Running backs continue to reign supreme in fantasy football. While it feels like there are more elite quarterbacks and wide receivers than ever before, the number of consistent, reliable running backs is dwindling. This makes it all the more important to find value in running backs in fantasy football. To help you do that, each week I’ll be taking a look at a few backfields that stand out based on recent trends or new information we’ve learned.
Week 3 has now begun my favorite time of year in football, because we now have a good understanding of the good and bad teams in the league, but everyone still has something to gain. The same goes for fantasy: trade season has officially begun, as the 0-3 and 1-2 teams in your league look to make moves to save their seasons. With that in mind, here are some key backfield takeaways for the heart of the NFL season.
New York Jets
Breece Hall is in no danger of losing his role as RB1 on this Jets team, but I wanted to use this space to give some credit to Braelon Allen. Allen, the youngest player in the NFL, has blossomed into a legitimate contributor for the Jets over the past two weeks. He scored two touchdowns in Week 2 and was heavily involved in the game against the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Allen had 14 total touches to Hall’s 20 and ran for one more rushing yard despite playing just 32% of the snaps.
Hall is clearly still the alpha in this room, playing 71% of the snaps and being the only back to receive goal-line work thus far. However, Allen’s recent success means he should definitely be picked up by leagues if he’s not already on the roster.
Considering the Jets appear to be a solid offense, Allen has FLEX appeal because of how efficient he is with his opportunities. It stands to reason that if Hall were to miss an opportunity, Allen would immediately step into his shoes and be a top-10 weekly starter. I’d be willing to spend about 30% of my waiver wire budget on Allen (and more in deeper leagues) as he has an appealing combination of floor and ceiling.
Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Prediction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Denver Broncos
Back in July, I wrote that the Broncos had the most complicated backfield in football because they had four different players who could be the starter — Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estimé. I had no idea that a fifth challenger would enter the arena, as third-year back Tyler Badie led the Broncos in rushing yards on Sunday.
Badie ran for an impressive 70 yards on nine carries, while Williams (five carries, 12 yards) and McLaughlin (five carries, seven yards) were much less effective. McLaughlin also ran in a one-yard score after Williams was stopped in the same situation. I’d recommend picking up Badie off waivers this week, as he looked like the best running back of the three by far and could continue to lead the team in touches if the Broncos use the hot hand.
For now, I’d bench both Williams and McLaughlin, as I don’t have enough confidence in the Broncos’ offense to rely on either of them purely on short-yardage and goal-line work. I think this will continue to be one of the most unpredictable backfields in the NFL.
Green Bay Packers
Emanuel Wilson exploded in Week 3, totaling 85 scrimmage yards and a touchdown en route to a top 15 finish at the position. The Packers effectively alternated series between Wilson and starter Josh Jacobs, as Wilson played 42% of the snaps to Jacobs’ 51%.
With rookie MarShawn Lloyd placed on IR last week and AJ Dillon already ruled out for the year, Wilson is the Packers’ clear No. 2 back and, if nothing else, he’s valuable insurance for Jacobs. Wilson outpaced Jacobs in efficiency, rushing for five more yards on two fewer carries. He was also used in the passing game, turning a screen pass into an electric 30-yard score.
I expect the Packers to become less reliant on the running game once Jordan Love returns from his knee injury, which will likely limit the amount of valuable opportunities Wilson gets. However, he’s still certainly worth picking up this week as he seems to have established himself as a backup running back with some standalone value, similar to the aforementioned Braelon Allen. I wouldn’t be too worried as Josh Jacobs’ manager, but I still wouldn’t mind spending 10-15% of my FAAB budget on Wilson.
Dallas Cowboys
It appears the Cowboys are leaving Ezekiel Elliott out of their backfield committee. Rico Dowdle played 37 snaps to Elliott’s 13 in the Cowboys’ loss to the Ravens on Sunday, and had by far the most touches of the Cowboys’ running backs. Zeke saw even less work than fullback Hunter Luepke, who played 30 total snaps and had a dynamic 24-yard catch-and-run. Dak Prescott ran in the team’s lone goal-line carry, but Dowdle was on the field for the Cowboys’ 2-point attempt and appears to be the clear 1A of this running back room.
I doubt he’ll see enough volume to be a truly consistent starter, but if Dowdle can add some short-yardage work to his pass-catching profile, he could be a serviceable FLEX for your team. I wouldn’t mind buying Dowdle low (he shouldn’t cost you much at all) as he’s had solid usage numbers despite low fantasy point output. Elliott, on the other hand, is a no-go as he appears to be being phased out of the Dallas offense.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs offense has been under close scrutiny this week, as it has been unclear how they will distribute backfield carries with Isiah Pacheco out for the foreseeable future. After Sunday night’s game, undrafted rookie free agent Carson Steele has seemingly cemented himself as the Chiefs’ primary running back. Steele had 17 carries, converting them into a respectable 72 yards.
Veteran Samaje Perine had nine touches (six carries, three catches), but was on the field far less often than Steele — Perine played 28 snaps to Steele’s 46. Steele was also the only Chief to get carries on the goal line, though he failed to convert attempts from the three- and one-yard lines, which would have made his fantasy performance look a lot better.
The Chiefs did not sign Kareem Hunt from the practice squad, which adds a variable to the equation as Hunt figures to be a potential short-yardage threat with nine scores on the floor last season. Moving forward, I’d happily start Steele as a low-end RB2 as his usage has been extremely promising, but I’ll keep an eye on how Hunt is incorporated into the offense. I wouldn’t play Perine unless I was playing in a PPR league with deeper rosters.
