Fantasy Points Per Snap
The growing popularity of advanced efficiency metrics in the NFL has led to an explosion of analytics in fantasy football. Not long ago, looking at basic game data was sufficient, but in today’s competitive landscape, winning fantasy footballers must dig deep and look beyond the box score to gain a competitive edge.
Analyzing how efficient a player is on a per-snap basis is a great way to separate which players are truly separating themselves from the crowd. Breaking down the most effective points per snap players can also help predict future success for players that are out-producing teammates and have a chance to grow into larger roles as the season progresses.
With a minimum of 20 snaps played, here are the top-20 skill-position points per snap performers from Week 5 and what it means for our fantasy football rosters as we move advance into October’s international games and busy bye weeks.
20 Best Running Backs
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS | SNAP | SNAP% | TGT% | TOUCH% | UTIL% | FPTS | PTS/SNAP |
| 1 | Matt Breida | SF | RB | 26 | 34.2 | 11.5 | 53.8 | 53.8 | 24.9 | 0.96 |
| 2 | Aaron Jones | GB | RB | 50 | 67.6 | 16 | 52 | 54 | 42.2 | 0.84 |
| 3 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | RB | 56 | 86.2 | 16.1 | 46.4 | 51.8 | 41.7 | 0.74 |
| 4 | Phillip Lindsay | DEN | RB | 28 | 45.9 | 14.3 | 67.9 | 67.9 | 20.7 | 0.74 |
| 5 | Tevin Coleman | SF | RB | 26 | 34.2 | 0 | 61.5 | 61.5 | 15.7 | 0.60 |
| 6 | Chase Edmonds | ARI | RB | 27 | 35.1 | 14.8 | 40.7 | 44.4 | 14.6 | 0.54 |
| 7 | Josh Jacobs | OAK | RB | 50 | 68.5 | 8 | 58 | 60 | 26.3 | 0.53 |
| 8 | Sony Michel | NE | RB | 38 | 48.7 | 7.9 | 50 | 50 | 18.3 | 0.48 |
| 9 | Peyton Barber | TB | RB | 20 | 33.9 | 5 | 45 | 45 | 9.1 | 0.46 |
| 10 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | RB | 47 | 66.2 | 12.8 | 57.4 | 57.4 | 19.8 | 0.42 |
| 10 | Jordan Howard | PHI | RB | 29 | 42.6 | 0 | 44.8 | 44.8 | 12.2 | 0.42 |
| 12 | Derrick Henry | TEN | RB | 38 | 61.3 | 0 | 52.6 | 52.6 | 13.8 | 0.36 |
| 13 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | RB | 40 | 54.1 | 12.5 | 40 | 40 | 13 | 0.33 |
| 14 | David Montgomery | CHI | RB | 30 | 51.7 | 3.3 | 40 | 40 | 9.6 | 0.32 |
| 15 | Chris Carson | SEA | RB | 62 | 83.8 | 3.2 | 45.2 | 46.8 | 18.3 | 0.30 |
| 16 | David Johnson | ARI | RB | 54 | 70.1 | 9.3 | 37 | 40.7 | 15.6 | 0.29 |
| 17 | Ronald Jones II | TB | RB | 20 | 33.9 | 15 | 55 | 60 | 5.6 | 0.28 |
| 18 | Marlon Mack | IND | RB | 54 | 66.7 | 5.6 | 59.3 | 59.3 | 14.8 | 0.27 |
| 19 | Joe Mixon | CIN | RB | 42 | 62.7 | 2.4 | 47.6 | 47.6 | 10.9 | 0.26 |
| 20 | Leonard Fournette | JAX | RB | 77 | 91.7 | 9.1 | 35.1 | 39 | 19.7 | 0.26 |
The San Francisco 49ers ran for 226 yards against the Browns, a lot of which came from Matt Breida‘s initial carry, which went for 83 yards and a touchdown. Breida and Tevin Coleman evenly split 26 snaps apeiece, with Breida setting a new season-high for any player with 0.96 fantasy points per snap. Coleman was also highly effective, with a 0.60 PPS figure that ranked fifth among all running backs. This even timeshare was probably a preview of what we can expect moving forward, with both Coleman and Breida offering weekly RB2/3 value and plenty of weekly upside.
Aaron Jones put on a show in Dallas, turning 26 touches into 182 yards and four touchdowns en route to an impressive 0.84 fantasy points per snap average. Jones led the Packers in both rushing and receiving yards while actually playing 18 fewer snaps than he logged in Week 4. With eight rushing scores, Jones now leads the NFL in that category and has taken full advantage of an expanded role after Jamaal Williams suffered a concussion.
Normally, an 86.2% snap rate would be extraordinarily high for a running back, but for Christian McCaffrey, it was his lowest share of the season. McCaffrey actually sat out a couple of series due to cramps–understandable considering the workload. Even with a lighter amount of work, McCaffrey remained stellar, accounting for 237 yards and three touchdowns. McCaffrey’s 0.74 fantasy points per snap in Week 5 were more than double what he posted in Week 4.
Phillip Lindsay has actually been out-snapped by Royce Freeman this season, but Lindsay has been far more effective, especially in the red-zone. Lindsay is dominating goal-line carries and has outscored his teammate 3-0 so far in 2019. Coming off of his first 100-plus yard rushing performance of the campaign, Lindsay offers solid RB2 upside this week against a solid Titans run defense that has yet to yield more than 82 rushing yards to any running back this season.
Josh Jacobs also posted the first triple-digit output of his season, which was doubly impressive coming against a formidable Chicago defense. Jacobs had his second two-score game and also set new personal bests in targets (4) and receptions (3). Jacobs posted a 60% Utilized Rate versus Chicago and has more than twice as many snaps as DeAndre Washington or Jalen Richards. Those concerns about his lack of usage at Alabama seem unfounded. Jacobs is a locked-in feature back.
With Rex Burkhead out, Sony Michel had his most efficient game of the season. Michel averaged a season-high 5.7 yards per tote and scored his third touchdown in four games. Perhaps the most surprising result from the Patriots’ victory in Washington was Michel’s role in the passing game, where he corralled 3-of-3 targets for 32 yards. That was likely an anomaly, but Michel remains the main running back for a team that is a lock to be among the rushing yardage and touchdown leaders.
20 Best Wide Receivers
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS | SNAP | SNAP% | TGT% | TOUCH% | UTIL% | FPTS | PTS/SNAP |
| 1 | Will Fuller | HOU | WR | 72 | 98.6 | 22.2 | 19.4 | 22.2 | 39.7 | 0.55 |
| 2 | Michael Thomas | NO | WR | 64 | 91.4 | 20.3 | 17.2 | 20.3 | 30.2 | 0.47 |
| 3 | Amari Cooper | DAL | WR | 63 | 87.5 | 22.2 | 17.5 | 22.2 | 28.6 | 0.45 |
| 4 | Chris Godwin | TB | WR | 57 | 96.6 | 15.8 | 12.3 | 15.8 | 24.5 | 0.43 |
| 5 | D.J. Chark | JAX | WR | 68 | 81 | 16.2 | 11.8 | 16.2 | 28.4 | 0.42 |
| 6 | Adam Thielen | MIN | WR | 60 | 84.5 | 13.3 | 11.7 | 13.3 | 25 | 0.42 |
| 7 | Allen Robinson | CHI | WR | 58 | 100 | 13.8 | 12.1 | 13.8 | 21.7 | 0.37 |
| 8 | Steven Sims Jr. | WAS | WR | 34 | 57.6 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 11.8 | 12.6 | 0.37 |
| 9 | Cooper Kupp | LAR | WR | 48 | 66.7 | 35.4 | 18.8 | 35.4 | 17.7 | 0.37 |
| 10 | Byron Pringle | KC | WR | 49 | 77.8 | 18.4 | 12.2 | 18.4 | 16.3 | 0.33 |
| 11 | Courtland Sutton | DEN | WR | 51 | 83.6 | 13.7 | 7.8 | 13.7 | 15.2 | 0.30 |
| 12 | Michael Gallup | DAL | WR | 62 | 86.1 | 22.6 | 11.3 | 22.6 | 17.3 | 0.28 |
| 13 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | WR | 66 | 98.5 | 21.2 | 15.2 | 21.2 | 18.3 | 0.28 |
| 14 | Darius Slayton | NYG | WR | 45 | 65.2 | 11.1 | 8.9 | 11.1 | 12.2 | 0.27 |
| 15 | Calvin Ridley | ATL | WR | 61 | 82.4 | 14.8 | 8.2 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 0.24 |
| 16 | Julian Edelman | NE | WR | 72 | 92.3 | 12.5 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 17 | 0.24 |
| 17 | Keke Coutee | HOU | WR | 32 | 43.8 | 12.5 | 9.4 | 12.5 | 7.2 | 0.23 |
| 18 | Marquise Brown | BAL | WR | 37 | 45.7 | 13.5 | 8.1 | 13.5 | 8.2 | 0.22 |
| 19 | Ted Ginn | NO | WR | 45 | 64.3 | 4.4 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 9.6 | 0.21 |
| 20 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT | WR | 55 | 91.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 11.5 | 0.21 |
That Will Fuller breakout game seemed inevitable after a quiet start and the struggling Atlanta secondary proved to be just the elixir that the Texans needed. Fuller played 72-of-73 snaps and hauled in a league-leading 14-of-16 targets for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Fuller’s 0.55 points per snap were a career-best and could have been much higher had he not been stopped short of the goal line a couple of other times. Fuller routinely showcases top-5 upside but also tends to struggle to produce when Houston’s offense is off, which tends to happen far more often than it should. Teammate Keke Coutee also had a solid outing against the Falcons but will be relegated to WR4 duties once Kenny Stills (hamstring) is back up to speed.
Michael Thomas was too much for Tampa’s 31st-ranked secondary. Thomas thrived against press coverage, catching 9-of-9 targets for 164 yards and two touchdowns while facing press coverage on 63% of his routes. Overall, Thomas caught 11 out of 13 targets against Tampa and could be in for another fantastic matchup in Week 6 if the Jaguars are once again without shutdown cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Amari Cooper destroyed a Green Bay secondary that had only allowed one wide receiver to top 90 yards before Week 5. The Cowboys actually produced two 100-yard wideouts, with Michael Gallup also catching seven balls for 113 yards. Cooper was even deadlier, hauling in 11-of-14 for a career-high 226 yards and a long touchdown. Cooper’s 0.45 points per snap were easily his best mark of the season but could be challenged as early as Week 6 when Dallas travels to New York to face a Jets defense that allows 37.9 fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts.
Chris Godwin produced a pair of touchdowns and 100-plus receiving yards for the second straight game. While Godwin’s target, catch, and yardage numbers were down from Week 5, his points per snap figure was up from 0.42 to 0.43. This was mainly due to the Bucs seeing far fewer snaps (59) in New Orleans than they played in Los Angeles (70).
It’s time to start viewing D.J. Chark as an every-week fantasy WR1. Chark had the best game of his young career, catching 8-of-11 targets for 164 yards and two more touchdowns at Carolina. Chark now has scored five touchdowns in five games, which trails only Chris Godwin atop the NFL leaderboards. Chark has thrived as Gardner Minshew’s go-to wideout and enters Week 6 as the overall No. 5 fantasy wideout.
The squeaky wheel certainly got the grease in New York as Adam Thielen caught a season-high seven balls and had his first triple-digit output of the 2019 campaign. Thielen caught both of Kirk Cousins‘ touchdown strikes as the Minnesota signal-caller finally topped 300 passing yards for the first time since November. Efficiency has never been an issue for Thielen, but volume has been this year. Perhaps a tasty Week 6 matchup against an Eagles’ secondary that has surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receiver will be just what the struggline Minnesota passing attack needs.
20 Best Tight Ends
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POS | SNAP | SNAP% | TGT% | TOUCH% | UTIL% | FPTS | PTS/SNAP |
| 1 | Ryan Izzo | NE | TE | 20 | 25.6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9.9 | 0.50 |
| 2 | Lee Smith | BUF | TE | 21 | 32.3 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 0.32 |
| 3 | Darren Fells | HOU | TE | 58 | 79.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 14 | 0.24 |
| 4 | Jared Cook | NO | TE | 42 | 60 | 14.3 | 9.5 | 14.3 | 10.1 | 0.24 |
| 5 | Gerald Everett | LAR | TE | 58 | 80.6 | 19 | 12.1 | 19 | 13.6 | 0.23 |
| 6 | George Kittle | SF | TE | 73 | 96.1 | 11 | 9.6 | 12.3 | 14.8 | 0.20 |
| 7 | Zach Ertz | PHI | TE | 58 | 85.3 | 12.1 | 8.6 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 0.20 |
| 8 | Jonnu Smith | TEN | TE | 38 | 61.3 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 0.15 |
| 8 | James O’Shaughnessy | JAX | TE | 38 | 45.2 | 10.5 | 7.9 | 10.5 | 5.7 | 0.15 |
| 10 | Will Dissly | SEA | TE | 66 | 89.2 | 6.1 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 0.13 |
| 11 | Austin Hooper | ATL | TE | 62 | 83.8 | 14.5 | 9.7 | 14.5 | 7.6 | 0.12 |
| 12 | Travis Kelce | KC | TE | 58 | 92.1 | 17.2 | 6.9 | 17.2 | 7 | 0.12 |
| 13 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | TE | 40 | 55.6 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 4.7 | 0.12 |
| 14 | Mark Andrews | BAL | TE | 43 | 53.1 | 16.3 | 11.6 | 16.3 | 4.5 | 0.10 |
| 15 | Foster Moreau | OAK | TE | 45 | 61.6 | 11.1 | 8.9 | 11.1 | 4.6 | 0.10 |
| 16 | Hayden Hurst | BAL | TE | 33 | 40.7 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 3.2 | 0.10 |
| 17 | Vance McDonald | PIT | TE | 37 | 61.7 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 3.4 | 0.09 |
| 18 | Evan Engram | NYG | TE | 58 | 84.1 | 19 | 13.8 | 22.4 | 4.7 | 0.08 |
| 19 | Jimmy Graham | GB | TE | 52 | 70.3 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 4.1 | 0.08 |
| 20 | Josh Hill | NO | TE | 52 | 74.3 | 7.7 | 5.8 | 7.7 | 3.9 | 0.08 |
No surprise to see a New England tight end top advanced metrics, but Ryan Izzo doesn’t get enough targets to be fantasy relevant. Through five games, Izzo has just five targets. Josh McDaneils is dialing up more passes to wideouts and running backs as the Patriots adjust to life without Rob Gronkowski. Izzo is nothing more than a touchdown-or-bust weekly flier.
The Patriots South are actually incorporating multiple tight ends into their offense much more than we’re accustomed to, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into exploitable fantasy opportunities. Darren Fells has led the way in snaps in each of the past four Texans’ games but has 20 or fewer receiving yards in four out of Houston’s five contests. Fells’ 0.24 points per snap against the Falcons were all based on his two TD grabs and his lack of consistent weekly role makes Fells a volatile fantasy bet.
Just when a large portion of the fantasy community gave up on Jared Cook, Teddy Bridgewater lit up Tampa Bay and Cook set season-best marks in receptions (4), yards (41), and finally scored his first touchdown of the season. We can’t immediately re-insert Cook back into the upper echelon of fantasy tight ends but he has received 6-plus targets in three out of four games.
Gerald Everett was the big winner at tight end for Week 5, leading the position with seven catches and 136 receiving yards. While the Rams also use a lot of ’12’ sets with Everett and Tyler Higbee, Everett has led the duo in snaps in each of the past four games and has actually put together two strong performances. Dating back to Week 4, Everett has caught 12-of-19 targets for 180 yards. Widely available on fantasy waiver wires, Everett needs to be added in 12-team leagues.
While the 49ers have been rolling, George Kittle has been rather quiet until finally busting out with a 6/70/1 line on Monday Night Football against the Browns. While this was Kittle’s first game with a touchdown, he has topped 50 receiving yards in each of San Francisco’s four games and seems to be building a stronger rapport with QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
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