RADIO
Snap counts are not the be-all-end-all for fantasy production but they paint a clear picture with the necessary context. Every snap is an opportunity for a player to make his presence felt and if their snaps go up or down, you get an idea of what the team thinks of their skill set. A running back can have all the rushing talent in the world, but if he can't catch the ball or is useless in pass protection, their snaps will not reflect that talent.
We do not have much of a sample for rising or falling snaps but for the sake of trying to identify worthwhile trends early, that's the basis we will use. Snap% listed reflects a player's usage in Week 6 contests.
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Rising Snap Counts
Miles Sanders, RB, PHI (83% snaps)
If you averaged out Miles Sanders' past two seasons, you would get this year (except for the fact that he has not found the end-zone). He is pretty much looking like a solid NFL back but one that is unlikely to break out beyond that. It is wild though considering that Sanders is on the field as much as the typical workhorse and even set a season-high in snaps this past week with 83%.
Sanders is limited by not only the offense but the lack of opportunities. Since his season-high in touches Week 1, he has only crossed 15 once and barely crosses double-digits in other games. Jalen Hurts' presence should help a team's run game but the fact that the Eagles typically dig themselves in early holes makes establishing a rushing attack outside of scrambles a fruitless effort. At first, it seemed as if Kenneth Gainwell was going to be a major deterrent but we now know that he's mostly just there for garbage time.
This weekend versus the Raiders would typically seem like a smash spot but LV ranks 10th in rush DVOA and may force the Eagles to continue leaning on their pass. Sanders is a fine play and should stay in your lineup.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA (93% snaps)
Jaylen Waddle is basically Miami's Diontae Johnson. He gets open and is targeted a ton but does not do much beyond that. For the sake of fantasy, who cares as long as he's getting those sweet, sweet receptions. For the most part, he is held back by not only his youth but also, the lack of playmaking/spacing in the Dolphins' offense along with the QB play.
Thus far, Waddle has had to play 4 out of his 6 first NFL games with Jacoby Brissett at QB. His college teammate Tua Tagovailoa is finally back though and targeted Waddle 13 times this past week. While typical fellow starters DeVante Parker and Will Fuller were out with injury, the fact that Waddle's targets are so egregiously high should indicate that he will remain a focal point of the offense even when they return.
Waddle will be tough to trade for after a two-touchdown performance but should continue producing rest-of-season and is worth acquiring.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, LV (84% snaps)
The Lions' fourth-round pick is looking solid but unspectacular in the NFL. He has 23 targets over the past three weeks but only due to the injuries that have struck the Lions' receiving corps and the general lack of talent already present. St. Brown should be an afterthought in most leagues but for somewhat deep full-PPR formats, he can be rostered.
Falling Snap Counts
Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, CAR (31% snaps)
The Panthers' second-round pick has yet to turn heads as he had been relegated to WR4 behind Brandon Zylstra. Unfortunately for Zylstra, he has been placed on IR and it seems that Marshall's snaps should bounce back but his overall role remains mediocre in this bad passing offense.
Sam Darnold has completely regressed over the past three weeks and looks like, well, Sam Darnold again despite a surge through the first three. Not to excuse his performance completely but the loss of Christian McCaffrey (along with the generally tougher matchups) has taken a toll. Even the loss of Dan Arnold is somewhat significant given that he has been performing well this season!
Nevertheless, for the sake of Marshall, he's been targeted more than three times once in the past five weeks and will likely remain limited all season given that his performance when targeted is lackluster. 5.3 yards-per-target won't cut it.
Gerald Everett, TE, LV (48% snaps)
To be fair, Everett did miss two weeks in a row due to COVID but he seemed to be fully healthy in his return to the field. It was assumed that he would have to take on a larger role in the offense to compensate for the loss of Russell Wilson but was only targeted 3 times.
While he has flashed, Everett remains limited due to not only WRs on this offense but also the re-emergence of Will Dissly (72% of snaps). Keep an eye on Everett's snaps and involvement in Week 7 because he is getting very close to full-on drop territory.
Anthony Firkser, TE, TEN (28% snaps)
Another TE?? I know, boring but it has to be discussed. Firkser was a breakout candidate coming into this season with the departure of Jonnu Smith but the offense and his own health have failed him. While it can be said that Firkser may just be bad, we probably have not gotten the full picture thus far this season.
Firkser's yards-per-target have trended down in each season and despite being on pace for career-high targets per game, he remains an unappealing option in fantasy and can be dropped. The Titans' offense is all Henry, all the time even with Julio Jones and A.J. Brown on the field.
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