Snap Counts: Devin Smith, Preston Williams, Jamaal Williams among Week 4 fantasy pickups, sleepers

Billy Heyen

Snap Counts: Devin Smith, Preston Williams, Jamaal Williams among Week 4 fantasy pickups, sleepers image

Following team-by-team snap counts for the season's first few weeks has shown us some interesting fantasy football trends. Week 2 showed that the Raiders still want to involve Jalen Richard along with Josh Jacobs, despite not actually using Richard much when he's on the field. In Week 3, Richard had actually leaped Jacobs in snaps, turning the rookie from a preseason sleeper into a potential Week 4 bust. The same is true in Green Bay, where it looked like Jamaal Williams would be a thorn in Aaron Jones' side, then Williams outplayed Jones both by snaps and by the numbers in Week 3. We've also had inklings about waiver wire pickups for a week or more when it comes to Devin Smith and Preston Williams, and through three games, we're sold.

And of course, there's David Montgomery. He seems to cause a Twitter firestorm as much when he's on the sideline as when he's on the field. Unlike the first couple weeks, when it looked like he wasn't getting the snaps he deserved, in Week 3, Montgomery just didn't get the ball. Our snap count reports don't account for inadequate player usage by coaches. Alas.

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Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

As you set your Week 4 waiver claims and lineups, Smith is probably the name on this list that's the most unknown but also might warrant the most consideration, at least among the underowned players here. The Cowboys simply love throwing deep to him. 

Before we get into further detail, a quick look back at last week: We were all over Mecole Hardman, Raheem Mostert and Marquise Brown, all of which were the right call. We were concerned about Denver's running back usage (we still are), but Phillip Lindsay silenced some doubts with two goal-line touchdowns in Week 3. Overall, this has become another way to determine whether this week's sleepers are for real or not.

Check out our 32-team breakdown of Week 3 snap counts here

Cowboys Snap Counts: Devin Smith is a fantasy sleeper 

Smith, replacing Michael Gallup in the Cowboys' starting lineup, led the Dallas receivers in Week 3 snaps, playing five more than Amari Cooper and 13 more than Randall Cobb. Gallup is slated to be out for at least another week, and potentially two or three more, so Smith should remain this usage in the near term.

Smith isn't some nobody -- he was a second round pick out of Ohio State in 2015. He never broke out with the Jets, then dealt with injuries that caused him to miss both the 2017 and '18 seasons. This is the first high-usage chance he's getting to show off his talent in the NFL.

After Gallup went down in Week 2, Smith made his mark with a 51-yard touchdown catch from Dak Prescott. He didn't turn his snaps into anything special in Week 3, catching two-of-five targets for 39 yards. It's in NFL's Next Gen Stats where we find the real Smith upside, though.

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DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPPY! cash | Y! GPP

Smith leads the NFL in average air yards per target, at an average of 22.7. That means that every time Prescott looks Smith's way, it's down the field. Obviously, this is a small-sample size of targets for Smith so far, but it's obvious he's the deep threat. In an offense with such a strong run threat and a dynamic receiver opposite Smith, he can just get down the field, often against favorable coverage.

He's a boom-or-bust player, as is any deep threat. But he showed the boom in his substitute appearance in Week 2. If he keeps getting a ton of snaps, he's more likely to boom than bust.

WEEK 4: Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade valuesSnap counts

Bears Snap Counts: David Montgomery vs. Matt Nagy's play-calling

No longer is there a question of Montgomery having to beat out Mike Davis: The snap differential on Monday Night Football was 44-1 in Montgomery's favor. Now, the rookie from Iowa State just needs his coach to show his belief through handoffs and not just time on the field.

Montgomery received 13 carries compared to Tarik Cohen's four and Cordarrelle Patterson's four, which isn't great, but the time that the usage took place was even more curious. Both Cohen and Patterson received multiple short-yardage carries in place of Montgomery as he just stood on the sideline.

The bulk of Montgomery's work came late, as the Bears attempted to control the clock and run out their lead. It's encouraging that he's who the Bears turned to in that situation and not Davis, a scat back, or a wide receiver. It's just curious that didn't hold true early when Chicago tried to establish the run and help out Mitchell Trubisky.

Montgomery averaged 5.2 yards per carry Monday, so odds are he'll convince Nagy to eventually hand him the ball more. It's just going to be a frustrating situation for Montgomery owners until that happens.

WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiverTight end

Dolphins Snap Counts: Preston Williams is a fantasy sleeper

Finally, my unending prayers for the Dolphins to unleash Williams came to fruition with Josh Rosen under center Sunday. Williams tied for the Dolphins' WR snap lead with DeVante Parker, each coming off the field for only three offensive plays.

Williams turned the high-end usage into 12 targets, although just four catches. That could be a similar rate to most weeks going forward as Miami plays from behind. Rosen threw a ton to Williams in the preseason, so there's obviously some chemistry there.

If you're wondering: 'Who the heck is Preston Williams, and why should I want a Dolphins' receiver?' Here's the info I've been spewing all preseason that you should know. Williams had a first-round grade heading into the 2019 NFL Draft but fell all the way to undrafted because of character concerns. He consistently beats defenders off the line to get open down the field. He just needs a quarterback who can deliver the ball.

At this point, Rosen is probably more likely to be that guy than Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins will trail almost permanently this season, forcing them to throw. Good receivers on bad teams can have good fantasy seasons. Williams is still barely owned in any leagues, but he should be on benches and be useful as a bye-week fill-in.

WEEK 4: Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade valuesSnap counts

Packers Snap Counts: Aaron Jones vs. Jamaal Williams

We've been concerned about this one for the first two weeks as Williams made indents into Jones' play time. It flipped even worse in Week 3, as Williams outsnapped Jones, 35-22. It was reflected in touches and yardage both on the ground and through the air, of which Williams had more than Jones, too.

Jones salvaged his day with two touchdowns, but this isn't going away heading into the Packers' Thursday night meeting with the Eagles. Williams has received at least 26 snaps in all three games this season. That's not good for Jones, even on the days when he gets carries on nearly half his snaps.

Fantasy owners have been frustrated by the Packers' usage of Jones for basically his whole career. Jones is a guy who's averaged 5.2 yards per carry. There's almost no one else who can claim such a number. You'd think giving him the ball 20 times a game would be the answer.

The Packers like Williams, though. He's a good pass protector and hasn't been bad whenever he's received extended usage by Green Bay. It looks like he's not going anywhere, and so Jones' ceiling will always be capped by Williams.

MORE WEEK 4 DFS: Top values | StacksLineup Builder

Raiders Snap Counts: Josh Jacobs vs. Jalen Richard

In Week 2, Jacobs received less than half of the Raiders' running back snaps. That turned into second place behind Jalen Richard in Week 3. Part of that has to do with the game flow, as the Raiders trailed big for most of Sunday's game, but Richard's owners wouldn't have come away from this one happy, either.

On 29 snaps, the pass-catching dynamo Richard was targeted three times and received two carries. That doesn't seem like great usage of him if he's going to be on the field. Jacobs saw the field for 25 plays and got 10 carries and two targets, showing Oakland wants to give him the ball when he plays.

Based on Week 3, this Oakland offense is developing into the Darren Waller show, and maybe there's not enough production to go around for anyone else. Richard can't be a PPR option if Oakland barely throws to him. Jacobs looked promising in Week 1 but will need higher usage to be a regular fantasy start. They're both talented, and that might be the most frustrating aspect of all: Jon Gruden is being paid a lot of money to not use either correctly.

For snap count reactions for every team, click here.

Billy Heyen