- Chase Brown and Tony Pollard have turned into workhorses: Formerly known “change-of-pace backs,” the Cincinnati Bengals’ Chase Brown and Tennessee Titans’ Tony Pollard have officially joined an exclusive group of workhorse backs in the NFL.
- Travis Etienne’s fantasy value is alive and well: It turns out Travis Etienne is still a very good player, and his biggest competition for touches has been shipped out of town. Etienne is looking like the steal of fantasy drafts after Week 1.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
With Week 1 officially in the books, we know a lot more about how coaches plan to utilize their running backs this season. There were multiple running backs that we expected to receive a workhorse role, but ended up having to share the backfield in addition to backs we thought would be in a 50/50 split that ended up dominating their counterpart in touches and snaps.
Here are the top running back takeaways from Week 1 that could have a significant impact on fantasy points in Week 2 and beyond.
Chase Brown and Tony Pollard dominate their team’s backfield
Two running backs that started their NFL careers as explosive “change-of-pace” backs are now being utilized as workhorses. Chase Brown (91.3%) and Tony Pollard (85.7%) were the only two players to have over 80% of their team’s rushing attempts in Week 1. They also had the two highest percentages of their team’s total scrimmage touches in Week 1, as Brown led the league at 62.2% while Pollard was in second place at 57.6%.
Brown (21 carries) was the only Cincinnati Bengal running back to get a single carry in their season-opener, while Pollard barely left the field for his Tennessee Titans, playing on 89.5% of their offensive snaps (highest among NFL RBs in Week 1). I do not expect this high workload to decline much for either back, as neither has much competition behind them on the depth chart. Both had modest Week 1 fantasy performances, so it is worth throwing out some offers for these workhorse backs to see if you can get them on a discount – especially Brown, who I expected to explode in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Chase Brown’s upcoming matchups: Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos
Tony Pollard’s upcoming matchups: vs. Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans
Travis Etienne gives the Jacksonville Jaguars confidence to ship off Tank Bigsby
One of the biggest running back competitions of the summer was answered immediately in Week 1. Despite Bigsby being promoted to “co-starter” with Etienne, he was rarely on the field in the Jaguars’ season-opener and was then shipped off to the Philadelphia Eagles following the game. The new coaching staff has made their decision, and Etienne looks like he will be used as a workhorse the rest of the way.
In Week 1, Etienne dominated the team’s backfield touches, 19, while no other Jaguars running backs earned more than five touches in the game. He looked excellent on the field on Sunday – on 16 carries, Etienne recorded 143 yards, including 92 yards after contact – only Derrick Henry had more rushing yards and rushing yards after contact than Etienne in Week 1. Jaguars rookie Bhayshul Tuten will be the secondary back in Jacksonville moving forward, but Etienne’s workload is safe to remain heavy as long as he stays healthy. Those fantasy managers who had faith in Etienne to bounce back are sitting pretty at the moment.
Upcoming matchups: at Cincinnati Bengals, vs. Houston Texans, at San Francisco 49ers
Kenneth Walker III takes a backseat to Zach Charbonnet
After sitting in Walker's shadows for his first two NFL seasons, Charbonnet officially seems to have earned himself a large role in the Seattle Seahawks offense. It was a shocking turn of events when Charbonnett played more snaps and earned more rushing attempts than Walker in the Seahawks' season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Charbonnett not only played 17% more of the Seahawks' offensive snaps than Walker, but he also was on the field for the most valuable snaps for fantasy points — he played on 80% of the team’s third down snaps and received both of the team’s goal line carries in Week 1.
Walker did himself no favors on the work he did see in Week 1, gaining just 20 yards on 10 carries and just four measly yards on three receptions — he forced zero missed tackles in the game after recording just 1.7 yards after contact per attempt. Charbonnett was clearly the better running back on Sunday and should retain his workload in Week 2. The Seahawks have favorable matchups over their next two games, against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, who both struggled against the run in Week 1. Charbonnett should be in starting fantasy lineups moving forward.
Upcoming matchups: at Pittsburgh Steelers, vs. New Orleans Saints, at Arizona Cardinals
Is Jordan Mason the new lead back for the Minnesota Vikings?
Aaron Jones was rewarded with a two-year, $20M extension this offseason after putting up career-highs 255 rushing attempts and 1,138 rush yards last season, in his first season with the Vikings. However, Jones took a backseat to Jordan Mason, whom the team traded for from the 49ers this summer. In Week 1, Mason outsnapped Jones 29-26 and outcarried him 15-8, while playing on 100% of the team’s red-zone plays.
Mason was also the much more efficient back on the ground; he broke off two long rushes of 15-plus yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry on the day, while Jones gained just 23 yards on eight rushes. Jones saved his fantasy day on Sunday by bringing in a long receiving touchdown, but he will be risky to plug into starting fantasy lineups if his usage continues to be limited. On the other hand, Mason has moved into a flex-worthy play moving forward.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Atlanta Falcons, vs. Cincinnati Bengals, at Pittsburgh Steelers
New England Patriots are making rookie TreVeyon Henderson earn his snaps
Mike Vrabel is using the stubborn old-school coaching style with his electric rookie running back, making Henderson slowly earn snaps despite him looking like the clear best offensive weapon on the team. In the New England Patriots’ season-opener, Rhamondre Stevenson started in the backfield and played on 65% of the team’s offensive snaps, while Henderson was limited to 35% of snaps.
Not shockingly, Henderson was much more efficient than Stevenson in Week 1 — despite playing 21 fewer snaps, Henderson (51 yards) had nearly double the scrimmage yards than Stevenson (27).
Stevenson failed on both of his third-down carries, gaining zero yards over the two attempts, while Henderson had gained a first down and 14 yards on his sole third-down carry in Week 1. Stevenson also got the team’s only goal-line rushing attempt in the game but also failed to get into the end zone. If the Patriots want to start winning games, they need to get their best players on the field. Vrabel can only be stubborn for so long. Trade for Henderson now before it is too late.
Upcoming matchups: at Miami Dolphins, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, vs Carolina Panthers, at Buffalo Bills
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