Before we jump into NFL Week 3 snap counts, a little housekeeping as always: I already covered Mark Andrews, Russell Gage, DK Metcalf, rising rookies and more in my Week 3 target report, so please be sure to check that one out as well! Well, there’s no time like the present to jump right into things…
No “Easing Back in” for Gabe Davis
Promising young WR Gabe Davis missed Week 2 with an ankle injury, and he was questionable leading into Week 3’s showdown against the division-rival Dolphins. Fantasy football managers were asking me about playing Davis on Twitter and via text, and my stock reply was, wait for the final status tweets and see if they say “limited snaps” or “he’ll be eased back in.” Those words never popped up, and the injury reports were correct as Davis logged a whopping 87 snaps in Buffalo’s heartbreaking loss to Miami.
Only Josh Allen played more offensive snaps than Davis — duh — and the latter thoroughly out-snapped teammates Isaiah McKenzie (46) and Jamison Crowder (45), who combined to meet his total. Davis was quiet, though, turning all those snaps into just three receptions for 37 yards. Expect far better production in Week 4 against a surprisingly bad Baltimore Ravens defense.
Expect More From Moore
Uber-talented rookie Garrett Wilson left the game for a bit with a rib injury, and sophomore Elijah Moore stepped into increased action for the Jets on his way to 76 taxing snaps. Joe Flacco was absolutely atrocious, so it’s difficult to evaluate Moore in relativity to Joe Cool’s putrid performance. The speedy sophomore WR turned all of those snaps into just four receptions for 49 yards. It’ll be interesting to see how Zach Wilson splits his targets between Moore, Wilson, Corey Davis, Braxton Berrios (his personal favorite) and others upon his possible return in Week 4 at the shaky Pittsburgh Steelers.
Superstars Overstuffed With Snaps
Davante Adams took every single snap with Derek Carr for the Raiders (70), and Justin Jefferson did the same with Kirk Cousins in Minnesota (72). The difference between the two? Davante was able to salvage five receptions and a touchdown, while JJ disappeared for the second straight week, this time totaling just 14 measly receiving yards. I talked about this all offseason on Twitter @LegendSports7 – are the Vikings’ “others” enough to distract double teams away from Jefferson? Adam Thielen is a smart veteran, and K.J. Osborn is a decent No. 3, but still, the answer is no.
Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions loaded up against Jefferson; they played it the old Belichick way; there’s no way I’m letting THIS guy beat us. So how do the Vikings fix this problem going forward? That’s all on rookie head coach Kevin O’Connell — do you find ways to scheme Jefferson free in traffic, or do you simply let Thielen and Osborn continue to run free, as they did this week against the Lions? Questions, questions…we’ll wait for answers at the Saints in Week 4.
The Muddy, Murky Waters in Kansas City
Who is going to step up and take the reins here? Patrick Mahomes played 63 snaps for Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy, but the others broke down this way: Marquez Valdes-Scantling (49), JuJu Smith-Schuster (44), Mecole Hardman (43), Skyy Moore (8), Jerick McKinnon (33) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25).
By the way, can the Chiefs cut down on their hyphenated players? They are cutting into most of my word count here.
Obviously, Travis Kelce is the top dog in the passing game for KC, but who wants to become the de facto next man up? JuJu did the most damage this time around, turning his 44 snaps into five receptions for 89 yards.
In all honesty? I expect this murky situation to continue. It’s not a bad thing for Reid and Bienemy, as opposing defenses won’t exactly know how to prepare as things ebb and flow from one week to the next. Everybody knows about Kelce, but the rest of the Chiefs’ offense is like finding a hidden football in a shell game.
I’ll see ya right back here next week.
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NFL for 18 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things football throughout another adrenaline-packed NFL season.
