The first week of the fantasy football playoffs has been bizarre. Typically, the week would be over, but there are two games Monday and two more Tuesday. The Cleveland Browns faced the Las Vegas Raiders while the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings square off. COVID-19 had a major impact on both games, as both the Bears and Browns had a combined 33 players out.
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Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties like offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns
- Nick Chubb: 23 carries, 91 yards (78 yards after contact), 1 TD, 1 reception, 2 yards
- Foster Moreau: 7 receptions, 65 yards (4 avoided tackles)
Cleveland Browns | Snaps | Routes Run | Targets | Carries |
WR | ||||
Donovan Peoples-Jones | 52 | 28 | 8 | 0 |
Rashard Higgins | 43 | 23 | 5 | 0 |
Demetric Felton | 29 | 19 | 4 | 0 |
Anthony Schwartz | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
TE | ||||
David Njoku | 56 | 29 | 5 | 0 |
Harrison Bryant | 22 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
Miller Forristall | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
HB | ||||
Nick Chubb | 38 | 14 | 1 | 23 |
D'Ernest Johnson | 18 | 12 | 4 | 1 |
Total | 56 | 30 | 29 | 24 |
Las Vegas Raiders | Snaps | Routes Run | Targets | Carries |
WR | ||||
Zay Jones | 59 | 37 | 9 | 0 |
Hunter Renfrow | 54 | 36 | 5 | 0 |
Bryan Edwards | 48 | 32 | 4 | 0 |
DeSean Jackson | 20 | 13 | 3 | 0 |
Tyron Johnson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TE | ||||
Foster Moreau | 69 | 37 | 9 | 0 |
Daniel Helm | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Nick Bowers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
HB | ||||
Josh Jacobs | 45 | 21 | 4 | 15 |
Peyton Barber | 13 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
Jalen Richard | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 69 | 41 | 36 | 23 |
The Browns without Kareem Hunt: Hunt was one of 19 Browns players who missed this game due to COVID-19. Nick Chubb was the first- and second-down back while D’Ernest Johnson took third downs and other passing situations. The Browns had a long two-minute drive to end the first half and were playing from behind, which made their snap counts relatively close. Chubb remains a must-start each week while Johnson can probably be avoided even if Hunt misses more time due to the Browns' tough schedule.
The Browns without Jarvis Landry: Landry missed this game due to COVID-19. It was the first game of the season where the Browns didn’t have Landry or Odell Beckham Jr., so Cleveland had to go further down the depth chart than usual. Donovan Peoples-Jones was the only recent starter who played. Rashard Higgins and Demetric Felton have had one catch each since the start of November, but Higgins started while Felton was Cleveland's primary slot receiver for the first time in his NFL career. All three players caught a few passed but not enough to make them waiver-wire targets. The Browns can save $15 million in cap space by cutting Landry after the season, but after this game, they probably won’t want to.
The Browns without Austin Hooper: Hooper was yet another player who missed the game due to COVID-19. Hooper played 100% of offensive snaps with David Njoku out a week go. This week, Njoku played every snap, and he was one of the Browns leading receivers. Either one of these tight ends could have been a consistent fantasy starter this season without the other. Njoku could be a potential fantasy starter next week if Hooper misses another game. Njoku is a free agent after the season and has some late-round upside in 2022 drafts if he finds a new home.
Josh Jacobs trending down: The third year back consistently played at least two-thirds of the Raiders' offensive snaps prior to Monday. Jalen Richard returned to the Raiders Monday and was Las Vegas' third-down back. Jacobs was ineffective earlier in the game, which led to Peyton Barber playing more often. Barber gave the offense a spark, which is why played the most offensive snaps in a game since Week 3. Jacobs still touched the ball plenty but was relatively ineffective. He’s still a fantasy starter, but his upside is much more limited than last month.
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
- Justin Jefferson: 4 receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD (33.3% threat rate)
- Cole Kmet: 6 receptions, 71 yards (31 yards after the catch)
Minnesota Vikings | Snaps | Routes Run | Targets | Carries |
WR | ||||
Justin Jefferson | 59 | 30 | 10 | 0 |
K.J. Osborn | 56 | 28 | 3 | 0 |
Ihmir Smith-Marsette | 31 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
Myron Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TE | ||||
Tyler Conklin | 47 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
Luke Stocker | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Chris Herndon | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
HB | ||||
Dalvin Cook | 57 | 22 | 2 | 28 |
Kene Nwangwu | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Total | 64 | 30 | 21 | 31 |
Chicago Bears | Snaps | Routes Run | Targets | Carries |
WR | ||||
Darnell Mooney | 69 | 46 | 7 | 1 |
Damiere Byrd | 65 | 43 | 6 | 0 |
Dazz Newsome | 47 | 34 | 1 | 0 |
Jakeem Grant | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Nsimba Webster | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TE | ||||
Cole Kmet | 68 | 41 | 9 | 0 |
Jimmy Graham | 19 | 13 | 2 | 0 |
J.P. Holtz | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Jesper Horsted | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
HB | ||||
David Montgomery | 51 | 25 | 6 | 18 |
Khalil Herbert | 16 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
Damien Williams | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 72 | 47 | 36 | 23 |
Drop Tyler Conklin: The Vikings tight end was consistently playing at least 80% of Minnesota's offensive snaps for the majority of the season, but that changed a week ago, as he played a season-low 70% of Chicago's offensive snaps, and continued Monday night. He usually left the field in run situations in favor of blocking tight ends, and it cost him a few routes run. He was held to a season-low seven receiving yards in this game.
The Vikings without Adam Thielen: The veteran wide receiver was a game-time decision but missed his third straight game. K.J. Osborn was an every-down player similar to the last two games. Minnesota's depth chart was. even thinner this week, as Dede Westbrook landed on the COVID-19 list. Westbrook was filling in as the receiver in 11 personnel, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette took that role. Smith-Marsette played more than 11 offensive snaps for the first time all season and caught his first NFL touchdown.
Monitor Jakeem Grant‘s injury: Grant suffered a concussion in the second quarter, which kept him out for the rest of the game. The Bears were already thin at wide receiver without Allen Robinson II and Marquise Goodwin. Darnell Mooney and Damiere Byrd were the clear starters. The Bears brought sixth-round rookie Dazz Newsome off the practice squad for his NFL debut. He and Grant split snaps in three-receiver sets prior to the latter's injury. Grant ended the game with two carries for 17 yards and no targets while Newsome didn't catch his only target.