Re-Shaping NFL Depth Charts with Week 1 Snap Count Data

September 18, 2020

A common complaint heading into Week 1 was that some NFL teams had posted depth charts that felt a little...off. Some teams didn't have 11 starters. Some had guys who we knew were in for big roles not listed as starters. Things were not clear.

After one week of actual play, we have a clearer idea of who we can expect to see on the football field each week for these teams.

I thought a fun exercise would be to look at each team's snap counts from this week and give you a better idea of what depth charts actually look like. So, let's do that.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

Devin Singletary (59 percent) is the starting running back, but Zack Moss (45 percent) is a big part of things, and it appears they'll occasionally share the field. Don't be shocked if Moss keeps trending up and this is closer to a 50/50 split soon.

Stefon Diggs and John Brown were both over a 90 percent snap rate, but there are questions about who the No. 3 guy here is. Cole Beasley led the way at 63 percent, but Gabriel Davis was at 49 percent and Isaiah McKenzie was at 18 percent. This might suggest Beasley's grasp on his role isn't as tight as expected, making him a little riskier for fantasy purposes than expected.

Miami Dolphins

This was the weirdest situation of the week.

Let's start at running back where, when the week began, the depth chart was in this order: Jordan Howard, Matt Breida, Myles Gaskin, Patrick Laird.

So, how did the snap percentages work out? Gaskin (63 percent), Breida (23 percent), Howard (15 percent), and Laird (6 percent).

So, Gaskin appears to suddenly be the starter?!

At wide receiver, the numbers don't matter much because DeVante Parker left with a hamstring injury and Preston Williams is working back into shape in recovery from ACL surgery. It does appear Isaiah Ford is the third guy over Jakeem Grant.

New England Patriots

The leading snap share at running back was fullback Jakob Johnson, so that explains enough about how much of a committee this is. James White, Sony Michel, and Rex Burkhead all took the exact same amount of snaps.

Damiere Byrd took 88 percent of the offensive snaps and was not targeted. He led the receivers in snap share. I don't know what to make of this, but if he's going to be on the field that much, he's got to have some upside. N'Keal Harry took 80 percent of the snaps, and Julian Edelman just 58 percent, though I'm not worried about Edelman yet.

Also, Ryan Izzo was on the field for 98 percent of snaps. Deep-league tight end streamer, maybe?

New York Jets

I'm skipping the running back situation here since Le'Veon Bell was put on injured reserve. We'll probably see Frank Gore and Josh Adams close to a 50/50 split.

At receiver, Breshad Perriman had a 100 percent snap share, then Chris Hogan was at 91 percent, and Jamison Crowder at 86 percent. There's a clear top three here and if you believe in Sam Darnold, you might believe in some of these guys.

Chris Herndon's 71 percent snap share at tight end speaks to his potential to break out.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

At running back, three players had a snap rate of at least 25 percent. J.K. Dobbins led the pack at 39 percent, followed by Mark Ingram II at 36 percent, and then Gus Edwards at 25 percent. This is a committee, with Dobbins and Ingram serving as the main two heads of that committee.

At wide receiver, no one had a snap rate over 70 percent, but Miles Boykin, Willie Snead IV, and Marquise Brown were all between 63 percent and 68 percent. But with two tight ends with high snap rates -- 71 percent for Mark Andrews and 66 percent for Nick Boyle -- it seems that the Ravens essentially are swapping three guys between two spots on the field at a fairly even rate.

Cincinnati Bengals

No surprise at running back. Joe Mixon (59 percent) is the starter. Giovani Bernard (29 percent) saw half the number of snaps that Mixon had and is a valuable backup option for fantasy managers.

Wide receiver was a place with questions. We expected to see some combination of A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and John Ross on the field the most, and we got that. Ross led the way, playing on 84 percent of snaps with Boyd at 81 percent. Green trailed them, with a 66 percent snap rate. The Bengals might keep Green off the field more this year to try keeping the oft-injured veteran healthy. Mike Thomas, Tee Higgins, and Auden Tate all played exactly 15 snaps, accounting for 22 percent of the team's snaps. Not a lot of separation yet in the hunt to be the No. 4 receiver, but it's clear that Ross is a step above them all in the pecking order and should be the non-Boyd/Green guy to roster.

C.J. Uzomah (72 percent) was the lead tight end over Drew Sample (35 percent).

Cleveland Browns

Virtual dead heat for the RB1 role, with Kareem Hunt at 49 percent and Nick Chubb at 48 percent. This is trending towards a full committee.

With the team playing a lot of two tight ends -- and with David Njoku hurt, Harrison Bryant is an interesting deep league guy as he played 42 percent of snaps -- the wide receiver rotation went like this: Odell Beckham Jr. (75 percent), Jarvis Landry (71 percent), KhaDarel Hodge (55 percent), and Rashard Higgins (22 percent).

Pittsburgh Steelers

With James Conner hurt, expect Benny Snell Jr. (45 percent) to be the lead back now.

JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson both took 55 snaps, which was 86 percent od the available snaps. That's your top two here, with James Washington (58 percent) likely facing a challenge for snaps from Chase Claypool (30 percent) as the season goes along.

New addition Eric Ebron outsnapped Vance McDonald 40 snaps to 38 snaps. Are we talking about Ebron enough?

AFC South

Houston Texans

Duke Johnson's injury means that David Johnson is going to be a workhorse for now.

At wide receiver, Will Fuller V and Randall Cobb saw the most work and seem to have firm spots as the top two receivers. Brandin Cooks (53 percent) was next, then Kenny Stills (37 percent) played a smaller role than some might have expected. DeAndre Carter was on the field for 13 snaps as well as the backup slot guy.

Indianapolis Colts

The Marlon Mack injury makes the Week 1 snap counts not matter a ton here. The team says Jonathan Taylor is now the starter and Nyheim Hines will get lots of snaps. Hines led Taylor in snap rate 53 to 35 percent in Week 1.

Parris Campbell and T.Y. Hilton are the top receivers, with both over an 80 percent snap rate. Zach Pascal (62 percent) and Michael Pittman Jr. (53 percent) are basically sharing the role as the No. 3 guy, which will hurt both from a fantasy perspective.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Undrafted rookie James Robinson is the undisputed starter, taking every RB rush attempt for the team in Week 1. Chris Thompson is the passing-down back. No surprise there.

At wide receiver, surprises! D.J. Chark Jr. was on the field for 84 percent of snaps and is the starter, but Keelan Cole was on for a surprising 66 percent, followed by Laviska Shenault Jr. at 62 percent, Chris Conley at 32 percent, and Collin Johnson at 18 percent. Some surprises there. Dede Westbrook was a healthy scratch. Tyler Eifert was the primary tight end.

Tennessee Titans

Running back is clear here. Derrick Henry will get around 75 percent of the snaps. Someone -- Jeremy McNichols this week, maybe Darrynton Evans in the future -- will play some, but not enough to be fantasy relevant.

A.J. Brown and Corey Davis both played 66 snaps. Adam Humphries played 44, and Kalif Raymond played 18. Again, no real surprises. They also relied heavily on their backup tight ends, with Anthony Firkser and MyCole Pruitt combining to play 78 percent of snaps. That limits the upside of Humphries.

AFC West

Denver Broncos

It's hard to know as much here because of injuries, with Phillip Lindsay missing the second half and Courtland Sutton missing the whole game. But an injured Lindsay didn't help Royce Freeman, who ended with just a 10 percent snap share. This is a clear two-player backfield.

Tim Patrick (85 percent) and DaeSean Hamilton (80 percent) outsnapped Jerry Jeudy (75 percent). I don't think that means a ton, and when Sutton is back expect the 11 personnel unit to have Sutton, Jeudy, and one of Patrick and Hamilton. At tight end, Nick Vannett and Jake Butt both had 16 snaps as the No. 2 tight end behind Noah Fant.

Kansas City Chiefs

No surprise at running back, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire at 67 percent and Darrel Williams at 33 percent. Darwin Thompson had no offensive snaps.

The only surprise at wide receiver was Demarcus Robinson's 48 percent snap share over Mecole Hardman's 29 percent. Most people were expecting Hardman to play a larger role, and that might happen moving forward since Robinson had some drop issues. But for now, Hardman is fourth on the depth chart.

Las Vegas Raiders

Devontae Booker and Jalen Richard shared backup running back duties behind Josh Jacobs, but Jacobs is the bellcow here.

Wide receiver is harder to judge. Bryan Edwards took 75 percent of the snaps. Fellow rookie Henry Ruggs III took 67 percent. Then, things got murky. 48 percent for Hunter Renfrow, who I expected to see a lot more from. 19 percent from Nelson Agholor, who might have earned a larger role moving forward. Even Zay Jones appeared for 14 of the plays. Overall, my takeaway here is that I'm less confident in Renfrow now.

Jason Witten had a 44 percent snap share as Vegas ran a lot of two tight end sets. Jason Witten is not going to be fantasy relevant, though.

Los Angeles Chargers

Austin Ekeler took 68 percent of the snaps. Justin Jackson left with an injury after 11 snaps and Joshua Kelley played 18 snaps, but Ekeler seems to have control of this backfield.

No real surprises elsewhere either. Three wide receivers dominated the snaps -- Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Jalen Guyton -- and Joe Reed's three snaps were the only other offensive snaps from a wideout.

And Hunter Henry's 80 percent snap share at tight end was also not a surprise. The Chargers are who we thought they were.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott is the clear starter, playing 88 percent of snaps. Tony Pollard played 14 percent, which is lower than some expected.

Zero questions elsewhere. Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper are your top receivers. CeeDee Lamb is your third guy when you go three-wide. Other names exist but aren't factors. And with Blake Jarwin done for the year now, Dalton Schultz is the main tight end and becomes a deep league streaming option.

New York Giants

Yeah, the 12 combined snaps for Dion Lewis, Elijhaa Penny, and Wayne Gallman is confirmation none have a role that is workable independent of Saquon Barkley.

At receiver, it's pretty clear that once Golden Tate returns, the trio of Tate, Darius Slayton, and Sterling Shepard will combine to take almost all of the snaps. C.J. Board (31 percent) and Damion Ratley (26 percent) will see their roles vanish.

Philadelphia Eagles

Miles Sanders missed Week 1. Boston Scott played 56 percent of snaps, and with a healthy Sanders will likely play somewhere around the 37 percent that Corey Clement played.

At wide receiver, things were messy. Jalen Reagor led the way at 59 percent, then DeSean Jackson at 54 percent. Greg Ward (44 percent), J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (41 percent), and John Hightower (40 percent) also saw significant usage. This is...a messy situation for fantasy and one I might avoid completely in shallower leagues, especially with Zach Ertz at 85 percent and Dallas Goedert at 79 percent. This team will go double tight end on most of their plays.

Washington Football Team

The messiest backfield stayed messy. J.D. McKissic actually did become the starter, playing 31 total snaps, with Peyton Barber at 29 total snaps. But Barber led the whole NFL in red zone carries in Week 1, so McKissic might be the starter, but Barber is the fantasy play. Antonio Gibson played 18 snaps, and should see his role increase over time. McKissic is the No. 1 back, but not for long, I'd guess.

Only three wide receivers played. Terry McLaurin and Steven Sims Jr. are your top guys. Dontrelle Inman played 51 percent of snaps.

Logan Thomas played 74 percent of snaps at tight end and looks like a really good value moving forward, a deep-league streamer with upside. Jeremy Sprinkle and Marcus Baugh combined to play 79 percent of the snaps as well, but neither offers the upside of Thomas.

NFC North

Chicago Bears

Tarik Cohen (46 percent) and David Montgomery (45 percent) split right down the middle, but have to wonder if Montgomery will see more work moving forward when he's further removed from the groin injury he suffered in camp.

Allen Robinson was the only wide receiver with a high snap rate at 82 percent, and with the whole "maybe he wants traded talk," who knows how that works out. Beyond him, this is a mess. The depth chart should just feature a bunch of question marks: Ted Ginn Jr. (43 percent) and Anthony Miller (42 percent) lead the way, but Javon Wims (35 percent) and Darnell Mooney (32 percent) are just behind. Yikes.

Tight end was more clear: Jimmy Graham (80 percent), then Demetrius Harris (40 percent), and then rookie Cole Kmet (31 percent).

Detroit Lions

Have fun with the Lions backfield! Rookie D'Andre Swift led the way at 44 percent, then veteran Adrian Peterson at 31 percent, and then Kerryon Johnson at 26 percent. Swift seems like a solid fantasy play, but Peterson and Johnson might cannibalize each other's value.

Wide receiver doesn't matter much since Kenny Golladay was out. The only question is if Quintez Cephus (79 percent) goes back to a reserve role or if he takes some of Danny Amendola's (55 percent) snaps.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers running back situation looks a lot like last year. Aaron Jones led it at 54 percent, then Jamaal Williams at 40 percent. If you thought A.J. Dillon was the backup to roster in redraft, you thought wrong. Williams is that guy, again.

Only three wide receivers took snaps. Davante Adams and Allen Lazard led the way, which each at 87 percent or higher. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was at 54 percent. That was it. The team went tight end heavy, with Robert Tonyan (62 percent), Marcedes Lewis (41 percent), Josiah Deguara (31 percent), and Jace Sternberger (15 percent). Can't say any of those guys interest me right now.

Minnesota Vikings

Dalvin Cook only played 58 percent of snaps. Alexander Mattison at 37 percent might have some standalone value in 2020.

We knew Adam Thielen would be on the field for pretty much every play, which was true as he was at 96 percent. Behind him, we had Justin Jefferson (69 percent), OlaBisi Johnson (63 percent), and Tajae Sharpe (13 percent). Jefferson's likely the one who'll emerge as the real No. 2 receiver here.

As for tight end, Kyle Rudolph (62 percent) and Irv Smith (60 percent) should essentially be considered co-starters this year.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Have fun with this backfield. 46 percent snap rate from Todd Gurley II led it, with Brian Hill at 27 percent and Ito Smith at 25 percent. This could very well be trending towards being a full-on committee.

Wide receiver, meanwhile, is pretty clear. Russell Gage is the No. 3 guy and took 70 percent of the snaps. Guys like Olamide Zaccheaus and Christian Blake exist on the fringes here. And Hayden Hurst slid right into that Austin Hooper role, taking 78 percent of the snaps.

Carolina Panthers

Surprise! Christian McCaffrey played 97 percent of snaps.

Really, nothing here was amiss. D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, and Curtis Samuel all had at least a 75 percent snap share. Tight end Ian Thomas was at 66 percent. Maybe other tight end Chris Manhertz being at 54 percent is a slight surprise, but he was targeted just once, so that won't matter much for fantasy.

New Orleans Saints

While it seemed like Latavius Murray was on the field at all times if you had Alvin Kamara in your lineup, Kamara was at 66 percent and Murray at 34 percent. But it was an active 34 percent, as he had 15 carries on his 23 total snaps.

Michael Thomas is going to miss some time, and Sunday suggests that Tre'Quan Smith (65 percent) and Emmanuel Sanders (49 percent) will step into larger roles. Beyond them, no one really played enough to judge, as Deonte Harris and Bennie Fowler each played seven snaps.

Expect a lot of two-TE sets with Thomas out, with Jared Cook (65 percent) and Josh Hill (53 percent) both likely to see that number rise.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hmm, this backfield. Ronald Jones II took 47 percent of the snaps, then LeSean McCoy was at 36 percent, Leonard Fournette at 13 percent, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn at 0 percent. Vaughn can probably be dropped in redraft leagues. Fournette should supplant McCoy at some point, but outside of Jones, it's hard to predict things here.

Scotty Miller (61 percent) outsnapped Justin Watson (16 percent) by a lot. Here's your slot receiver in Tampa.

Rob Gronkowski was immediately the main tight end, taking 77 percent of the snaps. O.J. Howard followed at 53 percent, then Cameron Brate was at 10 percent. Brate's been a solid fantasy option the last few years, but it doesn't look like that'll continue in 2020.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

No surprise at running back, where Kenyan Drake received 71 percent of the snaps and Chase Edmonds 34 percent.

This team did run fewer four-receiver sets than expected though, which Andy Isabella only was on the field for 17 percent of snaps. Looks like predicting this team to spread the field with their top four guys might have been premature. They also always had at least one tight on the field and sometimes more, with Dan Arnold at 55 percent of snaps and Maxx Williams at 52 percent. Could a Cardinals tight end become fantasy-relevant?

Los Angeles Rams

The initial depth chart had Malcolm Brown starting, and he did, seeing 60 percent of the snaps. It had Darrell Henderson second, but he played just seven percent. with rookie Cam Akers jumping him and playing 33 percent of snaps. Abandon those Henderson shares, redrafters!

The battle for the third receiver role was basically a dead heat. Josh Reynolds played 37 snaps. Van Jefferson played 33 snaps. Someone will likely emerge as the year goes on, but Week 1 was too close to tell.

As for tight end, it's all Tyler Higbee, who played 89 percent of snaps to Gerald Everett's 33 percent.

San Francisco 49ers

Raheem Mostert truthers rejoice, as he was on the field for 60 percent of snaps. Jerick McKinnon was at 31 percent, and Tevin Coleman brought up the rear at 10 percent. Maybe this backfield isn't as messy as a lot of us predicted.

At wide receiver, just three players took snaps. Kendrick Bourne was the lead receiver, playing 92 percent of snaps. Dante Pettis was at 73 percent and Trent Taylor at 34 percent, but both of those could come down due to the signing of Mohamed Sanu.

Seattle Seahawks

At running back, Chris Carson is the lead at 45 percent, but this is a committee. Carlos Hyde was at 34 percent and Travis Homer was at 21 percent. Carson's the back to roster and play in redraft, but do so with some caution.

No surprises with the two receivers who were over 90 percent, D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. David Moore was at 53 percent and Freddie Swain at 26 percent, but neither is a viable fantasy play.

Greg Olsen led the tight end room at 66 percent, then Will Dissly at 40 percent. I like Dissly, but would need to see a higher snap share to like him in fantasy right now.

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