Between the Lines: Week 6 Snap Count Analysis
AFC West
Denver Broncos - Heuerman Loads Up
Quarterback: Case Keenum (98%)
Running Backs: Royce Freeman (38%), Devontae Booker (33%), Phillip Lindsay (30%)
Wide Receivers: Emmanuel Sanders (85%), Demaryius Thomas (73%), Courtland Sutton (53%)
Tight Ends: Jeff Heuerman (88%), Matt LaCosse (41%)
Denver Broncos tight end Jeff Heuerman matched his season high with 88% of the offensive snaps on Sunday. His six targets were his second-best mark on the season and third best on the team this week behind Sanders and Lindsay. While he's not worth using on a weekly basis, he has fantasy friendly matchups against the Chiefs and Steelers over the next few weeks. While his level of production usually isn't worth mentioning, tight end is so weak this year that he could be worth a spot start in the right matchup.
Kansas City Chiefs - Watkins Gets a Full Workload
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes (100%)
Running Backs: Kareem Hunt (57%), Spencer Ware (30%)
Wide Receivers: Sammy Watkins (100%), Tyreek Hill (98%), Chris Conley (70%)
Tight End: Travis Kelce (94%)
No rest. That is what Sammy Watkins got on Sunday night. While he's regularly seen snap count percentages in the high 80s and low 90s, this was the first time he's played every snap for the Chiefs. While the playing time is great, fantasy owners still don't know what they're going to get because of Patrick Mahomes' ability to spread the ball around to multiple receivers. Despite his workload on the best offense in the league, Watkins remains no more than a flex play. Even then, you'll have to just pray his number is called.
Los Angeles Chargers - Ekeler Continues to Be Effective
Quarterback: Philip Rivers (88%), Geno Smith (12%)
Running Backs: Melvin Gordon (63%), Austin Ekeler (35%)
Wide Receivers: Tyrell Williams (82%), Keenan Allen (65%), Mike Williams (63%)
Tight Ends: Virgil Green (80%), Sean Culkin (40%), Antonio Gates (27%)
While people are focused more heavily on their AFC West counterpart the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers are quietly sitting just one game back in the division. Part of the reason for that has been the steady play of Austin Ekeler. Ekeler didn't see any work in the passing game this week, but he was very effective in the running game, picking up 60 yards on just 7 carries. Ekeler's 6.4 yards per carry this year are second only to Matt Breida. It should come as no surprise that his 56.1% Rushing Success Rate ranks first among all running backs with at least 40 carries and third among all backs with at least 30 carries (Aaron Jones, Tarik Cohen). He's worth using as a weekly flex play already, but if Gordon were to go down at some point, Ekeler would instantly jump to RB2 consideration.
Oakland Raiders - Bryant's Workload Jumps
Quarterback: Derek Carr (100%)
Running Backs: Marshawn Lynch (50%), Jalen Richard (40%)
Wide Receivers: Jordy Nelson (95%), Seth Roberts (73%), Martavis Bryant (72%), Amari Cooper (20%)
Tight Ends: Jared Cook (85%), Lee Smith (20%)
While Martavis Bryant finished Sunday's humiliating 27-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with just 2 catches for 18 yards, fantasy players should take solace in the fact that he was on the field for 72% of the Oakland Raiders' snaps. While this was largely due to Amari Cooper exiting the game with a concussion, it's noteworthy nonetheless because Cooper's time in Oakland may be short-lived. Ian Rapoport reported that Oakland is seeking to trade Cooper, hoping to get a first round pick in return (yeah, right). If Cooper is traded or forced to miss time after the bye with concussion symptoms, Bryant looks like the clear winner in the Oakland offense and would definitely be worth considering in deeper leagues, if he's not off the wire already.
