It’s been a particularly busy week for running back news, so we’ve got lots to get to. We’ll cover the injury statuses of Melvin Gordon, Sony Michel, Dalvin Cook, LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch, Bilal Powell, Royce Freeman, Leonard Fournette, Matt Breida, and Peyton Barber, not to mention the Carlos Hyde trade, a coaching change in Arizona, the latest Le’Veon Bell rumors, and big performances by Marlon Mack, Raheem Mostert, Lamar Miller, and Dion Lewis.
Did I mention it was a busy week for RB news? Let’s get to it!
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Arizona Cardinals
Nothing has changed in Arizona in terms of the backfield hierarchy, but it’s worth noting that the Cardinals finally pulled the plug on offensive coordinator Mike McCoy this week, handing the job over to QB coach (and former QB) Byron Leftwich. David Johnson owners are surely happy to see the change, but they shouldn’t be expecting any miracle cures. As long as Arizona is featuring a rookie QB and one of the worst offensive lines in the league, it is going to be tough for Johnson to find running lanes no matter who is drawing up the plays. Still, we can at least hope that Leftwich abandons McCoy’s head-scratching obsession with running the ball directly up the middle. Getting DJ outside the tackles — at least some of the time — would better utilize his athletic ability.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have recommitted to Alex Collins in a big way over the last two weeks — at Buck Allen’s expense. Collins out-touched Allen 19-to-4 in Week 6, and in Week 7 he out-touched Allen 14-to-six.
Collins is barely averaging 3.0 yards per carry over that stretch, but the sheer volume keeps him in the low-end RB2 conversation for now. The Ravens have tough matchups with Carolina and Pittsburgh coming up before their Week 10 bye, but the schedule opens up nicely for Collins after that, provided he still has the starting job. Neither Allen nor Gus Edwards — who had two carries for zero yards in Week 7 — is a must-roster player at this point.
Buffalo Bills
I addressed LeSean McCoy’s concussion and Chris Ivory’s fantasy viability in this week’s “10 Things We Learned” column, so click through if you’re wondering how to approach the Bills’ backfield going forward.
Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey has had two fairly quiet games in a row, which could be causing some of his fantasy owners to get a bit nervous about his rest of season outlook. Don’t be. Carolina has fallen behind by multiple scores in each of those games, but that shouldn’t be a common occurrence for a defense that is top 10 in the NFL in points allowed.
We’ve seen McCaffrey’s floor the last two weeks, and it isn’t too bad, even in non-PPR formats. It would be nice to see the Panthers give McCaffrey more opportunities in the red zone and target him even more as a receiver, but he should still see more touches most weeks than he has of late. That high floor and expected volume should make him a borderline RB1/2 going forward.
Chicago Bears
Jordan Howard salvaged his fantasy day with a rushing score, but the Bears continue to look like a more dynamic offense with Tarik Cohen in the backfield. Howard will still be called upon when Chicago is seeking to establish the run, but he will likely need a touchdown to return RB2 value in any given week. Cohen, meanwhile, has at least seven catches and 69 receiving yards in three straight games, giving him a very high floor even in non-PPR formats. He’s also scored in three straight games and continues to chip in a bit of rushing production here and there. He’s looking like the preferable play to Howard in all formats.
Cleveland Browns
With Carlos Hyde now in Jacksonville, I touched on Nick Chubb’s value in this week’s “10 Things We Learned” column, so head that way for details. As for Duke Johnson, it doesn’t look like the Hyde trade will earn him significantly more work. The Browns keep talking about getting Johnson more involved, but he’s still yet to see more than six touches in a game this year. He’s not an appealing flex, even in PPR formats.
Denver Broncos
Royce Freeman reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain in last week’s game, which would typically cost him several weeks of action, but the Broncos aren’t ready to concede that he’ll miss time just yet. Stay tuned for updates as the week moves along.
Whether Freeman plays or not, Phillip Lindsay continues to be the best fantasy back in Denver. Lindsay received 14+ touches for the fifth time in seven games against the Cardinals last week, further cementing his status as a mid-to-low end RB2.
If healthy, Freeman remains a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex. But if Freeman does indeed miss time, expect Lindsay to handle a few extra carries, with Devontae Booker or a free agent addition handling the rest.
Detroit Lions
Check out “10 Things We Learned” for a breakdown of Kerryon Johnson’s big Week 7 performance, and what it means for Johnson, LeGarrette Blount, and Theo Riddick going forward.
Houston Texans
All of my criticism of Lamar Miller must have served to motivate him, as he puts together his first quality rushing performance in over a month against a typically-stout Jaguars run defense. Miller finished with a season-high 22 carries for an even 100 yards as the Texans went with a more run-heavy attack while Deshaun Watson fights through lung and rib injuries.
One nice performance does not drastically change Miller’s rest-of-season outlook, but expect the Texans to again feature the running game on a short week against the Dolphins, who are far better at defending the pass. Miller has once again put some distance between himself and Alfred Blue, and with D’Onta Foreman still recovering from a torn Achilles, Miller should see enough volume in the short term to remain a low-end RB2.
Indianapolis Colts
After a promising return from his hamstring injury in Week 6, Marlon Mack took his performance to another level in Week 7, handling 21 touches for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts’ demolition of the Bills. Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins also ran the ball well against Buffalo, but the two rookies have seen their roles dramatically scaled back as Mack has taken charge of this backfield. Mack is looking like a candidate to return RB2 value over the rest of the season, and he’ll be a particularly high-end option for a juicy Week 8 matchup with Oakland.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It was an eventful week in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars traded for the Browns’ Carlos Hyde, and we learned that Leonard Fournette will indeed sit out through the team’s Week 9 bye. T.J. Yeldon had another unspectacular-but-productive performance in Fournette’s absence last week, but his role for Week 8 is much cloudier with Hyde in the fold. The Hyde acquisition suggests that Jacksonville is not comfortable with Yeldon serving as their insurance policy on Fournette, so it stands to reason that Hyde will eat into Yeldon’s workload significantly this week.
There is no doubt that the trade is a major drain on Hyde’s fantasy value, and it doesn’t help Yeldon, either. Yeldon and Hyde are both best approached as risk/reward flex options in Week 8, and it doesn’t seem like either will be a trustworthy flex option once Fournette is back.
If he can manage to get back to full health, Fournette should regain full control over this backfield, putting himself back on the low-end RB1 radar as we approach the fantasy playoffs. The question is whether anyone who invested an early draft pick on Fournette will still be in the playoff hunt by then.
Los Angeles Chargers
Hopefully you didn’t set and forget your lineup last week if you’re a Melvin Gordon owner. Gordon was downgraded to questionable on Saturday due to a hamstring injury, and was ultimately ruled out as the Chargers played at 9:30am ET in London. The good news for Gordon owners is that the injury coincides with the Chargers’ Week 8 bye, so there’s a good chance the second-best running back in fantasy football will only wind up missing one game.
Austin Ekeler played on 95 percent of the snaps with Gordon out, and his underwhelming fantasy line — 17 touches for 68 yards — had more to do with the Chargers’ relative lack of offensive plays (they scored on two long touchdown passes) than it did with Ekeler’s performance itself. Rookie Justin Jackson was hardly a factor, so it stands to reason that Ekeler will again be in the RB1 conversation if Gordon’s hamstring injury lingers long enough to keep him out in Week 9.
Miami Dolphins
Kenyan Drake is still lightly used in the Dolphins’ running game, but he made his six carries count in Week 7, taking one of them 54 yards for a touchdown. Meanwhile, Frank Gore followed-up a 100-yard rushing performance in Week 6 with just 10 carries for 29 yards against a subpar Lions run defense.
Gore remains the better bet for weekly touches, but Drake obviously has more big-play ability at this stage of their respective careers. With Gore continuing to serve as Miami’s primary rusher, and Drake as more of a receiving threat, both are only flex options for now. However, it will be worth keeping an eye on as to whether Drake can finally convince Adam Gase that he deserves more work.
Minnesota Vikings
Look away Dalvin Cook owners. For the second straight week, Latavius Murray put up huge fantasy numbers while filling in for Cook. This time, Murray didn’t produce eye-popping rushing totals, but he did average a healthy 4.6 yards per carry and scored twice.
Cook has now missed four of the Vikings’ last five games, and multiple league sources reportedly believe he will be held out through the team’s Week 10 bye. Whenever Cook is out, Murray should be viewed as an RB1 for favorable matchups and an RB2 for less favorable ones.
When Cook does eventually return, the Vikings will most likely ease him in slowly out of fear that he could again re-aggravate his nagging hamstring injury. At that point, both Minnesota RBs may just be flex options, and Murray should remain the preferable one until there is a clear indication that Cook will be given a full workload.
New England Patriots
Sony Michel suffered an ugly-looking knee injury in Week 7, and while an MRI thankfully revealed no structural damage, he is still considered “week-to-week.” New England does not have a suitable replacement for Michel on the roster — no, Kenjon Barner doesn’t count — and while it’s possible they sign a free agent like Mike Gillislee, the most likely outcome is that the Patriots will simply throw the ball more while Michel is out.
In other words, barring an unexpected trade, don’t expect any Patriots RB other than James White to have reliable fantasy value while Michel is on the shelf. White was already pushing his way into weekly RB1 consideration, even in non-PPR formats, and Michel’s injury essentially seals the deal for White owners. We may not see Michel back until after the Patriots’ Week 11 bye, and White should be a very elite fantasy play in the meantime.
New Orleans Saints
When we last checked in on the Saints’ backfield, many Alvin Kamara owners were in a frenzy over the fact that he took a backseat to Mark Ingram in Ingram’s return from a four-game suspension to begin the year. Kamara’s 19 touches for 75 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 may not have been enough to fully satisfy all the worried Kamara owners out there, but he did handle five more touches than Ingram — and produced serviceable fantasy numbers in a very tough matchup with Baltimore. Things should get considerably better for Kamara from here. He’s a mid-range RB1 at worst, so if the Kamara owner in your league is still panicking, consider it a buying opportunity.
As for Ingram, he produced just 42 scoreless yards on 14 touches against the Ravens, which gives you a sense of his floor in tough matchups. He will likely have more week-to-week volatility than Kamara, but expect to see more multi-touchdown games from Ingram before the season is through. Right now, he looks like a weekly RB2 with RB1 upside.
New York Jets
The Jets have placed Bilal Powell on injured reserve, as a result of a neck injury he suffered on Sunday. Powell’s season is over.
Isaiah Crowell has been a frustratingly inconsistent fantasy asset, but this turn of events should give him a bit more weekly stability. His RB2 arrow is pointing up.
For now, rookie Trenton Cannon will back up Crowell. Cannon caught four passes for 69 yards last week, but the Jets have not thrown to their running backs a whole lot this year, so Cannon will likely need to wrestle some of the rushing work away from Crowell to even sniff flex value in any format. Cannon is more of a deep league stash for now — as is second-year back Elijah McGuire, particularly if your league has an IR spot.
McGuire showed glimpses of ability last season, but broke his foot in training camp. He is eligible to return from injured reserve next week, and could quickly overtake Cannon as Crowell’s backup.
Oakland Raiders
Marshawn Lynch’s groin injury has landed him on injured reserve, all but ending his season, at least from a fantasy perspective. Lynch is reportedly “hopeful” that he can return in Week 16, but even if he does make it back, he won’t be a recommended start in the fantasy championship week.
Lynch’s absence opens the door for increased opportunity for Doug Martin and Jalen Richard. As I talked about in “10 Things We Learned,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden is likely to turn to Martin to handle most of Lynch’s rushing work, while Richard remains the pass-catching specialist.
It remains to be seen which Raiders back will produce more fantasy value over the rest of the season, but as of this moment, I’d give the edge to Martin in non-PPR formats and Richard in PPR. Both are plug-and-play flex options with RB2 upside.
Philadelphia Eagles
Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement both had days to forget against the Panthers in Week 7, and it’ll be hard to trust either back as anything more than an RB3/flex option until one of them can separate from the other. Smallwood continues to lead this backfield in snaps, so he is the marginally more trustworthy option if I had to pick one.
The Eagles also reverted to their habit of playing three RBs in Week 7, as undrafted rookie Josh Adams was occasionally sprinkled in. It remains unclear when Darren Sproles will return, but when he does, it will only serve to further muddy an already very muddy backfield.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Le’Veon Bell watch continues. Bell will not return to the Steelers this week as initially expected, so all eyes now turn to October 31, the day after the NFL trade deadline. If Bell isn’t traded, he could report to the team next week — “could” being the key word. Bell only needs to return by Week 11 to be eligible to play this season and become a free agent in 2019.
In the meantime, James Conner will continue to serve as an elite RB1 in fantasy. If and when Bell returns, Conner would likely be the better fantasy play in the early going, with Bell eventually overtaking him. But it’s possible both backs would be worthy of starting every week if the touch distribution is split closely.
San Francisco 49ers
Matt Breida has looked like a legit RB2 when he’s healthy, but he just can’t seem to stay healthy. Breida has fought through too many injuries to count, so nobody should question his toughness, but he was able to play just five snaps in Week 7 due to an ankle injury, leaving his Week 8 status in doubt.
Raheem Mostert has stepped up in a big way in Breida’s absence, rushing 19 times for 146 yards over the last two weeks (a whopping 7.7 yards per carry). Alfred Morris has also seen more work with Breida ailing, but Morris predictably hasn’t done much with the opportunity. If Breida does need to miss time, Mostert will be the preferred fantasy option as a borderline RB2/3 with upside.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fresh off easily his best game of the season, Peyton Barber was stymied against the Browns in Week 7, and apparently got “banged up” in the game as well. More should be known about Barber’s status as the week progresses, but considering he’s rushed for more than 35 yards just twice in six games, he’s more of an RB3/flex than an RB2 even if he’s healthy.
If Barber needs to miss time, Ronald Jones again becomes interesting. The odds are stacked against any Tampa Bay running back producing consistent RB2 value, but Jones at least has the allure of the unknown on his side. Expectations for Jones need to be kept in check, but he’s not a bad bench stash at the moment.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry got the touchdown, but it was Dion Lewis that had his best game of the season against the Chargers in Week 7. Lewis turned 19 touches into 155 yards and will be back on the low-end RB2 radar when the Titans emerge from their Week 8 bye.
Henry, meanwhile, is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and has been a non-factor in the receiving game. It was nice to see him finally get his first touchdown of the season, but he’ll have to do that with much more regularity to reenter the weekly flex conversation.
Washington
Adrian Peterson continues to defy the doubters and Father Time. Peterson rushed for over 95 yards for the fourth time in six games against the Cowboys, cementing his status as an every-week RB2 (and a fairly high-end one at that).
Meanwhile, Chris Thompson missed his second consecutive game with rib and knee injuries, opening the door for Kapri Bibbs to catch four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown against Dallas. Thompson should regain low-end RB2 value once he’s back to full health, while Bibbs is more of a risky RB3/flex whenever Thompson is out.
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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.