The weekly offensive snap report is a summary of the participation data for fantasy relevant skill position players. Although the focus is snaps, we also cover other important categories like pass routes and designed runs.
Running Back
LaRod Stephens-Howling is a forgotten man in Arizona. For the second week in a row, Beanie Wells (24 snaps) and William Powell (19) handled the majority of the work. Stephens-Howling only saw eight snaps the entire game. Wells was the fantasy star of the day with three rushing touchdowns (two in the redzone) on 17 carries but was rather ineffective on the ground with only 3.9 yards per carry and 1.6 yards after contact per attempt. Powell was the passing down back.
So this is what happens when you unleash C.J. Spiller. Spiller (56 snaps) was on the field for 85 percent of Buffalo’s offensive plays and accounted for 20 touches (17 att., 3 receptions) compared to Tashard Choice’s 11 snaps and 1 carry. Buffalo would be wise to feature Spiller more in 2013 based on his breakout season so far. In one more snap and in two less games than in 2011, Spiller already has 1,047 yards on just 161 carries (6.5 YPC) and an un-worldly 3.6 rushing yards after contact per attempt. He is a stud in the making.
The Carolina running back situation has been interesting to monitor sans Jonathan Stewart. Mike Tolbert (43 snaps) and DeAngelo Williams (40) shouldered the load against San Diego with a combined 31 carries. It is worth noting that Cam Newton only had four designed runs (no scrambles) for seven yards. Tolbert was the passing down and goal line back with Williams handling the majority of the rushing attempts. Tolbert had two redzone touchdowns in his return to San Diego and Williams took a screen pass to the house.
Matt Forte (45 snaps) was on the field for 94 percent of the Bears’ offensive plays, mostly due to the unavailability of Michael Bush. Forte should see another heavy workload during the fantasy championships – only Armando Allen and the recently re-signed Kahlil Bell are on the running back depth chart.
Danny Woodhead (73 snaps) was the primary running back for the Patriots after Stevan Ridley (18) fumbled away his chance in the wintry conditions. Whether it was the conditions or the game script, Woodhead was on the field for 79 percent of the offensive plays and came up huge with two redzone touchdowns. Ridley only managed nine carries for 23 yards and we have to wonder if this will be a repeat of what Bill Belichick did to him leading into the playoffs last year. Woodhead will be an attractive add off the waiver wire this week, but is not someone to hinge your title hopes on.
So, this is what a healthy Mark Ingram looks like. Ingram only had 21 snaps this week (32 percent) but ran the ball 14 times for 90 yards and a touchdown. His power is returning also – he forced five missed tackles and gained 4.8 yards after contact per attempt against the top-ranked run defense in the NFL.
David Wilson (27 snaps) drew the start against the Falcons, but it was more of the same for the rookie running back. The coaching staff has been reluctant to trust Wilson in pass protection and this week was a perfect example why. Wilson was blown up on his sole attempt and allowed a hit on Eli Manning that resulted in an interception thrown to Asante Samuel early in the first quarter. Wilson either ran the ball (12) or ran a pass route (14) on his other 26 snaps. Kregg Lumpkin (18) saw the rest of the work at halfback but only had one pass protection assignment of his own.
Only a player as unlucky as Ryan Mathews (17 snaps) can fracture their clavicle twice in a season. Mathews will now be out for the rest of the year. That leaves Jackie Battle (9) and Curtis Brinkley (19) to pick up the slack and play out the string. Brinkley would make the most sense to get most of the carries – though he has only averaged 3.2 yards per carry in 11 career games.
Wide Receiver
Dez Bryant (48 snaps) managed to participate on 75 percent of Dallas’ offensive plays with his fractured index finger, though he did have three dropped passes. He played seven less snaps than Miles Austin did – which did not leave much work for Dwayne Harris (16) or Kevin Ogletree (18). Bryant would continue his current workload until the Cowboys are eliminated from the playoff hunt; he has already indicated he would postpone surgery on his finger until that occurred.
Texans’ rookie DeVier Posey (33 snaps) is making a run at the starting spot opposite Andre Johnson. Posey had three less snaps than veteran Kevin Walter did – though he ran two more pass routes and was more productive in the passing game. Posey’s three receptions on three targets for 46 yards dwarfed Walter’s two for 11 yards. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues because Posey is a more dynamic weapon downfield and has graded out slight better than Walter in run blocking so far has.
Braylon Edwards (37 snaps) did not take long to settle into his new-old team. Edwards had the second-highest snaps and pass routes run on the team behind Jeremy Kerley in his first week with the team. You would have to be desperate to rely on the Jets’ passing offense in your title game.
Please note that penalty plays are removed from the snap totals and will differ from what is posted in our Premium Statistics game logs.
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