Snap Count And Usage Analysis - Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers for Week 6

Joey analyzes fantasy football snap counts risers and fallers. Are these fantasy football players emerging, or a risk for starting them in Week 6 lineups?

Welcome RotoBallers to another edition of snap count and usage analysis. As we head into Week 6, we will look at and analyze snap count and usage from several players across the league -- some good and some not so great. 

Week 5 saw some surprisingly huge fantasy games from several big-time players. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase went off for 52.2 PPR points behind a massive 15-catch, 192-yard, three-touchdown game, and Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore also secured three touchdowns for 49 PPR fantasy points. 

Both Chase and Moore likely carried fantasy managers to victories in Week 5. But since they drew most of the attention this past week, some other players and their performances went under the rug. 

Surprisingly High Snap Count/Usage From Last Week

RB Breece Hall, New York Jets – 52% snap share & 25 touches

At the top of my buy-low list last week -- which is released here at RotoBaller every Saturday morning -- was New York Jets running back Breece Hall. It made sense to finally buy low on one of the most explosive backs in the league. He was finally not on a snap count anymore, and the Jets faced the worst run defense in the league in the Denver Broncos. 

As a result, Hall turned in his best fantasy day of the year by playing a season-high 52% of the team snaps. After tearing his ACL in Week 7 of the 2022 season, the 22-year-old back finally showed glimpses of his rookie self in the Jets' 31-21 win over the Broncos. 

Hall ran 22 times for 177 yards and one touchdown while also catching all three targets for 17 yards. His day on Sunday was highlighted by a massive 72-yard score en route to a career-high 25 touches and 177 rush yards. He's the clear RB1 moving forward in New York, especially with Dalvin Cook struggling on the ground this season. 

The Jets finally unleashed Hall, and his Week 5 performance is a positive for his rest-of-season fantasy value. His 25 touches on Sunday were almost as many touches as he saw combined from Week 2 to Week 4 (26). 

RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans – 52% snap share

Is Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears slowly taking over the backfield from Derrick Henry? While that's not completely happening, Spears is a player who continues to see a lot of playing time in Tennessee. 

Despite being a close game throughout, Spears played 52% of the Titans' offensive snaps in the Week 5 loss and only saw six fewer snaps than Henry in the contest. That now marks four of five games this season that the third-round rookie has logged more than 50% of the team snaps. 

In Week 5, he secured his first touchdown of the year on an end-around run early in the third quarter for a 19-yard score. For the game, Spears logged seven carries for 34 yards and one touchdown with four catches for 35 yards through the air. His 11 touches and 69 yards were both career-bests.  

It's evident Tennessee wants to get Spears more involved on offense moving forward. The rookie has already played 30-plus snaps in three games this year, and that likely won't change. 

Other Players To Note: 

• Zack Moss (80% snap share & 25 touches)
• Adam Thielen (11 catches on 13 targets) 

Surprisingly Low Snap Count/Usage From Last Week

RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots – 50% snap share 

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson looks like a completely different playmaker from a year ago. At this time last season, Stevenson was coming off a 161 rush-yard performance and a player every fantasy manager wanted on their fantasy roster. Exactly one year later, no one wants him anymore.

Stevenson had just eight carries for 24 yards with just two targets in the team's 34-0 loss against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. More surprising than his poor production on the field was his snap share. The young running back saw just 50% of the team snaps while only playing 27-of-54 snaps. 

Part of the reason was due to the blowout, but that also can't be a huge part of it because Stevenson was on the field for the team's last drive of the game with just under two minutes to play. 

The Patriots' offense is in shambles, and it's hard to roster/play anyone on this team right now. Veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott also continues to see more work out of the backfield, which spells trouble for Stevenson's long-term value in fantasy football. 

RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings – 51% snap share 

We all drafted running back Alexander Mattison in fantasy because of his workhorse potential. However, after the addition of running back Cam Akers, that is becoming less and less of a reality. 

Mattison saw just 51% of the team snaps in Week 5 and played only 37-of-71 snaps in the Vikings' 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The 25-year-old back was also inefficient on the ground on Sunday, rushing just eight times for 26 yards and also catching two passes for 20 yards and one touchdown. 

Akers continues to chip into his playing time in Minnesota, which is something all fantasy managers could see coming. The former winded up playing 29% of the team snaps, and fullback C.J. Ham, who saw 18 snaps this past weekend, also took away passing work from Mattison in the contest. 

Mattison's snap share has declined in back-to-back weeks since Akers arrived, and it's hard to trust him in fantasy moving forward. The Vikings' rushing attack has a nice matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 6, so Mattison might have a solid day. After that, it might be time to sell him. 

RB Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers – 46% snap share & seven touches 

Like Mattison, Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders was supposed to be a workhorse back in 2023. That is looking less and less likely after a rough Week 5 performance for the former Pro Bowler. 

He played just 46% of the team snaps last week while backup running back Chuba Hubbard outsnapped the veteran 34-33 out of the backfield. Sanders did enter Week 4 with a groin issue that kept him limited in that game. After practicing in full this past Friday, fantasy managers expected him to control the running back room in Week 5. 

Sanders didn't, and the Panthers backfield might be headed toward a timeshare. He only rushed seven times for 32 times while also losing a fumble in the team's 42-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Hubbard saw more carries (nine) in the contest. 

Maybe Sanders wasn't fully healthy entering the game, so that's why he didn't see his usual 55-65% snap share. However, this is something to monitor in the coming weeks, especially with Carolina taking on the Miami Dolphins in Week 6. 

Other Players To Note: 

• James Cook (eight touches)
• DeVonta Smith (four catches or less in three of four games)

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