Fantasy News & Analysis

Premium Content Sign Up

Picking up the pace: Lions-Colts promises a big Week 1 snap load

Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah scores a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

The road to fantasy fortune is built upon bricks of opportunity, and those bricks are made up of snaps. While we can navigate a trail to the Promised Land over bumpy terrain, a snaps-filled path is far smoother. The more opportunities we can reliably expect — be it pass attempts, targets or touches — the sturdier our projections become.

As in years past, we will attempt to forecast which games will, or will not, be chock-full of snaps, and provide a jumping-off point for player selection in both DFS and season-long formats. While there will be intriguing options playing in low-volume matchups — Spencer Ware this week, for instance — we’ll want more exposure to players involved in snap-filled games.

Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts

This matchup promises to fill the air with footballs and the stat sheet with snaps. The Colts’ running game was a mess this preseason (fourth-lowest rushing grade), albeit with Frank Gore only playing 10 snaps. The Lions’ front-seven allowed a league-best 3.5 yards per carry when in their sub-defense last year, and with Indianapolis a base-3WR offense, Detroit will be in “sub” most of the game. The Lions’ rushing attack is a work in progress and their 34.7-percent run rate ranked 32nd last year.

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Already have a subscription? Log In

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit