How Much Does Snap Count Affect a Player’s Performance?

The number one thing that all bettors and fantasy football team managers seem to focus on is a player’s performance. They worry about what a quarterback’s passer rating is, what a running back’s yards per carry is or what a wide receiver’s targets per game is. But why don’t we ever hear people talk about a player’s snap count; what many believe to be the most important factor to their performance? Does it not matter that much? Let’s take a look and find out.

First, let’s take a look at Cooper Kupp. He has the third highest average snap count among wide receivers with 93% and he is the number one player in fantasy football this year. So obviously there seems to be a correlation there right? Well what about a guy like CeeDee Lamb who just so happens to be the 10th ranked wide receiver in fantasy this year? It turns out that his average snap count is only at 75%, which is lower than guys like Marvin Jones who is at 91% or Zach Pascal who is at 87%, both of whom are averaging less than 11 points per game in PPR leagues. So how much of a role does snap count play toward a player’s overall performance? To be honest… not much. Of course, having a higher snap count means you will have more opportunities, but just because a player’s snap count is 91% does not mean they are better than a guy with a 75% snap count. The simple point I am trying to make here is that snap count is not as important as it may seem and there is a reason that people don’t worry about it too much when betting on player props or setting their fantasy lineups. So if you happen to be one of these people that pay attention to players’ snap counts, it’s probably in your best interest to stop.