Backfield Breakdown: Week 14 Recap & Week 15 Sleepers

This article is part of our Backfield Breakdown series.

The big dogs ate their fill this week, as did Seattle's Rashaad Penny, who now looms as the obvious Week 15 waiver target for RB-needy fantasy managers. There are a bunch of other backs with upside, but in nearly every case it depends at least in part on an unresolved injury/virus situation. The traditional fantasy-football thinking on depth — that it doesn't matter as much come playoff time — might not apply this year with COVID-19 causing so many additional absences on top of the usual injury mess.

Usage Leaderboards

Week 14

Doesn't include MNF. GL Looks = Targets + Carries inside the 5-yard line

Full Season

Doesn't include MNF. GLL/gm = targets +carries inside the 5-yard line

Week 14 Injury Report

Inactives

Elijah Mitchell (concussion/knee)

Darrell Henderson (thigh, reserve/COVID-19)

D'Andre Swift (shoulder) + Jamaal Williams (reserve/COVID-19)

Michael Carter (IR/ankle) + Tevin Coleman (concussion)

Tony Pollard (knee)

J.D. McKissic (concussion)

Mark Ingram (reserve/COVID-19)

Jalen Richard (reserve/COVID-19)

Chase Edmonds (IR/ankle)

Michael Carter (IR/ankle)

In-Game Injuries

Kareem Hunt left with an ankle injury. He's expected to miss Week 15.

Rex Burkhead left with a groin injury in the second half.

Giovani Bernard suffered an MCL injury and a hip strain.

Melvin Gordon sprained his thumb but returned and scored a second TD.

Austin Ekeler injured his ankle in the third quarter and missed the fourth.

Week 14 Red-Zone Report

Inside the 5-Yard Line

• Devin Singletary got three snaps inside the five but no looks. Same for Craig Reynolds.
  • Joshua Kelley got two IT5 snaps but no looks.

Red Zone Looks (carries + targets)

Week 15 Waivers & Sleepers

Picking from players rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo Leagues.

Waivers, Pt. 1 —Top Adds & Streamers

1. Rashaad Penny - 21% rostered
2. Tevin Coleman - 27%
3. David Johnson - 42%
4. Ameer Abdullah - 11%
5. Justin Jackson - 2%
6. Joshua Kelley - 0%
7. D'Ernest Johnson - 13%
8. Craig Reynolds - 1%
9. Royce Freeman - 0%
10. Larry Rountree - 1%

Waivers, Pt. 2 — Bench Stashes & Sleepers

1. Samaje Perine - 18%
2. Ronald Jones - 21%
3. Khalil Herbert - 21%
4. Devontae Booker - 24%
5. Matt Breida - 18%
6. Jordan Howard - 8%
7. Peyton Barber - 1%
8. La'Mical Perine - 0%

Week 15 Drops & Benchings

Drop'em

Zack Moss

Kareem Hunt

Jermar Jefferson

Alex Collins

Latavius Murray

Bench'em

Chuba Hubbard

Dontrell Hilliard & Jeremy McNichols

AJ Dillon

Week 14 Game-by-Game Breakdowns

Steelers (28) at Vikings (36) 

• Harris barely left the field for a second straight week, logging 96% of snaps after taking 97% in the win over Baltimore.
  • Harris got 129 snaps and 49 touches in a five-day span. Good thing he's a strong dude.
  • The 20-94-1 rushing line put Harris at 4.7 YPC, his second best mark in a game so far and just his second time above 4.13. He's at 3.7 for the year, 42nd among 51 qualified rushers.
  • Harris also had a receiving TD, his third of the year.

• Cook reclaimed his full role just four days after missing the loss to Detroit with a shoulder injury, and he ran for 205 yards and two TDs, falling one yard shy of a career high.

Saints (30) at Jets (9) 

• Kamara took 85% of snaps in the first half and 78% through three quarters.
  • He also got 13 of 20 snaps (65%) in the fourth (the game was somewhat closer than the final score)
  • Kamara finished with 27-120-1 and 4-25-0 on five targets.
• Jones was the No. 2 back with both Mark Ingram and Ty Montgomery on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

• With Michael Carter (IR/ankle) and Tevin Coleman (concussion) both out, Johnson finally got his shot in a lead role but took only six carries for 17 yards and dropped three of his seven targets (he did gain 40 yards on the four he caught).
• Perine was the No. 2 back and actually led the team in carries (seven for 28 yards), suiting up for the fourth time all year.
  • The 2020 fourth-round pick had just one carry and seven offensive snaps this season before Sunday's game.

Falcons (29) at Panthers (21) 

• Patterson was the lead back for most of the game, taking 64% of snaps through three quarters, with a 16-6 carry advantage and 5-4 target advantage over Davis.
  • Davis then narrowed the gap in the fourth quarter, playing 77% of snaps and taking seven touches for 28 yards.
    • Patterson got one snap and no touches in the fourth quarter, with Davis dominating work even after the Panthers made it an eight-point game with 3:11 remaining. Davis took four carries for 14 yards on the final drive, helping Atlanta run out the clock.

• Hubbard started and played 59% of snaps in the first half, with six carries for 14 yards and no targets.
  • Abdullah got 41% in the first half, with two carries for eight yards and one target.
• After halftime, Hubbard played only 23% of snaps but did pick up 19 yards and a TD on his four carries.
• Abdullah played 18 fourth-quarter snaps to Hubbard's three, with Carolina down by multiple scores for most of the period.
• Abdullah took eight of 11 snaps on third down, with Hubbard getting two.
• Reggie Bonnafon was called up from the practice squad but only played special teams.
• QB Cam Newton had a 10-47-1 rushing line despite missing 25% of snaps (he was removed in favor of P.J. Walker twice).

Raiders (9) at Chiefs (41) 

• With Kenyan Drake (ankle) out for the year and Jalen Richard on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Jacobs played 47 of the Raiders' 48 snaps (98%) through three quarters.
  • He had 9-24-0 and 5-46-0 on six targets, then sat out the fourth quarter.
  • Richard should be back for third-down work soon enough, but Jacobs should be busy to close out the season as long as the Raiders stay semi-competitive.
• Ragas and Barber split work in the fourth quarter. Neither played a snap before that.

• The blowout had a big impact on snap shares. Gore, in particular, played only 13% of snaps through three quarters, with four touches for seven yards.
  • Gore then took 100% of snaps (13/13) in the fourth quarter, taking seven touches for 81 yards and a TD.
• At the end of Q3, CEH and Williams had played 23 snaps apiece (43%).
  • CEH had 10-37-2 and 3-5-0 on five targets.
  • Williams had 2-8-0 and 3-31-1 on three targets.
  • That's 13 looks on 23 snaps for CEH, compared to five looks on 23 snaps for Williams.
    • Which was similar to the week before, when Edwards-Helaire had only three more snaps (29-26) but nine more carries (14-5) and the same number of targets (3-3 in the 22-9 win over Denver.

Cowboys (27) at Washington Football Team (20) 

• Elliott got 19 of 22 snaps (86%) in the first quarter, but after that, Zeke split work with Clement the way he'd been sharing with Tony Pollard (inactive/knee).
  • Elliott got 56% of snaps in Q2, 59% in Q3 and 50% in Q4.
• Elliott got 59% of third-down snaps, including 63% before the fourth quarter.
  • Those 10 snaps produced two carries and three targets for 22 total yards.
• After the first quarter, Clement had a 14-11 advantage in looks and 46-24 advantage in total yards.

• J.D. McKissic (concussion) missed a second straight game, after being listed as questionable. He could return as soon as Week 15.
  • Wendell Smallwood was called up from the practice squad for some passing-down snaps Week 13, but he was banged up in the process despite getting only three touches, and Washington didn't activate him for Sunday's loss.
• Gibson took 39 of 46 snaps (85%) through three quarters, before scaling back to 30% (six of 20) in the fourth).
  • Gibson even got 63% of third-down snaps, including 80% through three quarters.
  • If not for Washington falling behind by 20-plus points, Gibson might've topped 80% snap share for a second time in two weeks with McKissic absent. However, Patterson and Williams got more work in the fourth quarter, including Williams' one-yard TD to make it a 13-point game with 5:09 remaining.

Jaguars (0) at Titans (20) 

• The Jags fell behind early, couldn't maintain drives and never made much effort to run the ball. Robinson handled his usual allotment of snaps, but he carried the ball only six times for four yards and wasn't targeted on 27 pass snaps.
• Robinson played 74% of snaps to Hyde's 16% through three quarters.
  • In the fourth quarter, with Tennessee up by multiple scores, each of Robinson (41%), Hyde (35%) and Ogunbowale (24%) got playing time.

• McNichols got 15 of his 27 snaps and seven of his eight carries in the fourth quarter.
• Prior to the fourth quarter, Foreman led the trio in snaps (44%), carries (13) and targets (two).
  • Hilliard was at 39% with six carries and one target (for just 13 yards).
  • McNichols was at 23% with one carry and one target (for -5 yards).
• Foreman had an even larger advantage pre-halftime, with 49% of the snaps and 11 of the 15 RB carries, plus two of the four targets.

Ravens (22) at Browns (24) 

• Murray played 20 snaps but his only carry was a one-yard TD.
  • Much to the chagrin of Freeman's fantasy managers, with Devonta nearly setting a season high for snap share for a second straight week (he hit 68% the week before).
• Murray has seen just three carries and two targets on 19% and 27% of snaps the past two weeks, after getting 18 carries and two targets on 37% and 44% of snaps in his first two games back from IR (Weeks 11-12).
• Freeman has six straight games with at least 10 carries, 13 touches, 40 snaps and 49% snap shares, averaging 13.7 carries for 55.2 yards and 3.7 catches for 19.8 yards, with three TDs.

• Hunt injured his ankle and didn't play in the second half. Initial reports suggested he could've returned to the game, but it now seems Hunt will miss at least one game.
  • Johnson took 29% of snaps after halftime, with two carries for 11 yards and one catch for seven yards.
• The Ravens held Chubb to 17-59-0 and 3-6-0 on four targets.
• Chubb's workload didn't really change without Hunt. He got 65% of snaps and nine looks in the first half, followed by 67% snap share and 12 looks after halftime.

Seahawks (33) at Texans (13) 

• Penny got the start and rumbled for 16-137-2 in the lead role, scoring from 32 and 47 yards out.
• Penny's 47-yard TD came on his 16th and final carry, giving Seattle a 20-point lead.
  • At the time, Penny had 16 of Seattle's 21 RB carries and one of the two targets, with 65% snap share.
  • Collins got the final four carries of the game. Before garbage time, Collins took only four carries to Penny's 16.
• Adrian Peterson (back) wasn't called up from the practice squad, and it isn't clear he'd have had a role if he'd been healthy (Collins missed the previous game with a groin injury but returned this past Sunday and got eight looks off the bench behind Penny.)
• Penny took just three of nine snaps in the second quarter but otherwise played more than half the snaps in each frame.
  • Penny took 69% of first-down snaps, 67% on second down and 23% on third down.
• Dallas, filling in for Travis Homer (calf) again, got 54% of the third-down snaps.
• Seattle has home games against the Bears and Lions in Weeks 16-17.

• David Johnson landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday morning, leaving Freeman to share work with Burkhead, who then suffered a groin injury in the second half.
  • Johnson was then activated from the COVID-19 list Monday, potentially setting up a busy day Week 15 in Jacksonville.

Lions (10) at Broncos (38) 

• Reynolds came up from the practice squad and took the lead role, leapfrogging Igwebuike (a 27-year-old journeyman who has mostly been used on passing downs) and Jefferson (a rookie seventh-round pick who missed practice last week with an illness).
  • Jefferson took three snaps in the fourth quarter, but it is possible he'd have been inactive if the Lions had enough inactive slots to cover all their sick/injured players.
    • In other words, Reynolds is worth adding in deeper leagues, but this could be more of a three-man committee if D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (reserve/COVID-19 list) miss more time. Jefferson's lack of involvement may have been related to the illness.
• Igwebuike had 8-25-0 rushing and no targets, and he lost a fumble in the red zone late in the game. Not exactly impressive, while Reynolds acquitted himself well with 11-83-0 on the ground and 2-16-0 on two targets.

• Gordon returned from a one-week absence and jumped right back into a 50/50 split with Williams, who put up 15-73-1 rushing and caught one of two targets for a 10-yard TD.
  • Gordon also had a big game, with 24-111-2 making up for a lack of targets.
• The split was a little more in Williams' favor before the fourth quarter. He had 12 carries and a target on 53% of snaps, while Gordon had 16 and zero on 47%.
  • Gordon then took 58% of snaps and eight carries in the fourth quarter.

Giants (21) at Chargers (37) 

• Barkley's snap share sunk to 54% after 87% and 75% in the previous two games, but he did play 79% of snaps in the first half before Booker got more work post-halftime in the ugly loss.
  • And while Booker got most of the garbage-time work, Barkley cashed in with an 18-yard TD reception when the Giants were down 30 with less than five minutes remaining.

• Ekeler was removed in the third quarter with an ankle injury and deemed questionable to return. He was never officially ruled out from returning, but with the Chargers up big in the second half, Ekeler didn't reenter the game after he was spotted on the sideline midway through the third quarter having his ankle heavily wrapped.
• The Chargers are optimistic Ekeler will be ready for Thursday's home game against the Chiefs. If not, it's anyone's guess how backfield work will be divided between Jackson, Kelly and healthy scratch Larry Rountree.
  • Don't assume Rountree is the odd man out because of his inactive status Sunday. The Chargers have gone back and forth on that all year, with Kelley, Rountree and even Jackson all healthy scratches at various points this season.
  • The Chargers do seem to prefer Jackson over the others as a pass-catching option, which is typically Ekeler's role. That might sound promising, but Jackson is obviously no Ekeler, and isn't likely to see as many routes or targets even if he is preferred to Kelley/Rountree for pass downs.

49ers (26) at Bengals (23) 

• Elijah Mitchell (concussion/knee) was ruled out Friday, leaving Wilson, Hasty and Juszczyk to man the backfield, while practice squad call-up Brian Hill only played special teams.
  • Wilson got all 13 RB carries, but Deebo Samuel had an 8-37-1 rushing line and Brandon Aiyuk got one carry for four yards.
    • Wilson thus had 13 of the 22 non-QB carries (59%).
• Wilson got the start and played at least 45% of snaps in each quarter. He took 74% of snaps on first down, 71% on second down and 13% on third down, essentially occupying a lesser version of Mitchell's usual role.
• Juszczyk got a lot of the passing-down work, especially in the fourth quarter when he was clearly preferred over Hasty.
  • Juszczyk played 15 snaps as the lone back, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Plus he played 16 snaps with another back on the field.
  • Hasty played 13 snaps total.

• Mixon was held to 18-58-0 and 2-10-0, with 60% snap share his lowest since a Week 7 blowout win over Baltimore.
  • He missed practice with an illness during the week, but game script appears to have been the larger factor, given that Mixon played 22 of 30 snaps (73%) in the first half.
    • Mixon then dropped to 49% post-halftime, with Perine getting more work as the Bengals leaned on their passing game to erase a deficit.
• Perine took 13 of 13 snaps on third down, while Mixon got none.
  • That's the same as Week 13, when Perine logged 14 of 14 third-down snaps.

Bills (27) at Buccaneers (33) -- OT

• Zack Moss was a healthy scratch and Breida sparsely seen, while Singletary's snap share was a season high.
  • Moss was a healthy scratch for a second time in three games.
  • Breida might've seen more work (and Singletary less) if the Bills hadn't fallen behind early.
• If you watched the game, you probably know that Buffalo didn't have a carry by an RB until the third quarter.
  • Singletary finished with a solid stat line nonetheless, rushing for 4-52-0 and catching six of seven targets for 37 yards.

• Fournette has to be pretty high on the list for 2021 Fantasy MVP, though Jonathan Taylor and Cooper Kupp are still the favorites.
  • Fournette's a mid-round pick turned RB1, peaking at the right time
• Fournette has five straight games with double-digit carries and six or more targets.
• Fournette has topped 80 percent snap share and 22 PPR points in three straight games, including against two of the league's top defenses at shutting down RBs (BUF, IND).

Bears (30) at Packers (45) 

• Montgomery topped 80 percent snap share for a fourth time in five games since returning from IR.
  • He also got seven targets, his second most of the season after seeing nine from Andy Dalton the week before.
    • Prior to Sunday, Monty hadn't seen more than four targets in a Justin Fields start.
    • That said, five of his seven targets Sunday night came on the final two drives in garbage time.
• Williams returned from a calf injury, suiting up for the first time since Week 8 and sharing backup work with Herbert.
  • The Bears ran one wild cat play with all three RBs on the field. Apart from that, Williams played only six snaps and Herbert only five.

• Jones played 23 snaps (77%) in the first half but saw only three carries and two targets.
  • Jones then played just two of 10 snaps on Green Bay's first two drives of the second half... but the two snaps were a three-yard TD run and a 23-yard TD catch.
    • After that, Jones played only four more snaps all game and got one more carry. All in all, he played only 17% of snaps after halftime.
• Dillon took 77% of snaps in the second half, taking 12 carries after getting only three in the first half. He finished with 15-71-0 and no targets, while Jones put up 65 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight touches.