (not the dark side!). Let’s get into some interesting snap count situations from Week 7.

We’re not particularly worried about Michael Thomas and his role in the offense, but I think it’s important to keep tabs on Tre’Quan Smith and Cameron Meredith. In the Saints’ Week 7 game against the Ravens, Cam Meredith did not log a single target. This is comparable to Smith’s six targets, of which he caught three for 44 yards. The Ravens’ defense has been very strong against the pass so far this season — and just got cornerback Jimmy Smith back — so I think that adding Smith in 12 team leagues could result in some flex plays against plus matchups going forward.

While we’re on the subject of the Saints, let’s talk about their backfield. Ingram has had two weeks of practice to shake the rust off and get back into game shape, so I was curious how these backs are being utilized. Given that the Saints were down early in this game, it’s not surprising that Karama ended with more snaps than Ingram. However, he only saw two targets as Brees opted to spread the targets around the offense. The Saints have played two decent defenses, but we may be seeing a peak of what “baseline” Kamara looks like.

If you were one of the few to hold on to Marlon Mack and start him in Week 6, congratulations! Mack’s snaps may look somewhat low, but getting 56% of the snaps will be fine if Mack continues to get a workhorse’s amount of touches — he had 21 total touches this week. The Colts beat the Bills 37-5 in this game and so game script lead to pounding the rock and burning the clock. Hines had just five rushes and two targets in this game. His usage will largely depend on whether or not the Colts are playing from behind. The Colts next three matchups are the Raiders, the Jaguars and the Titans — three teams that have been struggling to score. I think Mack should easily be an RB2 with RB1 upside going forward.

Nick Chubb was the hottest add of the week following the news that Carlos Hyde had been traded from the Browns to Jaguars. If you scooped him up and played him, you had a good day. Chubb rushed 18 times for 80 yards and touchdown. This was just Chubb’s first game as the lead back, but so far he has only seen three targets and he hasn’t caught a single one yet. Pass-catching duties will be largely controlled by Duke, who caught all four of his targets for 23 yards. Both backs will be on the field in “21” personnel situations, with Duke likely moving around the offense and into the slot as a pass-catcher. With that being said, Chubb will likely get 15 or more rushing attempts each game going forward, considering his usage in Week 7.

Those who grabbed Cameron Brate once Jameis Winston regained the starting QB position were probably hoping for some consistent red zone work. Unfortunately, this did not come to fruition against the Browns. In fact, Brate only saw four targets to Howard’s nine and Brate did not log a single red zone target. So far this season, Brate has only seen a total of four red zone targets, of which he caught three for touchdowns. I think it’s very unlikely for Brate to maintain a 75% TD rate in the red zone, and with Howard drawing most of the pass-catching duties, I think that Brate should sit on waivers barring another Howard injury.