Welcome to another edition of the Running Back Roundup! As always, there is a lot to get to here but first, a friendly reminder that if you don’t see a team listed here, it isn’t because I’ve forgotten about them — some teams are excluded because my thoughts on their backfields haven’t changed recently.
You can read up on those teams in the Running Back Roundups from previous weeks (last week’s Roundup is here and the rest can be found here). But if you’d rather not go hunting, I’m always happy to answer your questions on Twitter.
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Ok, let’s rock and roll.
Baltimore Ravens
Alex Collins again served as the Ravens clear lead back in Week 8, handling 13 touches while Buck Allen and Gus Edwards each handled three. Collins didn’t have a huge game, but he did find the end zone and should remain on the RB2 radar going forward.
There is little need to roster Allen or Edwards, as I mentioned in this space last week, and that is even more true now that the Ravens have acquired Ty Montgomery. Montgomery is the early favorite to inherit Allen’s passing down role, but none of this trio will be a realistic flex option unless we see them significantly eat into Collins’ workload.
Buffalo Bills
LeSean McCoy ended up getting cleared from the concussion protocol in time to play on Monday night against the Patriots, and he delivered exactly the kind of line we’ve come to expect from him of late: 18 touches for 95 yards without a touchdown. McCoy did most of his damage as a receiver out of the backfield in this one, but the bottom line is that he’s put up right around 100 scoreless yards from scrimmage in each of his last three games, excluding his early exit from Week 7’s contest. In that game, Chris Ivory provided very similar numbers.
McCoy merits low-end RB2 status as a back who offers a strong yardage floor, but a low probability of finding the end zone.
Chicago Bears
Tarik Cohen outproduced Jordan Howard for the fourth consecutive game in Week 8, but both backs had nice fantasy days. It’s also worth noting that Howard out-touched Cohen 22-to-6, as the Bears were playing with a lead against the Jets. In fact, if Cohen hadn’t been allowed to prance untouched 70 yards into the end zone on a screen pass, he would have had a very quiet week.
Cohen is probably still the more bankable RB2 of the two Bears backs, even in leagues that don’t award points per reception, but Week 8 was a reminder that there is some risk in Cohen’s profile in games where the Bears get out to an early lead. The next time Chicago has a game like this one, we may see Howard put up a big stat line and Cohen fall flat.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon had his best game of the season against the porous Buccaneers “defense,” piling up 138 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
Mixon will head into his Week 9 bye looking the part of a true RB1, although Gio Bernard will likely return in Week 10, so it will be interesting to see if Bernard infringes on Mixon’s bell cow status at all. Even if Bernard siphons off 5-10 touches, Mixon is a high-end RB2 at worst.
Denver Broncos
Although the Broncos were reluctant to admit that Royce Freeman would miss time, it always seemed inevitable after it came out that he was dealing with a high-ankle sprain. Freeman did indeed miss Week 8, and Phillip Lindsay took full advantage, producing 112 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Devontae Booker also got in on the act, putting up 101 total yards, 78 of which came through the air.
The Broncos only have one more game before their Week 10 bye, so while nothing has been announced about Freeman’s status for Week 9, it seems more likely than not that he sits out through the bye. Lindsay will be a borderline RB1 for however long Freeman is out, while Booker will have a bit of flex appeal. Once Freeman returns, this backfield should look like it did before — Lindsay as a solid RB2 and Freeman as a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex option.
Detroit Lions
Kerryon Johnson didn’t have nearly as much room to run against the Seahawks as he did against the Dolphins the previous week, but the continued absence of pass-catching specialist Theo Riddick ensured that Johnson still had a solid game, catching six passes for 69 yards. Riddick’s absence could well extend beyond Week 8, further cementing Johnson’s status of an every-week RB2 with RB1 upside.
LeGarrette Blount was a non-factor against Seattle, but he should continue to occasionally vulture touchdowns from Johnson going forward. Blount is more of an irritant to Kerryon owners than a stand-alone flex option, however.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones had his best game of the season against the Rams, rushing 12 times for 86 yards and a touchdown. Jones owners did have to stomach watching Jamaal Williams vulture a goal-line touchdown, but they also have to be encouraged by the fact that Jones received twice as many touches as Williams and Ty Montgomery combined.
Speaking of Montgomery, he cost the Packers a chance at an upset victory against the league’s best team by fumbling a kickoff return in the game’s final minutes, drawing the ire of none other than Aaron Rodgers. And that came shortly after Montgomery reportedly threw a temper tantrum over being removed from the game on the previous offensive series.
Rumors that Montgomery explicitly disobeyed his coaches’ instructions to take a knee on the kickoff may be exaggerated, but the episode clearly left a bad taste in the mouth of Mike McCarthy and the Packers brass, who swiftly traded Montgomery to the Ravens. The Montgomery trade could be just what Jones needed to finally lock down every-week RB2 value.
Indianapolis Colts
Marlon Mack has been nothing short of a fantasy MVP over the last two weeks. Proving that his massive Week 7 performance was not a fluke, Mack went out and put up at least 149 total yards and two touchdowns for the second game in a row. His performance three weeks ago was pretty good, too.
Mack’s recent matchups against the Jets, Bills, and Raiders have been very favorable, and he has much tougher matchups ahead following his Week 9 bye. But the Colts offense is playing at a very high level right now, and Mack is looking like a strong weekly bet for 20+ touches. So while Mack may not quite be an every-week RB1, he’ll be a very appealing RB2 at worst going forward.
Nyheim Hines had a good game against the Raiders as well, posting easily his best rushing performance of the season (11 carries for 78 yards). Hines is unlikely to have many rushing lines like that one, but he remains the team’s designated passing down back and could still have some decent flex value in games against more potent opponents, where the Colts have to revert to their pass-happy ways.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Carlos Hyde made his Jaguars debut against the Eagles in London, and out-carried T.J. Yeldon 6-to-2. But neither back did anything of note with their rushing attempts, and it was Yeldon who had the nice fantasy day thanks to his seven catches for 83 yards. The Jaguars now head into their bye week and Leonard Fournette is expected to be back in Week 10.
It’s possible that Jacksonville will ease Fournette back in, and they may not give him a true bell cow workload the rest of the season in order to try to keep him healthy. Still, he’s the best bet of this trio to produce RB2 value from Week 10 onward. Yeldon may be able to hang onto some flex value if he remains the team’s passing-down specialist, while Hyde could be relegated to chance of pace duties behind Fournette.
Miami Dolphins
Kenyan Drake continued to reassert his authority over the Dolphins’ backfield in Week 8, turning 14 touches into 95 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Drake continued to split the snaps and touches fairly evenly with Frank Gore, who ran the ball pretty well himself. But Drake has been making the most of his limited touches, busting four plays of over 20 yards in the last four games and finding the end zone with regularity.
Drake may not see 20 touches in a game all season, but he is displaying enough big-play potential right now to be a weekly RB2 consideration. The ageless Gore, meanwhile, has been given double-digit touches in five straight games and rushed at least 58 yards from scrimmage in three of his last four games. He is only a low-end RB3/flex option, but a fairly dependable one to help get you through the bye weeks.
Minnesota Vikings
Latavius Murray had yet another productive game with Dalvin Cook out, handling 18 touches for 95 yards and a touchdown against a tough Saints run defense. With the Vikings on bye in Week 10, Murray should get one more week as a bell cow back before Cook returns. That matchup will come against a weak Lions defense, so Murray will be a legitimate RB1 for that contest.
As I mentioned in last week’s Roundup, Minnesota may ease Cook back into action after the bye, especially considering how well Murray has been performing in his absence. This backfield could end up being a fairly even committee, and Murray should remain the preferred fantasy option until we see Cook retake the lead role.
New England Patriots
In classic Patriots fashion, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels threw fantasy owners a curve on Monday night, doling out as many carries to wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (10) as to running backs James White and Kenjon Barner combined. What is less surprising is that White posted the best fantasy line of the trio, thanks to a goal-line score and 10 catches for 79 yards.
It sounds like Sony Michel has a decent shot to return for Week 9 against the Packers, but it is the Sunday night game so hopefully we get a good read on his status at least a day or two in advance. If Michel does return, he can be deployed confidently, although this particular matchup may be better suited to White. Regardless, both Michel and White are looking like borderline RB1/2s from a season-long perspective.
New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara found the end zone twice against the Vikings, proving once and for all that he can still be a high-end RB1 with Mark Ingram back in the fold.
Ingram had a decent game himself, splitting the rushing work evenly with Kamara, making a few plays as a receiver, and leading the backfield in yards from scrimmage. Ingram is unlikely to approach the value he had last season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he returned low-end RB2 value over the rest of the season.
New York Jets
The Jets’ first game without Bilal Powell came against a tough Bears defense, and Isaiah Crowell predictably struggled to get much going on the ground. That marks four quiet games in five for Crowell, but he’ll have a chance to rebound against a porous Miami run defense this week. As the Jets’ unquestioned lead back, Crowell will merit strong RB2 consideration in that contest and future favorable matchups.
Rookie sixth-round pick Trenton Cannon actually played more snaps than Crowell in Powell’s absence, but that was likely due in large part to the scoreline (the Jets trailed by double digits for most of the second half). Cannon did next-to-nothing with the opportunity, and he will likely lose his role to Elijah McGuire, who is eligible to return from injured reserve this week. McGuire is a decent stash who could return solid flex value if things play out right.
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders’ backfield played out about as expected in the first game without Marshawn Lynch, as Doug Martin filled in reasonably well as the lead ball carrier and Jalen Richard continued to make plays in the receiving game. Martin did lose a costly fumble, but the fact that Jon Gruden has talked him up as a “feature back” — and Martin averaged over 5.0 yards per carry — suggests he is unlikely to lose playing time for the error.
Many people have dismissed Martin thanks to his anemic 2.9 yards per carry over his final two seasons in Tampa Bay, but this game provided some encouragement that he can produce weekly RB3/flex value with RB2 upside in favorable matchups. The same could be said for Richard. Martin is the preferred play in non-PPR formats and when the Raiders face soft run defenses, while Richard is more useful in PPR leagues and games the Raiders project to be trailing.
Philadelphia Eagles
As they’ve done all season, the Eagles continued to rotate three running backs in their Week 8 matchup with the Jaguars in London, but the hierarchy of those three backs appears to be shifting.
Corey Clement, who was widely viewed as the Philly back to own following Jay Ajayi‘s season-ending injury, has fallen to a distant third on the depth chart. For the third straight week, Wendell Smallwood led this backfield in snaps by a comfortable margin, solidifying his role as a back who can expect to get around 10 carries and a few catches each week. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie Josh Adams was the Eagles’ best pure runner in Week 8, setting himself up to approach double-digit weekly carries following the team’s bye.
Smallwood is the best fantasy option in this backfield at the moment, but he is more of an RB3/flex option than an RB2. Adams is a smart stash whose role could grow, but he isn’t a trustworthy flex play just yet. Clement can be safely dropped in most leagues.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Le’Veon Bell wasn’t traded prior to the October 30 trade deadline, but it doesn’t look like he will show up in Pittsburgh this week. And it’s becoming increasingly conceivable that Bell never plays another down for the Steelers.
As long as Bell is out, James Conner is a top-five fantasy RB. Need proof? Conner has rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns in three straight games, and went over 200 yards from scrimmage against the Browns in Week 8 — after nearly accomplishing that feat when the teams met to begin the season.
San Francisco 49ers
Matt Breida played through an ankle injury in Week 8, and actually saw a season-high 16 carries. But the injury may have sapped his effectiveness, as he averaged less than 3.0 yards per carry against a soft Cardinals run defense. Breida will have a quick turnaround against the Raiders on Thursday night, but he’ll be tough to resist as an RB2 if he’s healthy enough to start for San Francisco in that favorable matchup.
The other noteworthy aspect of last week’s game is that Alfred Morris appears to have jumped back in front of Raheem Mostert for the number two job. Mostert played one more snap than Morris, but Morris saw six carries while Mostert was given just two. Neither 49ers backup will be a desirable flex option when Breida is active.
Seattle Seahawks
Chris Carson continued to serve as a bell cow back coming out of the Seahawks’ bye, topping the century mark in rushing yards for the third time in his last four games. He’s a locked-in every-week RB2.
Rashaad Penny had a nice game prior to the bye, but as I suspected, that was a function of the Seahawks playing with a large second-half lead. Penny didn’t play a single offensive snap in Week 8, while Mike Davis played roughly a third of the snaps and handled 11 touches. Davis is Carson’s clear backup, and could have some low-end flex value in favorable matchups.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Peyton Barber had his second solid fantasy performance in three weeks, rushing 19 times for 85 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals and solidifying his role as the Bucs’ lead back and a borderline RB2/3 in fantasy leagues.
Rookie Ronald Jones was lightly used behind Barber, and came away with a hamstring strain that is expected to keep him out for several weeks. With Barber firmly in control of this backfield, Jones does not need to be held onto in most fantasy leagues.
Washington
I led off this week’s “10 Things We Learned” column with a discussion of Adrian Peterson, so click on through if you want to read about how one of the league’s greatest running backs of all time is still great at age 33.
Peterson’s reemergence as an RB1 has come at the expense of Chris Thompson, who missed two games with rib and knee injuries and then got banged up again in Week 8. Washington has taken on a decidedly run-heavy identity in Thompson’s absence, and that could continue for the foreseeable future. Thompson could still have some big games when Washington is playing from behind, but he’ll be hard to trust in fantasy lineups when the team is favored to win.
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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.