Skip to main content

RB Snap Count Analysis: Week 9 (Fantasy Football)

RB Snap Count Analysis: Week 9 (Fantasy Football)

Injuries created a ripple effect across several NFL backfields in Week 9. One big name returned and succeeded earlier than expected, placing his flourishing replacement’s value in peril. Another high-volume back, questionable before Sunday, went down in action. A prolonged absence could yield this week’s top waiver-wire add.

As one-passing catching back dampened his teammate’s arrival as a top-flight option, another stayed on the shelf. Yet it didn’t matter for his peer, who watched two of his linemen get hurt in a lopsided loss. Let’s review the snap counts from some of these recently altered situations.

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup & Trade advice partner-arrow

Detroit Lions

Player Snaps Carries Rush YDs Targets Receptions Rec. YDs TDs
Kerryon Johnson 39 12 37 5 3 7 0
Theo Riddick 39 0 0 8 7 36 0
LeGarrette Blount 11 5 8 1 1 2 0

 
In two games without Theo Riddick, Kerryon Johnson ran for 180 yards and caught eight of 11 targets for 90 additional yards. Even though his teammate returned in Week 9, the promising rookie held steadfastly onto his featured role. Haha, just kidding. Back from a knee injury after a four-week absence, Riddick immediately secured seven of a team-high eight targets – tying Marvin Jones for the team lead – in a 24-9 loss to Minnesota.

Trailing against a tough rushing defense represented an ideal matchup for the pass-catching back, but it’s discouraging to see Johnson immediately revert to game-script dependency with 44 total yards while splitting the snaps. Making matters worse, the 3-5 Lions play two of their next three games against the Bears, who rank third against the run. They face the 6-2 Panthers in between those matchups and then host the 8-1 Rams in Week 13. An optimal situation might not arise for Johnson until the fantasy playoffs, where he could make major noise against the Cardinals in Week 14 and Bills in Week 15.

He jumps back to low-end RB2 territory, but someone with a playoff berth secured could see if his panicking manager cashes out for pennies. Riddick goes back to being a PPR plug-in option with a solid floor, but a low ceiling in the right setting. Blount remains an untrustworthy touchdown-or-bust option who has played 18 snaps in the last two games.

Miami Dolphins

Player Snaps Carries Rush YDs Targets Receptions Rec. YDs TDs
Frank Gore 29 20 53 1 1 6 0
Kenyan Drake 28 3 9 6 4 26 0
Kalen Ballage 4 1 -2 2 2 17 0

 
Kenyan Drake played fewer than half of Miami’s snaps for the first time since Week 4, and that doesn’t even properly convey the workload divide between him and Frank Gore. In an ugly 13-6 win over the Jets, he handled just three rushes to Gore’s 20. Neither one of them found the end zone or submitted a double-digit gain, and Drake still produced more PPR points (7.5) with the help of four checkdown catches. It’s still an especially frustrating outcome since the younger back appeared to turn the corner by registering 355 yards and four touchdowns over the prior four bouts. He instead tallied single-digit rushing yards for the third time in 2018.

Gore, meanwhile, has posted just one touchdown despite averaging 12.3 touches per game. He’s the standard RB37 as part of Miami’s committee, but there’s an incredibly low ceiling for a 35-year-old who has just once cleared 65 total yards.

At least other timeshares fluctuate according to game script. While Drake has fared better in losses, he’s never certain to produce in the optimal spot. That limits him to RB2/flex territory. Gore is merely a bye-week filler.

Minnesota Vikings

Player Snaps Carries Rush YDs Targets Receptions Rec. YDs TDs
Dalvin Cook 28 10 89 4 4 20 0
Latavius Murray 22 10 31 1 1 16 1

 
Dalvin Cook was not initially expected to return from a hamstring injury until after Minnesota’s Week 10 bye. That plan changed before Week 9, when the team prepared for him to play 15 to 20 snaps. He played 28. Maybe the Vikings are filthy liars, or perhaps they were pleasantly surprised by his performance. In his first game since Week 4, the second-year back broke off a 70-yard rush before getting tripped right before reaching the end zone. Cook hit the highest speed (22.07 MPH) of any ball-carrier recorded by Next Gen Stats all season.

While Latavius Murray’s run as an RB1 struck midnight, he still punched in a 1-yard score on one of his three handoffs inside the 10. Cook, meanwhile, had no red-zone touches. This situation may thus not be as simple as promoting Cook to RB1 territory and dumping Murray. It also doesn’t help that the Bears are waiting on the other end of their bye. Yet barring any setbacks during their off week, Cook should garner a larger share of the snaps.

Treat him as a high-upside RB2 for now, but don’t drop Murray. The RB6 from Weeks 5 to 8 remains too valuable as a handcuff who could at least vulture some goal-line scores as a backup.

Seattle Seahawks

Player Snaps Carries Rush YDs Targets Receptions Rec. YDs TDs
Mike Davis 59 15 62 8 7 45 0
Rashaad Penny 12 4 11 3 3 13 0
Chris Carson 10 8 40 0 0 0 0

 
This wasn’t another case of Pete Carroll messing with your sanity. Chris Carson, who had compiled 93 touches in the last four games, suited up despite dealing with a hip injury throughout the week. He received eight carries midway through the second quarter before exiting the game. Mike Davis stepped into the limelight with 15 touches and a team-high seven catches – he previously had 10 to Carson’s eight all season- in a 25-17 loss to the Chargers. Rashaad Penny, who hadn’t logged a snap in two of the past three bouts, still managed just 24 yards on seven touches in a complementary role.

Even in a loss during in which they possessed the ball for 35.41 minutes, the Seahawks executed 39 passes to 32 runs. Russell Wilson attempted just 21 throws in Week 5’s 33-31 defeat to the Rams, so a messy game script shouldn’t deter whichever back gets the starting nod. Davis, who procured 124 yards and two touchdowns without Carson in Week 4, warrants waiver-wire consideration in case his teammate remains sidelined on Sunday. Having registered 306 total yards in three games with at least a dozen touches, he’s an RB2 without Carson. Penny would still amount to no more than a deep-league desperation heave.

Washington

Player Snaps Carries Rush YDs Targets Receptions Rec. YDs TDs
Adrian Peterson 32 9 17 3 3 16 0
Kapri Bibbs 21 3 20 1 1 15 1
Samaje Perine 15 2 20 3 2 8 0

 
A three-game winning streak lured Adrian Peterson investors into a false sense of security. This writer, a fierce skeptic to start the season, even bought into the hype and ranked him as a top-10 running back with Chris Thompson missing a savory matchup against the Falcons. Yet Washington’s opponent jumped out to a 14-0 lead, promoting the useless Peterson to resurface. Already down Thompson and Jamison Crowder, the squad also lost Paul Richardson (shoulder/knee) and guards Brandon Scherff (torn pec) and Shawn Lauvao (ACL), who will all require season-ending surgery. The offense has nothing left besides Peterson, but that’s a major problem for a game-dependent rusher who has now lost two starting linemen.

If Washington can only muster 14 points against Atlanta’s 28th-ranked defense, what hope does the overperforming team have of maintaining its winning record (5-3) with a minus-12 point differential? After facing a Tampa Bay defense that’s more vulnerable through the air, Washington is in grave danger of self-destructing against three top-10 rushing defenses (Houston, Dallas, and Philadelphia). Even after a bad game, this might be the time to try to trade Peterson before risking a steeper fall. While he produced a rushing score, Kapri Bibbs caught his only target against a team that had relinquished an NFL-high 62 receptions to running backs. He likely won’t contribute much even if Thompson – still a strong PPR play when healthy – remains sidelined.

Get a free analysis of your team with My Playbook partner-arrow


Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS

Andrew Gould is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrewgould4.

More Articles

FantasyPros Football Podcast: 3-Round 2024 NFL Prospect Mock Draft w/ Mike Renner – Commanders Select J.J. McCarthy & Bears Add Rome Odunze

FantasyPros Football Podcast: 3-Round 2024 NFL Prospect Mock Draft w/ Mike Renner – Commanders Select J.J. McCarthy & Bears Add Rome Odunze

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 3 min read
FantasyPros Dynasty Football Podcast: How Much is Your First-Round Draft Pick Worth?

FantasyPros Dynasty Football Podcast: How Much is Your First-Round Draft Pick Worth?

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 2 min read
3 Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Running Backs (2024)

3 Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Running Backs (2024)

fp-headshot by Anthony Corrente | 2 min read
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: FFPC Best Ball Picks (2024)

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: FFPC Best Ball Picks (2024)

fp-headshot by Tom Strachan | 3 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

4 min read

FantasyPros Football Podcast: 3-Round 2024 NFL Prospect Mock Draft w/ Mike Renner – Commanders Select J.J. McCarthy & Bears Add Rome Odunze

Next Up - FantasyPros Football Podcast: 3-Round 2024 NFL Prospect Mock Draft w/ Mike Renner – Commanders Select J.J. McCarthy & Bears Add Rome Odunze

Next Article