Fantasy News & Analysis

Committee Report: Relevant backup fantasy RBs heading into Week 10

KANSAS CITY, MO: DECEMBER 25: Denver Broncos running back Devontae Booker (23) turns the corner for a big gain as Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Eric Berry (29) comes in for the tackle during the first quarter December 25, 2016 at Arrowhead Stadium. (Photo By John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Staying on top of fluid backfield situations from week to week for all 32 teams is quite the tedious task, even for fantasy diehards. To help with your fantasy preparations, my weekly RB Committee Report is intended to be your one-stop shop for tracking each and every fantasy backfield. Each week, we’ll go around the league to hone in on who’s trending up or down in terms of workload distribution and volume, as well as efficiency, in order to pinpoint which backs are making the most (and least) of their opportunities.

STOCK UP WK 9 RB SNAPS % / SEASON % STOCK DOWN WK 9 RB SNAPS % / SEASON %
Alfred Morris 8.8 / 7.4 Bilal Powell 22.4 / 42.1
Kenyan Drake 18.2 / 12.0 Eddie Lacy 13.3 / 22.8
Jerick McKinnon 63.5 / 42.5 Aaron Jones 33.9 / 64.4
Devontae Booker 34.2 / 23.8 C.J. Anderson 35.4 / 58.8
Christian McCaffrey 81.5 / 69.4 Doug Martin 30.5 / 47.9

Arizona Cardinals

Fantasy Starter Backup to Know
Adrian Peterson Andre Ellington (PPR)

The Cardinals came off their bye to face a 49ers defense that entered Week 9 having allowed the most fantasy points to opposing RBs. Offensive coordinator had talked about wanting to “feed” Adrian Peterson to try and get him into a groove, and he held to his word as the veteran had a career-high 37 carries for 159 yards (a record number of carries for a RB in his 30s). While the Cardinals have shifted their focus to the ground game in the wake of Carson Palmer’s injury, it would be surprising if Peterson’s workload wasn’t scaled back at least a little bit when Arizona faces Seattle Thursday night.

Atlanta Falcons

Starter Backup to Own
Devonta Freeman Tevin Coleman

Devonta Freeman out-touched Tevin Coleman 15-6 against Carolina this past week, but there was no fantasy success to be had behind a Falcons’ O-line that generated only 0.28 yards before contact. The Falcons wound up with a 69/31 pass/run split and didn’t run any plays inside the five. It was a step back for Coleman a week after he saw double-digit carries for the first time all season (and had seen only four fewer carries than Freeman over the previous three weeks). Freeman was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury.

Baltimore Ravens

Starter Backup to Own
Alex Collins Danny Woodhead (PPR)

Available in 76 percent of ESPN leagues, Danny Woodhead (hamstring) has resumed practicing and is on target to return from IR in Week 11 when the Ravens emerge from their bye. That’s more of a blow to passing-down back Javorius Allen than early-down back Alex Collins. Allen does rank among the league leaders with 10 carries inside the 10 this season, although he’s scored on only one of those opportunities and ranks dead-last out of 50 RBs in elusive rating. Collins has stood out in our elusive rating metric throughout the season, but it’s also important to note that he has been given more room before contact (2.7 YBCo/Att.) than all but one other back in the league. There remains plenty to sort out in this fantasy backfield.

Buffalo Bills

Starter Backup to Know
LeSean McCoy Mike Tolbert (12+)

Replacement-level backups

Carolina Panthers

Starter Backup to Know
Christian McCaffrey Jonathan Stewart (12+)

Christian McCaffrey earned Sunday’s top overall grade (85.1) by a running back. The rookie played a season-high 82 percent of the Panthers’ offensive snaps against Atlanta, flashing his cutback skills and setting career-highs for rushing attempts (15), yards (66), and yards per carry (4.4). Also of note, Jonathan Stewart fumbled twice, although coach Ron Rivera said he still believes in the veteran. Predominantly a pass-catching specialist to this point, McCaffrey looks to be seizing more control of Carolina’s backfield.

Chicago Bears

Starter Backup to Know
Jordan Howard Tarik Cohen (PPR)

The Bears come out of their bye this week. Even though he vultured a goal-line touchdown from Jordan Howard the previous week, Tarik Cohen should have been dropped in all formats weeks ago. Howard is on pace for a second straight 1,300-yard rushing season to start his career.

Cincinnati Bengals

Starter Backup to Know
Joe Mixon Giovani Bernard (PPR)

I’ve been down on Joe Mixon all season not because of his talent, but rather his lack of daylight behind PFF’s worst-graded run-blocking unit. Averaging a paltry 0.63 yards before contact, Mixon has had some tough sledding to navigate on a weekly basis. But he also didn’t create much on his own against Jacksonville this past week, ranking dead-last with a 0.0 elusive rating and zero missed tackles on 16 touches (and only 1.6 yards after contact). Bengals also just placed RT Jake Fisher on the Non-Football Injury list, although he was sporting one of the worst run-blocking grades among tackles this season.

Cleveland Browns

Starter Backup to Own
Isaiah Crowell Duke Johnson (PPR)

Prior to the Browns’ Week 9 bye, Isaiah Crowell produced a season-high 118 yards from scrimmage along with a score against Minnesota in London. The Browns’ OL generated 2.23 yards before contact, and Crowell out-touched Duke Johnson, 15-9, in a game that saw Cleveland throw it 70 percent of the time. Johnson was sent to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a head injury but was cleared of a concussion. The gap has closed in this backfield, although Johnson remains the preferred PPR option as the RB20 in fantasy points per game this season.

Dallas Cowboys

Starter Backup to Own
Ezekiel Elliott Alfred Morris

Ezekiel Elliott’s latest court hearing is slated for Thursday afternoon, but it’s anybody’s guess as to whether there an actual ruling will be handed down before Sunday. Alfred Morris remains the preferred option over Darren McFadden if Elliott sits. LT Tyron Smith is questionable for Week 10 against Atlanta because of a groin injury, which is a different ailment from the back issue that had plagued Smith over the past month.

Denver Broncos

Starter Backup to Own
C.J. Anderson Devontae Booker

C.J. Anderson’s snap share dropped for a second straight week, down to a season-low 35.4 percent against Philadelphia. Anderson managed only 13 yards on nine carries and played just one more snap than Devontae Booker, who tied Jamaal Charles with eight touches. None of the three were a fantasy factor in a game that Denver was blown off the field. For what it’s worth, Anderson turned in one of his best performances of the season one week earlier at Kansas City, although Booker ate into his snaps in that game, as well.

Detroit Lions

Starter Backup to Know
Ameer Abdullah Theo Riddick (PPR)

Ameer Abdullah didn’t force a single missed tackle on his 22 touches against Green Bay, as he averaged only 1.57 yards after contact and finished with a mere 48 yards on 21 carries. Abdullah did salvage his day with a touchdown, but he also was benched after putting the ball on the ground twice. Sitting 38th among RBs in PPR points per game, Abdullah remains off the fantasy radar until further notice.

Green Bay Packers

Starter Backup to Know
Aaron Jones Ty Montgomery

Aaron Jones turned in his first real clunker and was out-snapped and out-produced by Ty Montgomery against the Lions in Week 9. The rookie struggled in the passing game, missed a blitz pickup, slipped on a screen, and ultimately was replaced late in the game by Jamaal Williams, who scored on a goal-line carry. Perhaps we can chalk this up as a one-off performance, but it’s worth noting that no running back has been given more room before contact (2.7 YBCo/Att.) than Jones, who ranks just 32nd out of 50 RBs in elusive rating (35.7). Coach Mike McCarthy said he liked the rotation and had planned to use Montgomery on third downs.

Houston Texans

Starter Backup to Know
Lamar Miller D’Onta Foreman

Lamar Miller owns PFF’s second-worst elusive rating (18.9) on the season, having forced a missed tackle once only 12 touches in addition to averaging just 1.18 yards after contact. Still, Miller’s usage keeps him in RB2 territory as he ranks fourth among running backs in snaps and is seeing 19 touches per game. One week after being mysteriously benched, D’Onta Foreman had 11 carries for 37 yards against the Colts in Week 9. It’s a development that bears monitoring in case Foreman’s role continues to grow down the stretch.

Indianapolis Colts

Starter Backup to Own
Frank Gore Marlon Mack

Barring an injury to Frank Gore or some late-season roster shakeup for the hapless Colts, Marlon Mack’s value looks to be capped as a dynasty stash at this point. While the dynamic rookie has garnered 20 carries over the last two games, he’s totaled only 56 yards while Gore has turned 40 touches into 178 scrimmage yards. However, Mack’s six carries inside the 10 this season are twice as many as Gore, and the rookie sits 16 spots higher in our elusive rating metric.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Starter Backup to Know
Leonard Fournette T.J. Yeldon (12+)

Leonard Fournette was a surprise inactive this past week for an issue that apparently had nothing to do with his ankle, although coach Doug Marrone expects Fournette to play Week 10 against the Chargers, who are graded dead-last against the run. T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory are back off the fantasy radar for now.

Kansas City Chiefs

Starter Backup to Know
Kareem Hunt Charcandrick West (12+)

Kansas City’s Week 10 bye might be coming at a good time for Kareem Hunt, who played a season-low 54 percent of the offensive snaps against Dallas and saw only nine carries for the second time in four games. Having played the eighth-most snaps among running backs this season, it’s possible coach Andy Reid is simply trying to preserve Hunt. Then again, it’s quite possible he was already hitting the rookie wall. Over his last five games, Hunt is averaging just 3.4 YPC and has not found the end zone

Los Angeles Chargers

Starter Backup to Know
Melvin Gordon Branden Oliver (12+)

Replacement-level backups

Los Angeles Rams

Starter Backup to Know
Todd Gurley Malcolm Brown (12+)

Replacement-level backups

Miami Dolphins

Starter Backup to Own
Kenyan Drake Damien Williams (PPR)

Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams both provided value in their first game leading the Dolphins’ backfield following the Jay Ajayi trade to Philadelphia. Drake shined with nine carries for 69 yards – 55 of which came after contact – and caught 6-of-6 targets for 35 yards. Williams managed only 14 yards on seven carries but caught 6-of-6 targets for 47 yards, including an impressive 10-yard score. All told, Drake held a 37-30 edge in snaps and surprisingly was in on three more pass plays in a game that Miami threw it 71 percent of the time. That Drake was able to create yards despite Miami’s O-line generating only 0.78 yards before contact bodes well for his RB2 prospects moving forward.

Minnesota Vikings

Starter Backup to Know
Jerick McKinnon Latavius Murray (12+)

The Vikings head to the nation’s capital fresh off a bye. Jerick McKinnon has eclipsed 20 PPR points in three of four outings since Dalvin Cook’s injury, but his ceiling is limited as long as Latavius Murray keeps getting volume (14-plus touches in four straight games) and red-zone opportunities

New England Patriots

Starter Backup to Own
Dion Lewis James White (PPR)

The Patriots come off their bye boasting PFF’s second-best run-block grade on the season, and Dion Lewis sits third out of 50 RBs in elusive rating. Despite having taken over the team’s early-down role, Lewis has only one double-digit fantasy performance on the season, and his upside remains limited as long as James White is dominating passing downs.

New Orleans Saints

Starter Backup to Own
Mark Ingram Alvin Kamara (PPR)

Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara essentially split the workload against Tampa Bay, with Ingram getting 79 yards on 17 touches and Kamara turning 16 touches into 152 yards and two scores. Kamara does sit in the top-five RBs in yards before contact (2.46), although he’s also created plenty on his own. Last week he averaged 4.0 yards after contact and forced eight missed tackles on 16 touches, good for an insane 200.0 elusive rating. Ingram did not force any missed tackles on his 17 touches, and in fact he boasts the third-worst RB elusive rating (20.5) this season (he also fumbled twice in Week 8). Still, both backs rank inside the top-12 PPR backs in fantasy points this season.

New York Giants

Starter Backup to Know
Orleans Darkwa Wayne Gallman

Orleans Darkwa may be the lead back for the Giants, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be in fantasy lineups. Darkway may be averaging 5.1 YPC, but he hasn’t been creating much on his own lately. He’s forced only four missed tackles on 61 touches since Week 5 and sits outside the top-45 PPR backs in per-game scoring (8.0 PPG) on the season.

New York Jets

Starter Backup to Own
Matt Forte Bilal Powell

Assuming his surgically repaired knee cooperates, Matt Forte has surpassed Bilal Powell as the Jets’ fantasy RB to own, having climbed to fourth out of 50 RBs in elusive rating for the season. This past week against Buffalo, Forte saw 18 touches and found the end zone twice, doubling Powell’s snap count in the process. Forte averaged 4.4 yards after contact on his 14 carries and forced five missed tackles for a 145.2 elusive rating. Meanwhile, Powell played a season-low 15 snaps last week. Powell sits inside the top-10 RBs in yards before contact (2.11) this season but ranks only 20th with 390 rushing yards. He also loses work in negative game scripts to Elijah McGuire, who saw more snaps and carries last week.

Oakland Raiders

Starter Backup to Own
Marshawn Lynch Jalen Richard (12+)

Coming off his best fantasy output of the season, 31-year-old Marshawn Lynch gets a chance to recharge his legs with Oakland on its bye. Lynch was averaging only 10 carries per game heading into Week 9, but he’s making a case for more work. Since Week 5, Lynch is getting 4.5 YPC and has climbed to the No. 7 elusive rating among RBs on the season, with 3.1 yards after contact and a missed tackle every 4.8 rushes.

Philadelphia Eagles

Starter Backup to Own
Jay Ajayi LeGarrette Blount

With the Dolphins, Jay Ajayi sported one of the league’s lowest averages before contact (0.60), but on one of his first opportunities with the Eagles in Week 9, he waltzed through a gaping hole for a 46-yard touchdown virtually untouched. LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement (two TDs) also found plenty of room to run against Denver and have been plenty productive. But Ajayi’s snap share is bound to go up when the Eagles come out of their bye next week and he has a better grasp of the playbook.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Starter Backup to Own
Le’Veon Bell James Conner

Le’Veon Bell continues to pace all RBs in snaps. For those with a roster spot to spare, Bell has played just one 16-game season in his four-year career. Rookie James Conner (4.9 YPC) would be a plug-and-play RB2 if Bell were to miss time for any reason.

San Francisco 49ers

Starter Backup to Own
Carlos Hyde Matt Breida

Rookie Matt Breida may have generated some buzz earlier this year, but he’s totaled only 13 carries over the last four games and has played more than a third of the snaps in only one game this season. Carlos Hyde has put his stamp on this backfield, as he ranks sixth in PPR scoring this season and is on pace for 70-plus catches.

Seattle Seahawks

Starter Backup to Own
Thomas Rawls C.J. Prosise (PPR)

Eddie Lacy got the start last week against Washington, with the Seahawks coaches saying they planned to give him a longer leash to try and get into a rhythm. That lasted all of 11 snaps until he suffered a groin injury that will keep him out of Thursday night’s game against Arizona. Thomas Rawls is in line for a sizeable workload after he racked up 70 total yards in three quarters against Washington. However, C.J. Prosise is set to return from his ankle injury and will take over on passing downs, with a chance to take on a bigger role down the stretch if he can finally stay healthy.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Starter Backup to Know
Doug Martin Peyton Barber

Doug Martin made the “Stock Down” list last week, and now he’s entirely off the radar. Martin logged only 18 snaps and had eight carries for seven yards against New Orleans, failing to register a touch for virtually the entire second half. Martin didn’t force any missed tackles on 19 touches the previous week, and he’s yet to eclipse 75 rushing yards in a game this season. Peyton Barber (season-high 23 snaps) is more a name to know at this point.

Tennessee Titans

Starter Backup to Own
DeMarco Murray Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry’s ownership in ESPN leagues is starting to dip, but with DeMarco Murray (knee, shoulder) dinged up and adding more tread on his tires, now is not the time to cut Henry loose. After all, you drafted him as an elite handcuff, and in his only two games with 14-plus carries this season, the former Alabama star churned out 223 yards on 27 totes (8.3 YPC) and two scores.

Washington Redskins

Starter Backup to Know
Chris Thompson (PPR) Robert Kelley (standard)

Chris Thompson’s sell-high window is likely shut after last week’s 33-yard effort in Seattle. Take away Thompson’s 20-touch effort against San Francisco in Week 4, and he’s averaged only nine touches in his seven other games. That’s simply not bankable fantasy volume. Robert Kelley has only one game with more than 30 rushing yards this season, although he did convert a couple of short-yardage scores against the Seahawks.

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