Welcome one and all to the Running Back Roundup, your weekly recap and breakdown of fantasy football’s most intriguing — and important — position.
We’re still early in the season, so many of the league’s backfields are quite volatile at the moment. Hence you’ll see most teams’ backfields covered below. However, if you’re interested in my thoughts on any team not listed here, check out the preseason edition of the Roundup — my thoughts on those backfields haven’t changed for the most part. You can also always hit me up with your RB queries on Twitter (@andrew_seifter).
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Arizona Cardinals
Unlike most of the teams we’ll cover, Arizona’s running back depth chart isn’t in flux, but David Johnson’s early-season slump is a hot topic that’s worth addressing here. As I mentioned in this week’s “10 Things We Learned” column (shameless plug alert), the Cardinals have thus far put a serious dent in DJ’s fantasy value with both their offensive ineptitude and unwillingness to target him in the passing game.
The offensive ineptitude isn’t likely to end overnight — and a QB change from Sam Bradford to rookie Josh Rosen does not appear imminent — but at least head coach Steve Wilks seems to realize that the team needs to find more ways to take advantage of its best playmaker. Wilks says that will include targeting Johnson “out of the backfield, putting him in the slot,” and finding other ways to get him “out in space.”
Barring a turnaround, Johnson’s fantasy ceiling will be capped by the Cardinals’ offensive woes, but he can still be an RB1 on volume and pure skills. He remains the team’s obvious bell cow, with Chase Edmonds serving as little more than a direct handcuff.
Atlanta Falcons
Falcons coach Dan Quinn initially downplayed the severity of the knee injury that Devonta Freeman suffered in Atlanta’s opener against Philadelphia and then disputed a report that the injury would cost Freeman 2-4 weeks. But this certainly has the look of a multiple-week absence, and that means that Tevin Coleman is in the RB1 conversation for however long Freeman is out. There’s also some concern that Freeman won’t be quite the same upon returning, in which case Coleman may hold onto a bigger share of the running back pie than he has had in past years when Freeman was healthy.
With Coleman assuming Freeman’s lead back role in the offense, rookie Ito Smith has stepped into the secondary backfield role that has proven fruitful for Coleman owners in the past. The Falcons have proven over and over again that they can support two viable fantasy RBs, and while Smith isn’t a great flex option yet, the potential is there. In Week 2, Coleman piled up 20 touches for 125 yards, while Smith managed 10 touches for 54 yards.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens’ backfield usage through the first two weeks has to be concerning for fantasy owners who used an early-round pick on Alex Collins. Collins played three fewer snaps than Buck Allen in Week 1, and the two split the snaps evenly in Week 2. Both backs have been used in the red zone, but it’s Allen who has two of the three rushing scores, and he is also being targeted more often than Collins in the passing game. Collins is the slight favorite for weekly rushing attempts, but he’s yet to get to double-digit carries in either of Baltimore’s first two games.
The bottom line is that this is shaping up as much more of a committee than Collins owners were hoping for. Collins is still the better back to own, but he’ll need to wrestle away a larger share of the workload — or a larger share of the goal-line attempts at the very least — in order to maintain weekly RB2 value. As for Allen, he probably won’t see enough carries to approach RB2 value himself, but he will certainly merit some flex consideration if he continues to be the Ravens’ preferred goal-line and passing-down back.
Buffalo Bills
LeSean McCoy is still the Bills’ bell-cow back when healthy, but he’s currently dealing with cracked rib cartilage and is questionable for Week 3’s brutal matchup with Minnesota.
If McCoy does miss the game, we’ll learn more about the depth chart behind him. It currently appears as though Marcus Murphy would serve as the lead back, not Chris Ivory. Through the first two games, Murphy has played 46 offensive snaps compared to just 16 for Ivory, and Murphy has out-touched Ivory 10-to-6. A split of the workload in McCoy’s absence seems inevitable, however, so neither Bills backup would be an appealing flex option in Week 3.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon is expected to miss two-to-four weeks following a knee scope, making Gio Bernard a viable RB2 for at least the next couple weeks. In four games as the Bengals’ lead back with Mixon hurt last December, Bernard averaged 20 touches and 109 yards per game, while scoring twice. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor sure sounds like someone who believes Bernard can step up again, telling the Dayton Daily News that Bernard is a “warrior” and “pretty effective inside runner,” while explicitly noting that Gio had 30 touches in a game last year.
That said, Bernard isn’t built to handle anything close to 30 touches per game, so there will be some opportunity for another Bengals back to step up. Most people seem to expect that back will be fourth-round rookie Mark Walton, but the Bengals also just signed former Seahawks and Jets RB Thomas Rawls, which could be a sign that they don’t think Walton is quite ready to play. We shall see.
Denver Broncos
Like Alex Collins, Royce Freeman is another early-round RB who is already making his fantasy owners sweat. Freeman looked great in the preseason, and he appeared likely to quickly overtake Devontae Booker and assume a workhorse role. But as it turns out, Freeman has fallen into a fierce competition with undrafted free agent Phillip Lindsay, who has out-touched Freeman 32-to-23 through the first two games — and out-gained him by over 100 yards.
At 5’8″ and 190 pounds, Lindsay isn’t about to become a workhorse himself, so this is very much a committee. But right now Lindsay is the slightly better bet for carries and the more likely back to accumulate receiving stats. Barring an injury to Lindsay, Freeman’s best path to fantasy value may be to become the team’s designated goal-line back, but even that isn’t guaranteed based on their red zone usage so far. As it stands, both backs are reasonable flex options, but it’s Lindsay who is closer to locking down every-week RB2 status.
Green Bay Packers
With Aaron Jones suspended for the Packers’ first two games, Jamaal Williams got a head start to establish himself as Green Bay’s primary ball carrier. Unfortunately for Williams owners, Aaron Rodgers was banged up for much of those two games, slowing down the offense, and the matchups against Chicago and Minnesota were also exceedingly rough. So Williams had two forgettable performances that didn’t do much if anything to separate him from Jones, who returns this week.
As I mentioned in the preseason edition of this column, Williams is the better pass blocker of the two, while Jones is widely viewed as the better pure rusher. Coach Mike McCarthy has shown a fantasy-friendly tendency in the past to lean heavily on one running back, so it seems likely that one of Williams or Jones will end up having quite a bit of fantasy value when all is said and done (Ty Montgomery’s role has been minimal and seems unlikely to change in the near-term). It may come down to whether McCarthy prioritizes reliability (Williams) or talent (Jones).
Both Williams and Jones have shown the potential to be RB1s if given a heavy workload, particularly in favorable matchups. The problem is we probably have less clarity on this situation going into Week 3 than we will at any point this season, so it’s tough to use either Green Bay back at the moment.
Indianapolis Colts
Marlon Mack returned from a hamstring injury in Week 2, seriously muddying up this backfield from a fantasy perspective. Rookie Jordan Wilkins operated as the Colts’ clear early-down back in Week 1, but in Week 2 he and Mack shared those duties almost evenly (Wilkins played five more snaps and had one more touch). Meanwhile, fellow rookie Nyheim Hines appears to be the team’s passing-down back, although he was much more active in that role in Week 1 than in Week 2.
It may be hard to use any Indianapolis RB in most fantasy leagues unless/until Wilkins or Mack lays claim to the bulk of the carries. And they’d better do it fast because Robert Turbin is scheduled to return from suspension in Week 5, which could turn this backfield into even more of a headache for fantasy owners.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Leonard Fournette missed Week 2 with a hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to return in Week 3. If he’s healthy and cleared to go, he’ll instantly vault back into the low-end RB1 discussion.
T.J. Yeldon operated in a near-every-down capacity following Fournette’s departure in Week 1, but that wasn’t the case in Week 2, as Yeldon ceded over 40 percent of the snaps to Corey Grant. Grant’s high snap count may have partially been a function of the Jaguars’ pass-heavy game plan against New England, but it seems likely that he would remain at least somewhat involved if Fournette were to miss more time, leaving Yeldon as more of an upside flex play than a locked and loaded RB2. It’s probably a moot point, though, because Fournette is practicing on Wednesday and it is Yeldon who is missing practice with a sore ankle.
Los Angeles Chargers
Melvin Gordon owners will hardly complain about low yardage totals when he scores three touchdowns like he did in Week 2. While the touchdown binge highlight’s Gordon’s weekly upside, his heavy involvement in the passing game shows why he also has one of the highest floors at the RB position.
While Gordon has been providing the first-round value that his owners expected, Austin Ekeler has been far exceeding expectations. Ekeler has accumulated double-digit touches and at least 98 total yards in each of the Chargers’ first two games, demonstrating that he is more than just a handcuff for Gordon. With the ability to consistently churn out big plays, Ekeler has worked his way firmly into weekly flex consideration.
Minnesota Vikings
Coming off a torn ACL, I expected Dalvin Cook to be brought along slowly to begin the year, but that hasn’t really been the case. Cook played 57 snaps in Week 1 and 50 snaps in Week 2, compared to snap counts of just 14 and 23 for Latavius Murray.
Cook did, however, suffer a hamstring injury in overtime against the Packers. Cook doesn’t seem too concerned about the ailment, saying it was just a cramp, but it will be worth watching. If he’s fully healthy, it now looks like he may receive the weekly usage to be a legitimate RB1, sapping Murray’s flex appeal.
New England Patriots
The Patriots’ backfield is looking complicated as usual, and the lack of rushing touchdowns through the first two games has kept any of New England’s backs from getting off to a huge start fantasy-wise. First-round pick Sony Michel missed Week 1 as he recovered from a knee scope, but he returned in Week 2 to share early-down work evenly with Rex Burkhead. It will take a few more games to get a sense of how Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels plan to use Michel and Burkhead. They both have significant upside but are merely flex options for now.
James White provides the most clarity in New England as the designated passing-down back. He’s a pretty appealing flex option or even low-end RB2 in PPR leagues and can even be considered in non-PPR formats when the Patriots have matchups like this week’s game against Detroit that project to be high scoring.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jay Ajayi delivered two touchdowns for fantasy owners on opening night, but he split snaps evenly with Darren Sproles, with Corey Clement also factoring in. Then, with Sproles sitting out Week 2 due to a hamstring injury, Ajayi played through back issues, finishing behind both Clement and Wendell Smallwood in snaps.
Sproles and Ajayi are both looking questionable for Week 3, prompting Philadelphia to promote Josh Adams as a “precautionary measure.” If Sproles and Ajayi were to both sit out, Clement would likely be in line for a heavy workload with Smallwood handling Sproles’ complementary role in the offense.
Long term, the Eagles seem likely to continue to give significant snaps to at least three different backs on any given Sunday. The one of those backs who gets the most work — whether it be Ajayi or Clement — should be a weekly RB2, particularly if they also get the bulk of the goal-line opportunities.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Judging by how Le’Veon Bell has been spending his time lately, it does not appear as if he will be returning to the Steelers anytime soon. Week 10 is looking more and more like his most likely return date, although you have to wonder if at a certain point the Steelers might decide they don’t want him back in the locker room at all. His unwillingness to play on the franchise tag will surely make other teams cautious about trading anything of value for Bell, but perhaps Pittsburgh will eventually decide he isn’t worth the headache and simply cut their losses.
That outcome will become more likely if James Conner continues to be a more-than-adequate replacement for Bell (and if Pittsburgh starts winning some football games). Conner certainly looked the part in Week 1, putting up 192 yards and two scores on 36 touches. Conner didn’t get much going in the running game in Week 2, but that was largely due to game script in a contest where Pittsburgh was seemingly down 21-0 before many Steelers fans had even settled into their seats.
Pittsburgh has made it clear that Conner will operate as an every-down, bell-cow back in Bell’s absence, which makes Conner a weekly RB1 — and a high-end one in favorable matchups.
San Francisco 49ers
This is another RB situation I addressed in my “10 Things” column. Matt Breida put up the kind of stat line in Week 2 that the 49ers were probably hoping to get from Jerick McKinnon, turning 11 carries into 138 rushing yards, the most of any RB in Sunday’s Week 2 slate.
At 5’11” and 190 lbs., Breida isn’t going to be a true workhorse, but he has the big-play ability to be a legitimate fantasy factor in Kyle Shanahan’s high-powered offense. Alfred Morris is going to maintain a between-the-tackles and goal-line role that should keep him relevant in fantasy leagues as an RB3/flex option, but Breida currently looks like the better bet to eventually burst into the RB2 conversation, especially if he can convince Shanahan that he deserves a few more weekly touches.
Seattle Seahawks
In the head-scratching backfield of the week, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll declared mid-week that Chris Carson had “really took the lead” at the running back position, only to turn around and devote almost 70 percent of the team’s running back snaps to Rashaad Penny, C.J. Prosise, and Mike Davis in Week 2.
After the game, Carroll claimed that he sat Carson because he was “gassed” from playing on special teams, an odd turn of events for your starting running back. As if that wasn’t bizarre enough, Carroll then further amended his statement, saying he did think Carson looked tired but didn’t realize that the team’s special teams coordinator had pulled Carson off special teams so he could focus on playing running back.
So…yeah. Looking at the big picture, Penny didn’t do much with his expanded opportunity, meaning Carson should still be in the lead here. But it’s just hard to have a lot of confidence right now that Carson will get the number of weekly touches he needs to approach RB2 value.
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Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.
