Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown continues to earn a significant amount of work alongside Zack Moss. Could he immediately take over the backfield as the team’s true RB1? (AP Photo/Carolyn Custer)
Running backs continue to be the king of fantasy football. It feels like there are more elite quarterbacks and wide receivers than ever before, while the number of consistent, reliable running backs is decreasing. This makes it all the more important to find value in running backs in fantasy football. To help with that, I’ll be taking a weekly look at backfields that are gaining attention based on recent trends and new information we’ve learned.
Eight weeks into the season, it’s amazing how complicated the standings have become. The Patriots are 2-6 in the AFC and are somehow two games away from making the playoffs, while 11 of the 16 teams in the NFC are above .500. Given this level of parity, it starts to be a very fun period of the season as we see which teams are serious about making the playoffs. Here are some key takeaways from the backfield from Week 8 onwards, with an emphasis on teams looking to turn things around.
cincinnati bengals
It looked like Zack Moss would lead the Bengals in the first quarter of the season, but things have changed recently. Chase Brown has been used much more than Moss in recent weeks and is set up as the 1A of Cincinnati’s backfield for the second half of the season.
Brown has had double-digit carries for five straight weeks and has been the RB12 during that span. Although his usage of the passing game has been a little less pronounced than expected, Brown seems to be receiving most of the high-value touches in this offense, which makes him a viable asset. This is still a confusing situation as Brown and Moss actually split reps 50/50 based on snap count. Since Week 4, there has only been one game in which either Brown or Moss played five or more snaps than the other.
From now on, it would be safe to start Brown as a low-end RB2 and keep Moss on the bench. Brown isn’t involved in pass catching, so his ceiling is limited, but he should have enough volume to be a reliable fantasy starter. At 3-5, the Bengals need to be in near-perfect shape to live up to their lofty expectations in the playoffs, and I expect Brown to play a big role in providing that offensive spark. Moss is not playable at his current volume and will need to be a legitimate threat through the air if he wants to coexist well with Brown in fantasy.
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miami dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa returned from five weeks on IR due to a concussion and immediately reinvigorated the Dolphins’ sluggish offense. Although the Dolphins lost to the Cardinals, they scored a season-high 27 points and were very friendly to running backs.
Devon Ashen returned to form, efficiently gaining 97 yards on 10 carries and had six catches for 50 yards and a score on a whiff. Raheem Mostert was effective himself, scoring twice near the goal line. Acherne and Mostert appear ready to split time roughly evenly in this backfield. On Sunday, Achan played 38 snaps to Mostert’s 30 and had just one more carry.
Thankfully, Tagovailoa’s return means Achan can thrive as a top-10 running back even if he doesn’t dominate the snap share. Acherne’s work in the passing game this year has been especially valuable, and his explosiveness gives him an exciting floor and ceiling combination. He would also be comfortable playing Mostert as a spot starter. He’s pretty inefficient and has little ability as a receiver, making him a bit reliant on touchdowns, but betting on Tagovailoa’s Dolphins scoring a touchdown isn’t the worst thing in the world. Preseason darling Jalen Wright appears to have been cast to the side, but if both Aschen and Mostert are healthy, he could be safely dropped anywhere but the deepest leagues.
las vegas raiders
Alexander Mattison has completely surpassed Zamir White in the Raiders’ offense and is now the Raiders’ primary running back. This is a pretty surprising development, considering White was already a fifth-round fantasy draft pick before the season.
Mattison has actually been pretty reliable in fantasy since taking over the starting role, thanks in large part to his overwhelming volume. He has averaged over 15 carries per game over the past four weeks and was RB22 during that stretch despite running just 2.7 yards per carry. White, on the other hand, has been almost completely absent from the offense since returning from injury in Week 6, with just five carries total. White hasn’t been able to make an impact in the passing game, so to be honest, he could be considered a No. 1 player. He was the third running back in this offense behind Mattison and Ameer Abdullah.
Mattison has moved into FLEX territory, so I don’t think it would be a problem to start him in a pinch. Although I don’t recommend watching him play, Mattison should be good enough to safely score 10 points each week. But his upside is clearly severely limited by the Raiders’ offensive line’s incompetence. White is definitely a droppable player right now, and I expect his 32% Yahoo roster tag to drop precipitously in the coming weeks.
denver broncos
After a merry-go-round of different running back options, the Broncos appear to have finally settled on their preferred method of running back, as they continue to exceed expectations. Javonte Williams is the team’s top running back, typically playing about 60% of the snaps and averaging about 15 carries per game. Jaleel McLaughlin serves as a change-of-pace option, with his snap share typically being 30% on 10 touches or less. In fact, McLaughlin has been more effective than Williams, boasting higher grades in yards per carry, missed tackles per carry, and breakaway runs. With Audric Estime barely playing and Tyler Badi on IR, Williams and McLaughlin are the only fantasy relevant players in this backfield.
Williams has established himself as a low-end RB2 play every week, and I think he’s a superior version of the aforementioned Alexander Mattison. The Broncos’ offense isn’t great enough to catapult Williams to stardom, but he’s an underrated option against a softer defense.
The Broncos are a quiet 5-1 in their last six games and will need to rely on Williams to help Bo Nix make a playoff run. McLaughlin is a worthy addition to the roster, but he is not a starter at this time. I would like to see him more involved in the passing game, as the Broncos could be in a pass-first game scenario against the Ravens, Chiefs, and Falcons. For now, though, McLaughlin will remain on the bench.
seattle seahawks
Zach Charbonnet had 45% of the snaps on Sunday, while Kenneth Walker II had 55%, which was a change since Walker usually dominated the snap share when healthy. . The Seahawks are coming off a big loss to the Bills and may have wanted to avoid injury to Walker, so there’s likely not much to be gleaned from this.
I’m not worried about Walker’s fantasy value at all and still treat him as a top-15 option every week, but I also want to check the waiver wire this week to see if Charbonnet is available. He provides some value as a pass catcher and was elite even when Walker missed time, so he should definitely be rostered in all formats, but is available in 50% of the league.
