It wasn’t quite a bye week massacre but the injuries made up for it in Week Nine. Several teams are now dealing with running back injuries, or have been dealing with them, which makes the running back snap counts a roller coaster. Below are a few teams with new backfield dynamics to monitor going forward. 

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Arizona Cardinals

• James Conner – 54 snaps (77%)
• Eno Benjamin – 17 snaps (24%)
• Chase Edmonds – One snap (1%)

Due to an injury suffered early in the game by Chase Edmonds, we got a flashback to James Conner’s RB1 days in Pittsburgh. Conner led an offense without Edmonds, Kyler Murray, or DeAndre Hopkins with 21 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns on the ground plus five receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown in the air. There’s no doubt Conner won several fantasy matchups this week with his colossal day and would stand to do it again if Edmonds is out for an extended amount of time.

Speaking of Edmonds, his backup in this and potentially future games was Eno Benjamin, who saw a season-high 17 snaps. He had a decent day, too, with 39 yards rushing and a score. However, he didn’t see anything in the passing game, so his production will be limited should he step in for Edmonds. 

Next week: Cardinals versus Panthers 

Baltimore Ravens 

• Devonta Freeman – 57 snaps (58%)
• Le’Veon Bell – 23 snaps (23%)
• Ty’Son Williams – 18 snaps (18%)

If the Ravens’ offense is at full strength, everyone can win. That includes not one but two running backs who weren’t even on a team to start the season but were called into duty once the entire Ravens backfield was lost. This week, it was Devonta Freeman who saw a season-high 57 snaps for a 58% share. He didn’t score, but he led all Ravens’ running backs with 79 yards on just 13 carries averaging over six yards-per-carry. Le’Veon Bell also had a nice day with 48 yards on just 11 carries, with one of those carries being a score. 

Baltimore’s best runner will always be Lamar Jackson, but they love their committees instead of handing it over to a workhorse when it comes to running backs. But that’s ok as the Ravens are on a roll. 

Next week: Ravens at Dolphins 

Houston Texans

• David Johnson – 31 snaps (45%)
• Rex Burkhead – 21 snaps (30%)
• Philip Lindsay – 14 snaps (20%)

Between the departure of Mark Ingram and the return of Tyrod Taylor, there was a glimmer of hope that the Texans backfield would finally have some stability. How wrong we were. After Rex Burkhead saw nearly half the snaps last week, David Johnson saw nearly half this week. Philip Lindsay saw his typical 20%, but none of the above saw anything significant or did anything with their snaps. No one rushed for more than 30 rushing yards, and no one scored. The passing game was more anemic as only David Johnson even saw a target despite the Texans playing from behind most of the game. 

The new-look backfield for Houston looks a lot like the old one. A clear committee that isn’t very effective and playing behind most of the time. This is still and will be a situation to avoid. 

Next week: Bye 

Miami Dolphins

• Myles Gaskin – 54 snaps (72%)
• Salvon Ahmed – 14 snaps (19%)
• Patrick Laird – Seven snaps (9%)

The Dolphins haven’t won many games this year, but it’s clear they are a running team when they do. Myles Gaskin led the way, seeing a season-high 54 snaps or 72% of the backfield snaps. It resulted in a season-high 20 carries, which he turned into a whopping 34 yards. He did score his first touchdown of the season, so all was not lost. He also continued his heavy presence in the passing game, seeing six targets, catching all of them for 23 yards. He is the workhorse.

Behind him, Salvon Ahmed appears to be the next man up, seeing four carries while spelling Gaskin. But no other back saw a target, so there is no value in that backfield beyond Gaskin. In addition, the Dolphins play the Ravens next week, so there might not be a good option anywhere. 

Next week: Dolphins vs. Miami 

Philadelphia Eagles

• Boston Scott – 25 snaps (44%)
• Jordan Howard – 23 snaps (40%)
• Kenneth Gainwell – 11 snaps (19%)

While we could have guessed Jordan Howard would have seen more snaps as carries as the Eagles ramped up his workload, most would have thought it would come at the expense of Boston Scott. But Scott saw the same 44-45% of the snaps he did last week and double-digit carries again. Howard did see more action, but it was at the expense of rookie Kenneth Gainwell, a pre-season favorite, to carve out a role in the Eagles backfield. Howard is up to 40% of the snaps, running it 17 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. 

For Gainwell, the injury to Miles Sanders was an opportunity to see more snaps finally. Instead, he saw a season-low 11 snaps for just 19% of the backfield share. As a result, he can be safely dropped in leagues while it appears Jordan Howard is the favorite to be the handcuff of Miles Sanders as we advance. 

Next week: Eagles at Broncos 

Tennessee Titans

• Jeremy McNichols – 26 snaps (45%)
• Adrian Peterson – 19 snaps (33%)
• D’Onta Foreman – 12 snaps (21%)

The first week of the post-Derrick Henry Titans backfield was a legitimate cluster. No one came close to the 70% of the backfield snaps Henry handled until his injury, with backup Jeremy McNichols handling most of the snaps with a season-high 45% of them. Unfortunately, despite leading the backfield, he didn’t convert that into a viable fantasy day, turning his seven carries into just 24 scoreless yards. 

The running back who had the most productive day, if you can call it that, was Adrian Peterson. Just signed off the street, he led the team with ten carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. The other veteran signed off the street, D’Onta Foreman, was next with five carries for 29 yards. He was the most efficient despite seeing the least amount of carries. 

McNichols continues to see many (relative) targets with three, catching all of them for 11 yards. However, it appears McNichols will not be sliding over into the early-down role vacated by Henry, keeping his place in the passing game instead. Instead, Peterson and Foreman will be the early-down options until one of them separates themselves. 

Next week: Titans vs. Saints 

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Michael Moore is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @DLF_Moore.