20 Best Points Per Snap Performers From Week 3

Fantasy Points Per Snap

There is no shortage of efficiency metrics out there each designed to tell a different story of what players are bringing the biggest fantasy return on investment. For any of those formulas to matter, a player first has to earn enough snaps to be fantasy relevant. Snaps can vary from week-to-week but over a longer amount of time, snap counts become a stable and important piece of the story.

Now that we are three games into the 2019 NFL season, tracking fantasy points per snap tells us which skill-position players are making the most out of their playing time. With that success can come an expanded role or even a clearer picture of which players could be about to emerge.

Here are the top 20 skill-position fantasy points per snap players from Week 3 and what that means for our teams in Week 4 and into October.

20 Best Wide Receivers

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	SNAPS	SNAP%	TGT%	TOUCH%	UTIL%	PTS	PTS/SNAP
1	Mike Evans	TB	WR	68	88.3	22.1	11.8	22.1	37	0.54
2	Taylor Gabriel	CHI	WR	49	74.2	14.3	14.3	16.3	26.2	0.53
3	Keenan Allen	LAC	WR	68	90.7	25	20.6	26.5	30.6	0.45
4	Julio Jones	ATL	WR	46	75.4	19.6	17.4	19.6	18.8	0.41
5	Mecole Hardman	KC	WR	43	63.2	11.6	7	14	16.4	0.38
6	Zach Pascal	IND	WR	31	43.7	9.7	6.5	9.7	11.3	0.36
7	D.J. Chark	JAX	WR	38	70.4	13.2	10.5	13.2	13.6	0.36
8	Cooper Kupp	LAR	WR	65	98.5	18.5	16.9	18.5	22.2	0.34
9	Amari Cooper	DAL	WR	61	84.7	11.5	9.8	11.5	20.8	0.34
10	T.Y. Hilton	IND	WR	37	52.1	27	21.6	27	12.5	0.34
11	Sterling Shepard	NYG	WR	62	95.4	14.5	14.5	17.7	20.1	0.32
12	Adam Thielen	MIN	WR	55	87.3	9.1	7.3	10.9	17.6	0.32
13	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	GB	WR	50	87.7	20	12	20	15.9	0.32
14	Julian Edelman	NE	WR	39	50.6	25.6	17.9	25.6	12.2	0.31
15	Marvin Jones	DET	WR	53	82.8	17	11.3	17	16.1	0.30
16	Darius Slayton	NYG	WR	29	44.6	17.2	10.3	17.2	8.2	0.28
17	Diontae Johnson	PIT	WR	42	79.2	14.3	9.5	16.7	11.8	0.28
18	Kenny Stills	HOU	WR	32	53.3	18.8	12.5	18.8	8.9	0.28
19	D.J. Moore	CAR	WR	46	73	4.3	4.3	6.5	12.4	0.27
20	JuJu Smith-Schuster	PIT	WR	53	100	13.2	5.7	13.2	14.1	0.27

Mike Evans‘s monster 15-target, 8/190/3 outing against the Giants was the second-highest fantasy points per snap outing so far in the 2019 season, trailing only Sammy Watkins, who exploded for 0.58 points per snap back in Week 1. It was not shocking to see Evans destroy the Giants, who has now allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers so far in 2018. Up next, Evans gets a road matchup against a Rams’ secondary that ranks third and has yet to surrender a touchdown reception to a wideout.

Don’t overreact to Taylor Gabriel‘s huge Monday night performance. Gabriel entered Week 3 with seven targets and just three receptions in Chicago’s first two games. Despite the Week 3 outing, Gabriel is little more than a WR4/5 that is barely viable from week to week.

Keenan Allen‘s 68 snaps tied Evans for the most among the top-10 points per snap qualifiers from Week 3. Allen feasted on a Houston secondary that has allowed a league-worst 50 receptions to wideouts so far in 2019. There’s an excellent shot that Allen again posts superb numbers in Week 4 as the Chargers travel to Miami to face a Dolphins squad that has allowed an average of 44.3 points per game.

Julio Jones was limited to a season-low 46 snaps but still posted a respectable 0.42 fantasy points per snap, which was just off his season-best mark from Week 1. Jones corralled 8-of-9 targets for a season-high 128 receiving yards and scored for the third consecutive game. Jones has surpassed 100 receiving yards in five out of his last seven home games, so expect another elite outing in Week 4 against a solid Titans’ defense.

As long as Tyreek Hill remains sidelined, Mecole Hardman is a viable WR3 with a significant ceiling. Hardman has scored in back-to-back games and has flashed some Hill-like top-end speed. The volume won’t always be there but Hardman has now played nearly three-quarters of Kansas City’s snaps this season and has posted back-to-back top-20 points per snap outings.

Only one NFL wide receiver has posted top-20 fantasy points per snap total in each of the first three games: Jacksonville’s D.J. Chark.

20 Best Running Backs

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	SNAPS	SNAP%	RUSH%	TGT%	TOUCH%	UTIL%	PTS	PTS/SNAP
1	Tony Pollard	DAL	RB	23	31.9	56.5	13	69.6	69.6	18.8	0.82
2	LeSean McCoy	KC	RB	26	38.2	30.8	11.5	42.3	42.3	20	0.77
3	Jeffery Wilson	SF	RB	21	26.6	38.1	4.8	38.1	42.9	13.8	0.66
4	Aaron Jones	GB	RB	22	38.6	45.5	4.5	50	50	14.3	0.65
5	Mark Ingram	BAL	RB	50	60.2	32	8	40	40	31.5	0.63
6	Phillip Lindsay	DEN	RB	41	56.2	51.2	12.2	61	63.4	25	0.61
7	Alvin Kamara	NO	RB	51	87.9	31.4	19.6	49	51	28.1	0.55
8	Dalvin Cook	MIN	RB	38	60.3	42.1	13.2	52.6	55.3	20.3	0.53
9	Ronald Jones II	TB	RB	23	29.9	60.9	4.3	65.2	65.2	12.1	0.53
10	Joe Mixon	CIN	RB	35	57.4	42.9	5.7	48.6	48.6	15.5	0.44
11	Christian McCaffrey	CAR	RB	58	92.1	41.4	6.9	46.6	48.3	24.8	0.43
12	Miles Sanders	PHI	RB	26	34.2	50	15.4	57.7	65.4	10.6	0.41
13	Jordan Howard	PHI	RB	25	32.9	44	4	44	48	9.7	0.39
14	Marlon Mack	IND	RB	44	62	36.4	6.8	40.9	43.2	14.8	0.34
15	Gus Edwards	BAL	RB	22	26.5	31.8	9.1	40.9	40.9	6.8	0.31
16	Frank Gore	BUF	RB	49	62.8	28.6	4.1	32.7	32.7	14.9	0.30
17	Darrel Williams	KC	RB	37	54.4	24.3	13.5	37.8	37.8	10.9	0.29
18	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	RB	48	66.7	39.6	6.2	43.8	45.8	13.9	0.29
19	Derrick Henry	TEN	RB	38	47.5	44.7	5.3	47.4	50	10.6	0.28
20	Matt Breida	SF	RB	32	40.5	43.8	9.4	50	53.1	8.8	0.28

Week 3 was a big slate for reserve running backs. Thanks to the Cowboys’ blowout of Miami, Tony Pollard got plenty of work in the second half and posted the second-highest points per snap figure of the 2019 season. Obviously, this won’t be a sustainable rate unless Ezekiel Elliott is injured but Pollard has been productive when given snaps and is a must-have handcuff for fantasy leaguers who can squeeze him onto their rosters.

LeSean McCoy turned 11 touches into 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns before tweaking his ankle and exiting Kansas City’s Week 3 victory over Baltimore. That injury isn’t expected to sideline McCoy for long but the looming presence of Damien Williams (knee) and Darrell Williams could keep McCoy’s weekly usage down to 10-12 touches. If Damien Williams misses another week, McCoy will be on the RB2 radar in Detroit.

Jeffery Wilson had the lowest snap rate of any running back in the top-20. The impressive 0.66 fantasy points per snap average came mostly from Wilson’s two touchdown runs, which both came in the red zone. For now, Wilson has been anointed as San Francisco’s designated short-yardage runner, but Tevin Coleman could be back in the lineup in Week 5 when the 49ers return from their bye.

Like Wilson, Aaron Jones got a ton of mileage out of a pair of short TD runs but was otherwise ineffective. Jones only played 38.6% of Green Bay’s snaps and took less than half of the rushing attempts. Jones was held to a paltry 1.9 yards per tote and only caught one pass. This was a frustrating and alarming development as Matt LaFleur continues to give Jamaal Williams plenty of touches. The good news is that Jones has posted top-5 points per snap numbers in back to back weeks and as long as he remains efficient should continue to be a productive fantasy option.

Mark Ingram also posted his second top-5 showing after running for three TDs in Kansas City. Ingram’s 20 touches represent a new season-high and he should be in-line for another big outing in Week 4 against a Pittsburgh run defense that has surrendered the third-most fantasy points to running backs so far in 2019.

Phillip Lindsay turned a season-high 25 touches into 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Denver’s loss at Green Bay. While it was an effective outing overall, Lindsay has been held under four yards per carry in each of the Broncos’ three games, while Royce Freeman sits at 4.8. Despite Lindsay’s success, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Broncos steer more towards a 50/50 split.

Alvin Kamara was the focal point of the Saints’ first start without Drew Brees under center and that paid off as the Saints handed the Seahawks their first September home loss of the Pete Carroll era. Kamara commanded a whopping 19.6% of the Saints’ targets and touched the ball half of the time he stepped on the field. These are extremely encouraging splits after a quiet Week 2.

It seems like it’s only a matter of time before Bruce Arians finally gives Ronald Jones the starting nod. Jones only played 23% of Tampa’s snaps last week but managed to account for 80 yards on the ground and another 41 on his lone target. Jones has been more effective than nominal starter Peyton Barber in two of the Buccaneers’ three contests and enters Week 4 averaging over five yards per tote. Week 3 was also the second time this season that Jones has been in RB1 territory via fantasy points per snap. The buy low window is closing.

20 Best Tight Ends

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	SNAPS	SNAP%	TGT%	TOUCH%	UTIL%	PTS	PTS/SNAP
1	Jordan Akins	HOU	TE	27	45	18.5	11.1	18.5	19.3	0.71
2	Greg Olsen	CAR	TE	50	79.4	14	12	14	19.5	0.39
3	Austin Hooper	ATL	TE	54	88.5	13	11.1	13	18.6	0.34
4	Dawson Knox	BUF	TE	44	56.4	9.1	9.1	11.4	13.6	0.31
5	Evan Engram	NYG	TE	57	87.7	14	10.5	14	17.3	0.30
6	Darren Fells	HOU	TE	39	65	15.4	12.8	15.4	10.9	0.28
7	Darren Waller	OAK	TE	53	89.8	26.4	26.4	28.3	14.1	0.27
8	Will Dissly	SEA	TE	46	54.8	15.2	13	15.2	12.2	0.27
9	Irv Smith Jr.	MIN	TE	31	49.2	9.7	9.7	9.7	6	0.19
10	James O’Shaughnessy	JAX	TE	42	77.8	7.1	4.8	7.1	7.8	0.19
11	Jason Witten	DAL	TE	37	51.4	10.8	8.1	10.8	5.4	0.15
12	Travis Kelce	KC	TE	63	92.6	12.7	11.1	12.7	8.9	0.14
13	Delanie Walker	TEN	TE	46	57.5	19.6	15.2	19.6	6.4	0.14
14	Nick Boyle	BAL	TE	43	51.8	11.6	9.3	11.6	5.8	0.13
15	Eric Ebron	IND	TE	36	50.7	11.1	8.3	11.1	4.7	0.13
16	OJ Howard	TB	TE	58	75.3	6.9	5.2	6.9	6.6	0.11
17	Demetrius Harris	CLE	TE	65	90.3	3.1	1.5	3.1	6.2	0.10
18	Jack Doyle	IND	TE	49	69	8.2	8.2	8.2	4.6	0.09
19	Mo Alie-Cox	IND	TE	27	38	7.4	7.4	7.4	2.5	0.09
20	Zach Ertz	PHI	TE	76	100	9.2	5.3	9.2	6.4	0.08

The Chargers forgot to cover Jordan Akins on his game-sealing touchdown but Akins isn’t playing enough snaps to be considered a good starting fantasy option. The Texans also don’t generally incorporate their tight ends into the passing game all that much, so Week 3 looks more like an anomaly rather than anything that indicates Akins can be a viable weekly option.

Heading into this season, Greg Olsen was considered a risk due to his advanced age and increased chances of getting hurt, but so far the savvy veteran has defied the odds. Olsen’s 0.39 points per snap more than doubled his previous high. With three games under his belt, Olsen ranks fifth among all NFL tight ends in targets (25) and receiving yards (221).

Austin Hooper‘s 0.34 points per snap average from Week 3 was the same score that was posted by Amari Cooper, T.Y. Hilton, and Cooper Kupp. Oddly, Hooper has played much better on the road so far this season, which is a stark contrast to how Atlanta’s offense typically plays. Up next, the Falcons will be back home to face a Tennessee defense that has allowed the opposing tight end to reach the end-zone in all three contests.

Don’t overreact to the strong showing from Dawson Knox, who entered Week 3 with just two receptions and 19 yards. Knox is more-or-less splitting reps with Lee Smith and is a rarely utilized part of a low-volume passing attack.

Evan Engram‘s first game with Daniel Jones under center was very promising. Engram posted a solid 0.30 fantasy points per snap and played 87.7% of the Giants’ plays. With a pair of 100-yard performances under his belt and a position-leading 30 targets, Engram enters Week 4 as the No. 1 fantasy tight end and gets an intriguing matchup with a Washington secondary that has allowed the second-most touchdown passes (9) so far in 2019.

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