More and more teams are using a backfield by committee approach and it would be foolish to pretend like it has no effect on your fantasy game. In some cases, though, you can use this approach to your advantage when determining who to take for a RB3/Flex position on your roster.
Target
Baltimore Ravens – As your draft enters the later rounds, Willis McGahee needs to be on your radar. Last season, McGahee only saw 217 snaps compared to Ray Rice's 811. Of those 217 snaps, though, McGahee touched the ball 124 times and scored 14 touchdowns, 4th most in the league. Rice will still see the bulk of the carries and snaps, but McGahee has value as a true goal line back being drafted in the 12th round. While I expect the snap distribution between the two backs to remain similar next season, look for Rice to get more carries (254 last season). This doesn't spell trouble for McGahee, as he should see about the same amount of work…although some of his touchdowns might be stolen. By the time the 2010 season comes to a close, McGahee will have 10 total TDs while Rice has 12-14 TDs and 1,400+ yards.
Miami Dolphins – When both healthy, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams create the deadliest fantasy backfield. The two of them combined for 1,769 and 19 touchdowns last season. That is impressive, especially considering that Brown didn't play past Week 10. Injuries aside, Brown is the starter – but Williams will still see around 40% of the snaps. You can't go wrong owning either one of these guys. Plus, if one goes down with injury, the other instantly becomes one of the best running back options in fantasy football.
New York Jets – With all the hype around Shonn Greene, people seem to forget about LaDanian Tomlinson a little bit. The truth of the matter is, he scored 12 touchdowns last season. Tomlinson is nowhere near the back he once was, but if your league is more touchdown heavy than yard heavy, he could be a true gem. Thomas Jones, albeit the 57th PFF-ranked RB last season, was a very good fantasy running back. He had 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. It's realistic to think Greene's totals will be similar to Jones's last year, while Tomlinson sees a lot of goal line action. Greene will receive the bulk of the carries and is a viable RB 1 option and the situation in New York will be similar to that in Baltimore. If the preseason is any indication of the way the Jets will utilize Tomlinson – expect a decent amount of touchdowns but not too many yards.
Others to Target: Carolina Panthers. Arizona Cardinals.
Avoid
New England Patriots – Simply put, the Patriots use too many running backs for any of them to be a solid RB 1 option. They are Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk. Maroney did punch the ball in for 9 touchdowns last season, but only had 757 yards. It's hard for fantasy owners to trust Maroney when his own coach doesn't even trust him. He ranked 55th in PFF rating last year and was benched at the end of the season for poor performance. Maroney has a knack for fumbling at the worst possible times, and that doesn't sit well with Bill Belichick. Fred Taylor was ineffective last year as he had another injury plagued season. In the one game he carried the ball over 20 times, though, he broke the century mark and scored a touchdown. If I had to put my money on one Patriots RB this season, it would be Taylor. Good thing I don't have to do that.
Dallas Cowboys – Marion Barber has always showed potential of being a dominant fantasy running back, but the Cowboys seem to really like using Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Owning one of these players isn't necessarily a bad thing, but none of them can be relied on week in and week out. Here is the snap distribution between these three last season: Barber – 552, Choice – 281, Jones – 271. Despite seeing fewer snaps, Jones had 52 more carries than Choice. Barber led the way with 214 carries, which ranked 21st in the league last season. That amount of carries makes him RB2 material and a solid flex option. With the way the Cowboys are using Choice and Jones in the preseason, it looks like all three of their snap totals might hover around 350 next season. All three guys are talented players, but they just steal too many snaps away from each other to be drafted in the 6th round (Barber). Ricky Williams, Thomas Jones and LaDanian Tomlinson are all going later than that.
Others to Avoid: New Orleans Saints. Washington Redskins. Buffalo Bills running backs not named C.J. Spiller.
So, there you have it. Last season, 27 teams had at least one back that saw 50% of the snaps. The Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders are the outliers. When it comes to drafting a running back, you can add some real depth for late draft picks if you draft from a team that utilizes the backfield by committee in a fantasy-friendly way.
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