Backfield Breakdown: RB Usage Report & Week 5 Waivers Preview

Week 4 featured fewer huge RB workloads than the previous three weeks, with old timers Alvin Kamara and Aaron Jones being the only guys to reach 80 percent snap share. Kyren Williams, Jonathan Taylor and Jordan Mason were all above 70 percent with at least 23 touches, but it was a rough week for some other top running backs, including floor games from Breece Hall and De'Von Achane despite both playing more than 70 percent of their respective teams' snaps.

Derrick Henry was the high scorer in fantasy, thanks to an 87-yard TD on his first carry and a receiving touchdown later Sunday night. He finished with 199 rushing yards, becoming the first player to crack 160 this season. He's responsible for two of the four 150-yard rushing games this season, having done it in back-to-back weeks (yes, I'm a very pleased Ravens fan).

While Week 4 was tough for some of the other big names, as previously mentioned, it was a big week for some guys that were mostly on benches or waivers, with D'Andre Swift, Chase Brown, Justice Hill and Jeremy McNichols landing among the group of 11 RBs that topped 20 PPR points. Swift and Brown also had positive role indicators, which wasn't exactly the case in the prior few weeks. We'll touch on those two and more below, starting with the weekly injury report...

Injury Report 🚑

New Injuries

RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle)

RB Bijan Robinson (hamstring)

RB Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle)

RB Jeff Wilson (knee)

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor left Sunday's win over Pittsburgh in the fourth quarter and has since been diagnosed with a mild high-ankle sprain. The 'mild' modifier is obviously good news for fantasy managers, but it's still worrisome to see Taylor have an injury to the same leg/ankle in which he suffered a major injury late in 2022. The Colts reportedly aren't considering injured reserve as an option right now.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson didn't exit Sunday's win over the Saints, but I'm listing him here because he played a season-low 61% of snaps and is now on the injury report for a Thursday matchup with Tampa Bay. He should be fine to play, given that Atlanta is listing Robinson as a limited practice participant, but the combination of a short week and a minor hamstring injury hints at Tyler Allgeier getting a decent bit of work again.

Steelers RB Cordarrelle Patterson took on more work with Jaylen Warren inactive due to a knee injury, and while Patterson got off to a great start with 43 yards on his first six carries, he then suffered an ankle injury and missed the second half. Najee Harris played 92 percent of snaps after halftime but still hasn't reached 100 yards or a TD in any game this season, scoring between 8.4 and 13.6 PPR points each week (7.3 to 8.6 for standard scoring).

Missed Week 4

Joe Mixon (ankle / day-to-day)

Austin Ekeler (concussion / day-to-day)

Jaylen Warren (knee / week-to-week)

Dameon Pierce (hamstring / week-to-week)

Raheem Mostert (chest / week-to-week)

Isiah Pacheco (fibula / out at least 6-8 weeks)

Pierre Strong (hamstring / week-to-week)

Christian McCaffrey (IR - Achilles / eligible for Week 6 return)

Audric Estime (IR - ankle / eligible Week 6)

MarShawn Lloyd (IR - ankle / eligible Week 6)

Nick Chubb (PUP - knee / eligible Week 5)

Jonathon Brooks (NFI - knee / eligible Week 5 but won't be activated)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (NFI - illness / eligible Week 5)

Kendre Miller (PUP - hamstring / eligible Week 5)

It doesn't sound great for Christian McCaffrey returning when first eligible Week 6, as he's reportedly just now starting to ramp up his rehab work, and the 49ers aren't really sure how that will go. Plus, coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Monday that McCaffrey has tendinitis in both Achilles. Meanwhile, Jordan Mason is thriving as a real-life workhorse and fantasy RB1, so the 49ers might ease CMC back into things if/when he's eventually ready this fall.

Other big injury news includes Nick Chubb (ACL) reportedly returning to practice this week, whereas Panthers rookie Jonathon Brooks (ACL) won't be designated for a return just yet, leaving Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders unchallenged for at least another game or two. Kendre Miller (hamstring) is scheduled to resume practicing Wednesday and expected to be ready for MNF at Kansas City, but he may not have a role even if healthy.

On the other side of that MNF game we could get a 2024 debut from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, whose placement on the NFI list seemed to be on account of his struggles with PTSD (the Chiefs designated him with an 'illness', but CEH discussed his post-traumatic stress disorder on social media). Given the state of KC's backfield, Edwards-Helaire could take on a significant role from the jump.

Stock Report 📊

A lot of what you'll see here is building on my work from Box Score Breakdown, the weekly recap article with stat tables for every team that include snaps, routes, and target/air-yard shares, in addition to all the basic stats like carries, catches, yards and TDs. I also discuss role specifics and make note of various circumstances that could cause numbers to be misleading, so it's worth checking out if you're looking to go into even more detail on running backs before making waiver adds or lineup decisions for the upcoming week. Unless otherwise specified, all the stats below are from Week 4 only.

Note: Opps. = carries + targets       

Trending Up 📈

Derrick Henry - 65% snaps  /  209 yards + 2 TDs  /  350 rushing yards past 2 games

Alvin Kamara - 81% snaps / 73% routes/ 26 of 31 RB opps. (84%) / 119 yards + TD

Aaron Jones - 83% snaps / 27 of 31 RB opps. (87%) / 139 yards

D'Andre Swift - 67% snaps / 62% routes / 23 of 30 RB opps. (77%) / 165 yards + TD

Kareem Hunt - 43% snaps / 17 of 27 RB opps. (63%) / 85 yards

Bucky Irving - 41% snaps / 12 of 27 RB opps. (44%) / 55 yards + TD 

Chuba Hubbard - 74% snaps / 22 of 32 RB opps. (69%) / 121 yards + TD

Chase Brown - 42% snaps / 18 of 37 RB opps. (49%) / 92 yards + 2 TDs

Trey Sermon - JT injury

Alexander Mattison - 79% of snaps in fourth quarter / five carries for 60 yards

Rico Dowdle - 46% snaps / 12 of 22 RB opps. (55%) / 61 yards + TD

Trending Down 📉

Bijan Robinson - 61% snaps / 11 of 21 RB opps. (52%)

Breece Hall - 71% snaps / 51% routes / 15 of 24 RB opps. (63%) / 3.1 YPC SZN

Travis Etienne - 52% snaps / 32% routes / 13 of 22 RB opps. (59%)

Zack Moss - 58% snaps / 48 % routes/ 19 of 37 RB opps. (51%)

Rachaad White - 59% snaps / 47% routes / 13 of 27 RB opps. (48%)

Rhamondre Stevenson - 56% snaps/ fourth fumble of SZN (second lost)

Carson Steele - 19% snaps / second lost fumble in three games

Zamir White - 60% snaps but only 50 yards + lost fumble

Cam Akers - 38% snaps / 13 of 26 RB opps. (50%) / 53 yards, no TD

Gus Edwards - 25% snaps / six of 24 RB opps. (25%) / 19 yards

Unsettled Backfields 🎲

These are the backfields that need to be monitored closely, where role changes could be imminent or we aren't sure about the team's depth chart moving forward. Backfield with a clear hierarchy/order won't be included unless there's a long-term injury to the starter and the backup situation is uncertain or confusing. 

Messy Backfields

1. Las Vegas Raiders
2. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are the big focus this week, with Carson Steele having fumbled away his opportunity and leaving Kareem Hunt in the lead role for most of Sunday's win at the Chargers. Samaje Perine got a lot of snaps (41%), mostly on pass plays, but he was also the short-yardage back, scoring a two-yard TD and converting a 3rd-and-1. A similar split between Hunt and Perine in coming weeks would make it impossible to rely on either for fantasy, and now we've got Clyde Edwards-Helaire potentially rejoining the backfield for a Week 5 MNF game against the Saints. None of these guys should be started, but all three are worth rostering in most leagues (especially Hunt and CEH). Steele is the one I'm least interested in at this point, given the combination of fumbles, reduced playing time and Edwards-Helaire's impending return.

The Raiders' backfield hasn't made much sense so far, and the playing time hasn't been as game-script dependent as one might think (Zamir White has twice reached 60 percent snap share in games where the Raiders spent a lot of time trailing). White was on track for a season high in snap share and touches this past Sunday, but he lost a fumble early in the fourth quarter and played only two more snaps the rest of the game, giving way to Alexander Mattison (whose five carries went for 60 yards). Antonio Pierce sounded unhappy with White after the game, saying Mattison will get more work moving forward. 

Ameer Abdullah had a role in clear passing situations Weeks 2-3 but not Week 1 or Week 4, and his involvement (or lack thereof) will also impact Mattison's value if he does indeed get more of an opportunity. The Raiders might also at some point consider using rookie sixth-round pick Dylan Laube, who made his first NFL appearance Sunday but strictly played special teams (nine snaps). The more you look into the Raiders' backfield usage in various situations the more it's clear they have no real plan besides praying that White will maybe become better than he actually is. Now they're perhaps set to try the same thing with Mattison, who we at least know is a competent NFL player, though certainly nothing special.

On the Brink

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Cleveland Browns
3. Chicago Bears
4. Denver Broncos
5. Cincinnati Bengals

The Cowboys seem to have found an equilibrium, with Rico Dowdle playing 40-50% of snaps each week and getting half or slightly more than half of the backfield touches. Ezekiel Elliott's role has really fallen off since he led the backfield Week 1, but in terms of snaps that's benefitted Hunter Luepke and Deuce Vaughn more so than Dowdle. The Cowboys have even experimented with some looks that use CeeDee Lamb as a tailback and Leupke at H-back or fullback. Dalvin Cook may be too washed up to earn an activation from the practice squad, but the Cowboys could still bring in another guy at some point. Other possibilities include testing Dowdle in a true lead role, even though he hasn't really earned it, or going with an uber-pass-heavy offense that puts Luepke on the field more often to take advantage of his blocking. For now, Dowdle is an RB3 and the others unplayable.

The question in Cleveland is all about Nick Chubb and his return from a severe knee injury. D'Onta Foreman got a bunch of snaps and carries Week 2, but Jerome Ford has otherwise dominated the RB snaps, carries and targets in a pass-first offense with major blocking issues. The Browns offense could look very different in October or November if Chubb comes back strong and the O-line gets healthier. Either way, Ford's time as a fantasy asset seems to be running out, as there isn't any reason to think this version of the Browns can support a timeshare back with real fantasy value. And don't expect Chubb to do his usual 5+ YPC, even if he's superhuman.

The Chicago backfield has been full of surprises, with D'Andre Swift's massive Week 4 coming after many fantasy managers had given up on him and multiple reporters hinted at Roschon Johnson taking on more work. Johnson did have a decent role and scored a TD, but the work he took was the stuff that went to Khalil Herbert (short yardage) and Travis Homer (long down and distance) the first couple weeks of the season. Swift, meanwhile, took 67% of snaps and 23 touches for 165 yards and a TD. Herbert strictly played special teams, which would seem to make him a good trade candidate (Dallas, anyone?). He's worth hanging on to in deep leagues for the trade possibility.

The Broncos tried to get Tyler Badie more involved after his garbage-time success at Tampa Bay in Week 3, but Badie got shut down on his three early touches and then left with a potentially serious injury. After the first quarter, it was basically the same old familiar split between Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin, both of whom ended up with decent efficiency stats for the first time this season. Audric Estime (IR - ankle) wasn't my favorite prospect, but the Broncos seem to like him and this is the type of situation where anyone around could get a shot. Estime is eligible to return from IR in Week 6.

The Bengals gave Chase Brown way more playing time Week 4 (42% snaps) compared to previous weeks, potentially spelling trouble for Zack Moss even though he had 78 total yards and a receiving TD (17.8 PPR points) against Carolina. Brown scored two short rushing TDs, with both backs getting a pair of touches inside the 5-yard line. Moss had handled at least 65% of the snaps and 65% of RB opportunities in each previous game this year. While he's unlikely to lose the starting job soon, Moss could fall into more of a timeshare with Brown, which would make both of them questionable fantasy plays for weeks when they aren't facing Carolina.

Waivers Look-Ahead ±

If you're looking for a more comprehensive waivers article, RW's Kevin Payne has you covered. Here we're just taking a quick look at some RBs to target based on the work contained in this article and Monday's Box Score Breakdown. 

In order to qualify, the RB needs to be rostered in no more than 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Potential Short-Term Starters

1. Trey Sermon - 1%
2. Bucky Irving - 52%
3. Alexander Mattison - 33%
4. Rico Dowdle - 48%
5. Kareem Hunt - 35%
6. Braelon Allen - 52%
7. Tyler Allgeier - 23%
8. Justice Hill - 14%

Bench Stashes

1. Trey Benson - 31%
2. Emanuel Wilson - 14%
3. Tank Bigsby - 11%
4. Isaac Guerendo - 3%
5. Roschon Johnson - 27% 
6. Ty Chandler - 33%
7. Ray Davis - 11%
8. Jaylen Wright - 10%
9. Clyde Edwards-Helaire - 8%
10. Antonio Gibson - 17%
11. Tyrone Tracy - 3%
12. Audric Estime - 1%
13. Kendre Miller - 6% 
14. Jamaal Williams - 6%
15. Khalil Herbert - 14%

Drop Candidates

1. Gus Edwards
2. Carson Steele
3. Zamir White
4. Cam Akers
5. Blake Corum
6. D'Onta Foreman