There are a bunch of familiar faces in the NFL snap count report as we help prepare you for Week 10 waiver wire and start 'em, sit 'em decisions, but many are here in different contexts. We have the Patriots WRs back for the second straight week, but it's Mohamed Sanu shoving his way into the spotlight this time. Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy keep flip-flopping in Kansas City, and Ronald Jones finally had a breakthrough, too, just as we've been hoping for pretty much the whole season.
Those repeats are joined by a few new guys. Indianapolis' receiving corps brings some intriguing names, from Zach Pascal to Parris Campbell to Chester Rogers. With T.Y. Hilton (calf) out and a matchup with the Dolphins in Week 10, we'll tell you why Pascal is the best option if you can get him.
WEEK 10 NON-PPR RANKINGS
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
We also try to do some preemptive snap count analysis. Josh Gordon has yet to play for the Seahawks, but we know it will affect things in some capacity there. The last time that receiving corps had a similar talent breakdown was 2017, and let's just say that won't have you excited.
With all the teasing I'm throwing around up here, I'll let you get right into all the snap count analysis, but not before bragging about calling the Devin Singletary breakout last week. Twenty carries later, it seems his backfield takeover in Buffalo is complete. Let's cross our fingers that the same mojo works for Jones this week.
Check out our 32-team breakdown of Week 9 snap counts here.
Patriots Snap Counts: Mohamed Sanu vs. Phillip Dorsett
A week ago, this space was devoted to Dorsett, as I anticipated that he'd live up to some of the hype Josh Gordon was supposed to in New England. Boy, did I miss the boat. Mohamed Sanu played every Patriots' snap on Sunday night. Dorsett only left the field for one, but the production had a much wider gap.
Sanu caught 10-of-14 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. He matched Julian Edelman's 10 receptions while leading the team in targets. Dorsett, on the other hand, caught two-of-four passes for 13 yards, basically a non-factor on the oustide. Considering the inevitable decline in Tom Brady's arm strength, maybe it makes sense that another player who can work in the underneath channels can have success like Edelman.
Sanu is a lot bigger target than Edelman but thrives in many of the same areas. N'Keal Harry is expected back from his ankle injury in Week 11, but if anything, he'd take away from Dorsett's playing time. From now until the end of the season, I'd expect Sanu to be locked into his heavy-usage role.
That means that if Sanu is available in your league, he's a priority waiver claim. The Patriots pass enough to support two wideouts -- maybe Sanu is a bit like the tight end they've been lacking this season. He's at least a WR3, and maybe better in PPR leagues until his production slows.
WEEK 10 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Colts Snap Counts: Zach Pascal vs. Chester Rogers vs. Parris Campbell
Pascal was expected to be the No. 1 WR with T.Y. Hilton out, and that was the case Sunday, as he had 67 snaps played compared to 46 for Rogers and 44 for Campbell. Pascal is both tall and athletic enough to run a full route tree, and in the temporary WR1 role for the Colts, he's going to be a fantasy asset (especially with the Dolphins coming up in Week 10).
In Week 9, Pascal caught five-of-six targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. Campbell caught all five of his targets for 53 yards, and Rogers caught one of his two targets for a touchdown. All three played more than 60 percent of the Colts' snaps, so all three can be considered fantasy viable with Hilton out.
If Pascal isn't owned, he should be your first choice. If he is, Campbell probably slightly bests Rogers because of his greater involvement in the passing game (that was mostly with Brian Hoyer throwing to him. And while Campbell's 5-53 line doesn't show it, he has a lot more big-play upside than Rogers.
The passing game here is clogged up more by the presence of Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle at tight end, but for at least the next couple weeks, Pascal should be a solid fantasy option in all formats.
MORE WEEK 10:
Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Snap counts | Trade values | Fantasy playoff SOS
Chiefs Snap Counts: Damien Williams vs. LeSean McCoy
McCoy was the third-most snapped running back for Kansas City on Sunday, playing a measley six snaps. Damien Williams led the way with 43 and Darrel Williams had 11. It's a weird flip-flop in a season full of them for this backfield.
It's not that Williams didn't deserve the playing time -- he ran 12 times for 125 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown. It's just that nothing on the surface appears different from when McCoy was getting 40 or more snaps at Williams' expense in early October.
That's the scariest part of putting too much stock into these numbers is that Andy Reid is not one for consistency in his offensive usage. But on the flip side, you have to be invested in someone here, and with Patrick Mahomes (knee) likely coming back this week, you'll want the primary running back in this offense.
So, if you must commit to someone, it should be Williams. If he sees the same workload, and it's a big if, he's a fantasy RB2 with big-play potential. You just can't yet move on from McCoy because we've seen this story before in Kansas City.
WEEK 10 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | FD cash | FD GPP
Buccaneers Snap Counts: Ronald Jones vs. Peyton Barber
FINALLY! Do you think Bruce Arians has read our content all season, seen how many times his running backs have been mentioned in our snap count analysis, and finally decided to do something about it? I mean, probably not, but wouldn't that be cool?
Jones played about four times the snaps Barber did on Sunday, and the RB from USC turned that into 18 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown. Barber only rushed the ball four times. This feels a bit different from the KC situation because we haven't quite seen this split before. We've seen Jones be more effective than Barber on a per-carry basis, but it's never translated into a much heavier workload for Jones. That is, until Week 9.
Arians told reporters Monday that Jones earned the increased playing time and that it can be expected going forward.
HC Bruce Arians says Ronald Jones has earned the right to start and play more snaps. Says Peyton Barber has done nothing wrong but Jones has been the most explosive back.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) November 4, 2019
Jones is unowned in more than half of Yahoo leagues. You better go pick him up now. There's a chance that still all comes crashing down, but there's as good a chance that Jones has finally made this job his.
MORE WEEK 10 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder
Seahawks Snap Counts: Jacob Hollister, Josh Gordon's potential impact on DK Metcalf
So, the initial thought was to use this space to write about Jacob Hollister. The preseason darling caught two touchdowns, including the overtime winner, on Sunday for the Seahawks. He outsnapped fellow tight end Luke Willson, 60-17. It appeared the Seattle player who wears No. 48 was going to be a hot commodity.
But before we can really arrive at that conclusion, we must first consider Josh Gordon, who Seattle claimed off waivers at the end of last week. Assuming he's healthy, Gordon will have a role to play in this offense. It could affect Hollister, or maybe more likely will impact DK Metcalf. Regardless, it matters because this has never been an offense to support a ton of receivers.
In 2017, the Seahawks had Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, and Jimmy Graham. In order, those players averaged the following yards per game: 61.9, 43.9, 34.7, 32.5. Now, I'd make the case that Metcalf, Gordon and even current Hollister are more talented than those iterations of Richardson, Lockett and Graham, respectively. But still, even with an increase if you account for the level of play Russell Wilson has reached, something like 50 yards per game for a secondary Seattle receiver doesn't exactly get the juices flowing.
This will be a situation to monitor for at least the next few weeks so that by the fantasy playoffs, you can make the right calls with your lineup. Odds are, Gordon will be eased in somewhat slowly and only really have his full role by Week 12 or 13. Until then, we'll have to see what Metcalf and Hollister can do to keep prominent roles in the passing attack.
For snap count reactions for every team, click here.