The Week 13 fantasy RB rankings have a lot of names that can be further backed up by looking at the NFL snap counts from Week 12. There were breakout games for previous sleepers like Rashaad Penny, Jonathan Williams, Bo Scarbrough, and Benny Snell Jr., along with a bust-level game from expected sleeper Derrius Guice. All five have snap counts that give us reason to believe in them when making Week 13 waiver wire pickups and when start-or-sit decisions.
There's also plenty of reason to believe in Sterling Shepard as he makes his return from multiple concussions. He saw a lot of Week 12 snaps and targets, as good of indicators as any that he'll remain involved going forward, and some fantasy owners surely forgot about him.
WEEK 13 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
On the flip side of these developments are of course losers of playing time. We're not ready to write off Chris Carson, who should still play at least a 50-50 role with Penny, but his value is definitely declining. We were already out on Adrian Peterson, but now we're extra out. And Jaylen Samuels is back to being a PPR flier and nothing more.
Snap counts aren't everything -- that's why we're sure to mention touches of each player in their blurbs below, too. But it's a basic starting point that can help you sneak into the fantasy playoffs with a big Week 13.
Check out our 32-team breakdown of Week 12 snap counts here.
Seahawks Snap Counts: Rashaad Penny vs. Chris Carson
First the numbers: Carson played 35 snaps to Penny's 30 on Sunday. That didn't stop Penny from having 14 carries to Carson's eight (although Carson had four catches to Penny's single target).
Part of the Carson lost playing time could be attributed to fumbling. It was an issue earlier in the season, but Penny got hurt at the right time to protect Carson's job. Sunday, Carson fumbled once that Seattle recovered, while he was also involved in a fumbled exchange with Russell Wilson that was credited as a fumble lost to the quarterback.
The biggest worry for Carson could be that Penny ran for 129 yards while Carson ran for 26. Pete Carroll said Monday that "competition is a beautiful thing."
The previous high in snaps this season for Penny was the 25 he played in Week 2, and the former first-rounder produced then, too, rushing 10 times for 62 yards and a score. It seems like Seattle would be wise to give Penny the football more often.
In the short term, Carson remains a low-end RB2 for Week 13 while Penny should be started at least in FLEX spots, and that's an arrangement that could flip with even just one more week of similar production.
MORE WEEK 13: Waiver pickups | Snap counts | Fantasy playoff SOS
Colts Snap Counts: Jonathan Williams vs. Nyheim Hines vs. Jordan Wilkins
The biggest worry for Williams heading into Thursday Night Football in Week 12 was the return of Jordan Wilkins, which threatened to end Williams' value as a waiver wire pickup before it even began.
How foolish of us to think that: Wilkins played one snap.
Williams, on the other hand, rushed 26 times for 104 yards and a touchdown while adding three catches. He was on the field for 45 plays, or 67 percent of Indianapolis' snaps. That was much more than Nyheim Hines, who played on 22 snaps. It was Hines who was the backup on the ground, rushing a season-high nine times.
If Marlon Mack (hand) remains out beyond Week 13, Williams has to be considered a solid RB2 with such a heavy workload. It won't always be 29 touches, obviously, but it'll be enough to contribute to fantasy scoreboards. Hines has also re-entered the PPR discussion as a FLEX play because if he can post even three catches a game with eight-to-10 carries, there's a path to points.
WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS:
FD Cash | FD GPP | DK Cash | DK GPP | Y! Cash | Y! GPP
Giants Snap Counts: Sterling Shepard vs. Golden Tate vs. Darius Slayton
Shepard made his return from concussion to lead Giants' WRs with 57 snaps Sunday. Slayton was in on 51 plays, while Tate was out there for 50. This could be different come Week 13, since Tate is currently in concussion protocol.
The targets were spread around pretty evenly, too. Shepard saw nine passes his way, although he caught five for an underwhelming 15 yards. Tate and Slayton were both targeted seven times. At least with Evan Engram (foot) still out, this trio can all have some semblance of fantasy value.
Shepard has always been a tantalizing fantasy talent who's never quite delivered due to combinations of injuries and opportunity. This was supposed to be his year out of the shadow of Odell Beckham Jr., but two concussions in the season's first five weeks put that on hold. In his absence, Slayton emerged and proved he deserves some love, too.
The best-case scenario in a given week for any of these WRs in fantasy is as a strong WR3 play, but it will be tough to anticipate on a week-to-week basis which is the best play. Shepard and Slayton are both available in a decent chunk of fantasy leagues, so they're at least worth picking up, especially with Tate hurting.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Redskins Snap Counts: Derrius Guice vs. Adrian Peterson
Week 11 was a weird one in the Washington backfield, as it was Wendell Smallwood who led the way in snaps, followed by Guice and then Peterson. At least that shifted in Week 12, with Guice carrying the biggest share (26 snaps), followed by Peterson at 20 snaps. The difference probably came down to game flow, as Washington was blown out in Week 11 and stayed close all game in a winning effort in Week 12.
What wasn't as positive was the lack of production. The Lions started Sunday allowing the most fantasy points to running backs, but neither Guice nor Peterson did much damage on any of the 10 carries they each received (both were also targeted once).
Playing Carolina in Week 13 is another good matchup for this backfield, so it's fair to wonder whether any Washington running back can deliever. Frankly, you probably shouldn't expect a monster game while Dwayne Haskins is leading this offense, but Guice is trending in the right direction, workload-wise.
In his second game back from injury, Guice received six more snaps and three more carries. If he can do that again and maybe add another target or two, he approaches 15 touches in a game against a beatable defense. That's at the very least a FLEX option for fantasy purposes.
MORE WEEK 13:
Waiver pickups | FAAB budget | Snap counts | Stock watch | Fantasy playoff SOS
Steelers Snap Counts: Benny Snell vs. Jaylen Samuels
Yes, we're leaving out the awe-inspiring duo of Trey Edmunds and Kerrith Whyte Jr. for this analysis -- they combined for 18 snaps. And this information could soon be irrelevant if it turns out James Conner (shoulder) is back for Week 13.
But if he's not, Snell made a case for RB2 status in fantasy leagues. He played 36 snaps and carried 21 times for 98 yards. That was much superior to the production put forth by Samuels, who rushed twice and caught three passes.
MORE WEEK 13 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder
There's still a case to be made for Samuels as a PPR possibility if Conner is out, but he's obviously not that main rusher of the football. When Whyte sees six carries to Samuels' two, that's as much as you need to know there.
So, it looks like Snell will be the workhorse against Cleveland in Week 13 if Conner is out, and if that's the case, you can feel confident playing the rookie from Kentucky.
For snap count reactions for every team, click here.