Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler have given us one of the more intriguing NFL snap count watches this season. In Gordon's first week back playing, it was Ekeler who saw the majority of Chargers' backfield snaps. In Week 6, it was Gordon despite the Chargers once again trailing most of the game. Heading into Week 7 start-sit decisions, that's the kind of shift that can matter for fantasy football owners as they look to make waiver wire pickups and start 'em, sit 'em decisions.
That's not the only backfield with intrigue. Both Miami, where Kenyan Drake is on the trading block, and Philadelphia, where Miles Sanders hasn't seized the lead role like we expected, there's some RB shifting going on. We could have to get used to hearing "starting running back Mark Walton" for the Dolphins, and for the Eagles, it was Jordan Howard earning his first official start of the season in Week 6.
WEEK 7 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Fantasy owners should also be checking in on a few wide receiver groups this week. The 49ers, ahead of a tantalizing matchup with the Redskins, seem to have settled on Dante Pettis as their top wideout -- it just took Kyle Shanahan longer than the general public to reach that conclusion. And the Jets look like a formidable offense with Sam Darnold back: Could all three of Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder and Demaryius Thomas have fantasy value?
Last week's snap count report was a mixed bag. Michael Gallup still looks primed to continue a breakout season, but Andy Reid and Bruce Arians are continuing their weird games, meaning it's anyone's guess as to what's going to happen with Damien Williams and Ronald Jones. We also wondered about Adrian Peterson's Week 6 outlook - he proved us wrong - and felt good about Gerald Everett, who was just a victim of a brutal Rams' day at the office.
WEEK 7: Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts
You can head to the link just below this paragraph to see our breakdowns of all 32 teams, and you can scroll further for our detailed analysis of the Chargers' RBs, Eagles' RBs, Dolphins' RBs, 49ers' WRs and Jets' WRs.
Check out our 32-team breakdown of Week 6 snap counts here.
Chargers Snap Counts: Melvin Gordon vs. Austin Ekeler
We can talk about how disappointing the Chargers have been another time. For now, we'll stick to the competition between two valuable fantasy running backs. In Gordon's first game he played this season in Week 5, Ekeler outsnapped Gordon, 46-32. That made some sense, as Gordon was working his way back up to speed and the elite pass-catching back Ekeler was involved in a Chargers' comeback.
The Chargers trailed again Sunday night, but it was still Gordon this time who played 37 plays to Ekeler's 28. A week after a huge target disparity, both backs received four targets Sunday. Gordon rushed eight times compared to Ekeler's five.
It will probably take another couple weeks for this to have shifted fully to its equilibrium. If I had to guess, it will look a lot like the game we just saw in Week 6, with Gordon playing slightly more than Ekeler. Even in 2018, Gordon never was an 80-plus percent of snaps guy -- Ekeler always got his, too.
The bigger problem here is that the Chargers' offense goes through long stretches of ineffectiveness. Whether that's on Philip Rivers, the players around him or the play calling, we'll need to see improvements for these running backs to become great fantasy plays. At least based Week 6, Gordon is the safer play in Week 7 against the Titans, but Ekeler still has value, too, especially in PPR formats.
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Dolphins Snap Counts: Kenyan Drake vs. Mark Walton vs. Kalen Ballage
Talks of a potential Kenyan Drake trade away from the winless Dolphins won't go away, and they make sense. Why not trade your best offensive player for some type of asset in what is otherwise a lost season? If Drake is moved, that will create an opening for Miami's primary RB job.
For a while, it looked like the underwhelming Kalen Ballage would get the job by default. However, Mark Walton has outsnapped Ballage in the past two weeks, including a 32-4 advantage in a Week 6 loss to the Redskins. That suggests that Walton is now the heavy favorite for carries if Drake were to be moved.
In most situations, 32 snaps would be enough to give Walton standalone value. For the Dolphins' brutal offense, that's not really the case. We've seen Drake struggle to be a top-50 RB in fantasy as the main man. The biggest issue is touchdowns -- if the Dolphins never move the ball, you can't get those magical six-pointers.
Walton would obviously encounter that same issue. No matter how many snaps a running back gets for Miami, they will probably disappoint. If Drake is traded, though, there will still be a rush to the waiver wire. Walton will be the guy to grab if that happens.
WEEK 7 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
49ers Snap Counts: Dante Pettis vs. Marquise Goodwin vs. Deebo Samuel
All preseason, Pettis seemed like he should be the guy leading the 49ers' receiving corps. The only problem was, Kyle Shanahan never seemed convinced of that himself. Then in the season's first few weeks, we wondered if it was actually Deebo Samuel in the top spot on the depth chart.
In the last two weeks, things have reverted to how we expected them to be. Pettis has led the 49ers' WRs in snaps. His six targets led the receiver corps in Week 6, trailing only tight end George Kittle's eight.
This all comes at the perfect time for Pettis to be an important fantasy player. The 49ers play the Redskins in Week 7. Washington has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2019. Pettis will be the San Francisco WR most likely to really boost his season totals.
Pettis started the final five games of his 2019 rookie season, and he averaged about four catches for 70 yards with four touchdowns in that span. Four for 70 with a score seems like a good floor for Pettis against the Redskins on Sunday.
MORE WEEK 7 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder
Jets Snap Counts: Robby Anderson vs. Demaryius Thomas vs. Jamison Crowder
It was hard to care about these snap counts at all when Sam Darnold was out and Luke Falk was trying to throw these guys passes. Darnold came back, though, and upset the Cowboys. He threw the ball well and got all three of his wide receivers involved.
Anderson was the star, catching a 92-yard touchdown and finishing with five catches for 125 yards. Crowder led the group in targets, with nine to Anderson's eight and Thomas' five. Crowder caught six balls for 98 yards. Thomas chipped in four grabs for 62 yards.
The snaps were all favorable, too: Out of 62 Jets' plays, Anderson was in for 57 and both Thomas and Crowder played 50. Crowder has a lot of buzz after receiving 17 Darnold targets in Week 1, and the nine this week suggest that chemistry will continue to play out in a positive manner for Crowder's fantasy value. Anderson showed why he's so popular in some fantasy circles, with a week-winning deep touchdown displaying his upside. Even the veteran Thomas should contribute a decent floor week-to-week.
All of the buzz here probably needs to wait a week, though. Up next on the schedule is the Patriots. A week later is a neutral matchup with the Jaguars, and the following week is the one where everyone will want these players -- a game against the Dolphins. Darnold's return and their playing time and target shares suggest this trio is legit. If you have the space on your bench, adding them now is a good idea.
Eagles Snap Counts: Jordan Howard vs. Miles Sanders
You have to go back to Week 3 for the last time the rookie Sanders saw more snaps than the veteran Howard. It was at its biggest gap yet in Week 6, with Howard seeing the field for 41 plays to Sanders' 19. The preseason expectation was that by this point, Sanders would've taken over the majority of playing time. Instead, it's been the opposite.
Before Howard was granted his first official start in Week 6, he'd scored in three-straight games, including his three-TD Week 4. His yards per attempt hasn't been this good since his rookie year -- if the season finished today, Howard's 4.5 yards per rushing attempt would best 2017's 4.1 and '18's 3.7.
Howard also passes the eye test. He looks more shifty and explosive than he did a year ago in what amounted to a lost season for the Bears. The Eagles have a solid offensive line, which helps the power runner get a few yards to work with before he has to push through contact. Last year, he was frequently hit in the backfield.
Sanders saw a season-low six touches in Week 6, the first time he's received single-digit touches this season. At least for Week 7, you probably have to hold the rookie from Penn State out of your standard fantasy lineups, though he's still in play in PPR leagues. We've seen what he can do in small bursts, but until he puts it all together, this is Howard's backfield.
For snap count reactions for every team, click here.