All season long, I’ll be looking back at the week to see how we can best leverage what took place on the field at the running back position to our advantage. This weekly article will hone in on weekly snap shares and highlight a few players who could benefit from their team putting them on the field more in the coming weeks.
To quickly recap last week’s article, everybody’s favorite man of the hour, Keaton Mitchell, had yet another big week despite limited touches. Mitchell took his first rush attempt against the Browns for a 39-yard touchdown and turned his second touch up field for a 32-yard reception, finishing the day as the RB21 with 13.6 fantasy points.
Keaton Mitchell's speed is special, but it's the jab step that froze the Browns defender on his 39-yard touchdown run. pic.twitter.com/6moIMSd3om
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) November 13, 2023
I should also note that we are officially throwing dirt on Zack Moss’s fantasy coffin after he received just 14.8 percent of the Colts’ backfield snaps in their Week 10 win over the Patriots. Moss still has plenty of fantasy value as a high-upside handcuff to Jonathan Taylor, but any hope of week-to-week fantasy production can be laid to rest.
While Moss’s days as a fantasy producer appear dead for the foreseeable future, several running backs and their fantasy outlooks are very much alive.
I highlight these situations and a few more players in this week’s Snap Report.
As always, below are some players whose performances and situations stood out this past week, and at the end of the article is a table of every player to see 20 percent or more of their team’s snaps in Week 10.
Week 11 byes: ATL, IND, NE, NO
NOTE: Snaps and route data courtesy of FantasyPoints.com and PFF.com.
Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)
It’s only a one-game sample, but Dan Campbell appears to have chosen the correct running back for at least one week to lead his committee. With David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both healthy at the same time in weeks, Gibbs led the Lions’ backfield with a 57.8 percent snap share while earning a 48.4 percent opportunity share. Below are how the snaps/opportunities were distributed.
| Player | Snaps | Rush Attempts | Targets |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | 37 | 14 | 5 |
| David Montgomery | 24 | 12 | 0 |
An explosive two-week stretch by Gibbs in which he totaled 315 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per touch may have been enough to keep Gibbs running slightly ahead of Montgomery going forward.
Gibbs’ high-level efficiency was again on display in last week’s win over the Chargers, as he managed 112 yards and two scores on 17 touches. Montgomery saved an otherwise disappointing day with a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Still, Gibbs is the far more explosive back whose value will continue to be boosted by his ability in the passing game.
In his last four games, Gibbs has seen 25 targets (6.3 TGTs/gm), and he’s one of just four running backs currently averaging five or more targets per game on the season. Gibbs will continue to be on the high-end RB2 radar if he sees volume similar to Week 10’s.
Zach Charbonnet (SEA)
For the third straight week, rookie Zach Charbonnet has out-snapped Kenneth Walker in Seattle. Charbonnet’s snap share Week’s 8-10 sits at 55.1 percent, while Walker’s is at 46.0 percent. The biggest discrepancy over this span has been snaps on passing downs. Charbonnet has played on 79-of-120 passing downs, while Walker has been in on just 42 of said plays. You won’t be surprised to know that Charbonnet has also dominated in routes run (60) and ranks 10th among all running backs in routes over the last three weeks.
He’s earned only eight targets over that span, but he saw a season-high five targets in Week 10’s win over the Commanders — although the end result was just four receptions for 18 yards. His six rush attempts were well behind the 19 Walker saw last weekend, but Charbonnet made the most of his opportunities, rushing for 44 yards (7.3 YPC) on the day.
Opportunities continue to tilt heavily in Walker’s favor. He’s earned a 26-percent opportunity share over the last three weeks and has dominated rush attempts on first and second down. However, Charbonnet’s involvement in the passing game is something to watch for in the coming weeks. Fantasy managers would benefit from more consistent targets, but that could come as long as the passing down snaps continue.
Antonio Gibson (WSH)
Speaking of players benefitting from more consistent targets, that’s exactly what Antonio Gibson has seen for the Commanders over the last three weeks.
Sam Howell was taking sacks at a historically high rate through the season’s first seven weeks. On pace for an NFL record 97 sacks over that span, Howell and the Commanders have made noticeable strides since then. He’s taken just seven sacks in his last three games, with Gibson catching five passes in each game. Gibson hadn’t caught more than four passes in a game before Week 8 and had three or fewer receptions in 6-of-7 games.
It’s probably not a coincidence that Gibson’s emergence in the passing game comes at a time when sacks are declining for Howell. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has given Howell more passing outlets in the short areas of the field, which has been reflected by the targets per game Commanders running backs have seen in Weeks 1-7 compared to Weeks 8-10.
| RB TGTs/gm | |
| Weeks 1-7 | 4.7 |
| Weeks 8-10 | 8.7 |
With 222 routes run this season, Gibson has run the fourth-most of any running back in the league. It’s possible he’ll set a new career-high in routes run in Week 11 against the Giants, with his career-high currently sitting at 247.
Gibson is quietly putting together one of the most efficient pass-catching seasons of any running back in the league this year. Among 33 qualified backs with 20 or more targets, he ranks fifth in total yards (259), ninth in yards per reception (9.0), 13th in YAC/REC (8.4), and 14th in yards per route run (1.21).
His fantasy managers have been rewarded with back-to-back top-24 weeks, and more could be in store if the steady flow of targets continues. With guys like Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson, and Rhamondre Stevenson all on bye this week, there’s a good chance Gibson turns in another top-24 outing against the lowly Giants.
James Cook (BUF)
The fantasy Grim Reaper could be coming for James Cook, and he’ll don a Leonard Fournette jersey. Cook saw a meager 28.6 percent snap share in the Bills’ Week 10 loss to the Broncos and was as much a liability as he was an explosive playmaker.
Cook rushed 12 times for 109 yards to turn in his second 100-plus yard effort on the season, but two lost fumbles cost the Bills key possessions, and he nearly lost a third if not for the luckiest bounce we may ever see.
He picked it up and kept running 😱
— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2023
📺: #DENvsBUF on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/J3bHxYOoK2 pic.twitter.com/HyNpmoA1sQ
Cook is averaging an impressive 5.8 yards per touch and has six plays of 20 or more yards this season. In the above video, He nearly ripped off a 68-yard score if not for poor ball control, but the Bills looked ready to move on from Cook early on. It didn’t help that his first touch of the game was a lost fumble, but on the ensuing drive, Latavius Murray took over on early downs and finished the day with a solid 9-68-1 on the ground.
The Bills have been unwilling to commit to Cook all season long, and the signing of Fournette two weeks ago suggested a change could be coming. Week 10’s performance may have been the final nail in the coffin for Cook’s fantasy value, as Fournette should have a legitimate chance to suit up for his first game of the season against the Jets.
Fantasy managers planning to start Cook next week should do so with caution.
Week 10 Snap Share
| Name | Team | Snaps | Team Snaps | Snap % |
| Jonathan Taylor | IND | 48 | 54 | 88.9% |
| Josh Jacobs | LV | 52 | 62 | 83.9% |
| Devin Singletary | HST | 60 | 74 | 81.1% |
| Bijan Robinson | ATL | 49 | 65 | 75.4% |
| Joe Mixon | CIN | 45 | 60 | 75.0% |
| Christian McCaffrey | SF | 45 | 60 | 75.0% |
| Alvin Kamara | NO | 45 | 61 | 73.8% |
| Rachaad White | TB | 44 | 61 | 72.1% |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC | 48 | 68 | 70.6% |
| Breece Hall | NYJ | 44 | 63 | 69.8% |
| Tony Pollard | DAL | 53 | 77 | 68.8% |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | 46 | 68 | 67.6% |
| Jerome Ford | CLV | 49 | 75 | 65.3% |
| James Conner | ARZ | 39 | 60 | 65.0% |
| Travis Etienne | JAX | 35 | 54 | 64.8% |
| Saquon Barkley | NYG | 34 | 55 | 61.8% |
| Tyjae Spears | TEN | 36 | 59 | 61.0% |
| Aaron Jones | GB | 38 | 65 | 58.5% |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | 37 | 64 | 57.8% |
| D’Onta Foreman | CHI | 38 | 70 | 54.3% |
| Gus Edwards | BLT | 27 | 50 | 54.0% |
| Zach Charbonnet | SEA | 39 | 74 | 52.7% |
| Najee Harris | PIT | 31 | 60 | 51.7% |
| Jaylen Warren | PIT | 31 | 60 | 51.7% |
| Brian Robinson | WAS | 31 | 61 | 50.8% |
| Antonio Gibson | WAS | 29 | 61 | 47.5% |
| Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 27 | 57 | 47.4% |
| Kenneth Walker | SEA | 35 | 74 | 47.3% |
| A.J. Dillon | GB | 30 | 65 | 46.2% |
| Ty Chandler | MIN | 30 | 68 | 44.1% |
| Alexander Mattison | MIN | 30 | 68 | 44.1% |
| Miles Sanders | CAR | 25 | 57 | 43.9% |
| Derrick Henry | TEN | 24 | 59 | 40.7% |
| Roschon Johnson | CHI | 28 | 70 | 40.0% |
| David Montgomery | DET | 24 | 64 | 37.5% |
| Javonte Williams | DEN | 25 | 71 | 35.2% |
| Kareem Hunt | CLV | 26 | 75 | 34.7% |
| Ezekiel Elliott | NE | 23 | 68 | 33.8% |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | ATL | 20 | 65 | 30.8% |
| Joshua Kelley | LAC | 20 | 68 | 29.4% |
| James Cook | BUF | 15 | 52 | 28.8% |
| Rico Dowdle | DAL | 22 | 77 | 28.6% |
| Elijah Mitchell | SF | 16 | 60 | 26.7% |
| Tyler Allgeier | ATL | 17 | 65 | 26.2% |
| Chase Edmonds | TB | 16 | 61 | 26.2% |
| Justice Hill | BLT | 13 | 50 | 26.0% |
| Jashaun Corbin | NYG | 14 | 55 | 25.5% |
| Jamaal Williams | NO | 15 | 61 | 24.6% |
| Trayveon Williams | CIN | 14 | 60 | 23.3% |
| Latavius Murray | BUF | 12 | 52 | 23.1% |
| Keaton Mitchell | BLT | 11 | 50 | 22.0% |
| Matt Breida | NYG | 12 | 55 | 21.8% |
| D’Ernest Johnson | JAX | 11 | 54 | 20.4% |
| Keaontay Ingram | ARZ | 12 | 60 | 20.0% |
