Wild Card Weekend: NFC Targets and Snap Counts
A look at NFC target numbers and snap counts leading into NFL Wild Card Weekend
Whether you're playing playoff fantasy football or trying to take down a DFS tournament, the NFL fantasy season continues on! As we move into Wild Card Weekend, there are no shortage of fantasy options with six games on tap.
And when we start looking at setting lineups, there is nothing more important than usage. The playoffs are unpredictable enough without at least some type of data, so looking at recent target numbers and snap counts is going to be incredibly important to help inform decisions that might already feel like throwing darts at a board.
With twelve teams suiting up this weekend, let's take a look at some notable target numbers and snap counts for each NFC matchup (with AFC matchups in a separate article).
Rams vs. Lions
Los Angeles Rams
Kyren Williams owns the backfield here, so there's not all that much to talk about. He's an obvious "start your studs" guy this weekend.
While Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are the two receivers who have cornered the majority of snaps and targets, Demarcus Robinson saw 16 targets in the Rams' last two meaningful games and is a great under-the-radar pick this weekend.
At tight end, Tyler Higbee is the guy to look at as he was the only Rams tight end to see a target during Weeks 16 and 17.
Detriot Lions
The Lions backfield is an obvious two-headed monster with Jahmyr Gibbs having a higher upside as he's been seeing both more snaps and targets than David Montgomery as the season has progressed (not just because of injury).
Things get a little trickier at receiver after the obvious statement of Amon-Ra St. Brown being an absolute monster as Josh Reynolds, Jameson Williams, and Khalif Raymond have been battling for the second banana slot. Williams and Reynolds have taken a lead there in terms of snaps and targets, but it's very much a toss-up between all three. Raymond is off my board as he deals with injury, so I'll likely be rolling the dice on Williams a bit this weekend as he provides more upside than Reynolds.
With Sam LaPorta iffy due to injury, there isn't really anywher else to look as Brock Wright shouldn't be on the fantasy radar. LaPorta is a stud when he's healthy, but I think we would be smart to avoid him even if he plays since there's no way he'll be at full strength.
Packers vs. Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
A.J. Dillon didn't practice on Wednesday and is looking iffy for the game this weekend, so Aaron Jones is in position to see an increased workload. He's been disappointing all season, but could be a really sneaky (and high upside) start if Dillon can't play.
The receiving situation is murky as well with Christian Watson questionable for this weekend. Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs are the two receivers to target (probably in that order, but flip a coin), while Dontayvion Wicks is also a solid option if you want to get a little different from the crowd. We're digging deep here, obviously, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that Bo Melton has seen 22 targets over the last three weeks.
Luke Musgrave has returned and popped the Tyler Kraft balloon at tight end. He only saw nine snaps last week, but his presence caps Kraft's upside and makes this a situation to avoid.
Dallas Cowboys
Tony Pollard has been disappointing this season fantasy-wise, but he remains the only Cowboy running back to pay attention to. Rico Dowdle hasn't seen more than 36 percent of snaps in a game all season.
CeeDee Lamb is the obvious stud here, while Brandin Cooks is locked in as the second option. Michael Gallup and Jalen Tolbert have been neck-and-neck for the third spot in the Cowboys receiving pecking order and are basically a toss-up. Tolbert has two more targets than Gallup over the last three weeks, so he gets the nod (by a hair).
Jake Ferguson has a stranglehold on the Cowboys tight end spot and is a great play at the position this weekend.
Eagles vs. Buccaneers
Philadelphia Eagles
This is really a two-man backfield between D'Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell as Boston Scott isn't seeing more than a few snaps a game. Swift obviously has more upside, but Gainwell has been out-targeting him over the last few games, so it's not as wide of a gap as you might expect.
The Eagles receivers are dealing with some injuries, but the offense runs through A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith unless one of them misses the game unexpectedly. Quez Watkins saw 11 targets last week, but he had only seen 10 all season so I think we can ignore that anomaly. Julio Jones has been seeing a few targets per game, so he's a lottery ticket (that is very unlikely to hit).
Dallas Goeddert is healthy again and is the only Eagles tight end you need to pay attention to.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers offense is relatively simple...
Rachaad White is the only game in town at running back. Chase Edmonds will spell him at times (and saw six targets in Week 17), but White is the only one you have to worry about.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin own the receiver snaps/targets with Trey Palmer seeing an uptick toward the end of the season. He's seen at least five targets in each of his last three games and is on the radar as a flier.
Cade Otton is the only Bucs tight end you have to know about, but his upside is a bit limited as he probably won't see more than four or five targets.
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