This week’s fantasy football slate is full of interesting storylines and plenty of shifting backfield dynamics across the NFL. Managers will have to navigate a maze of committee situations and unpredictable workload splits to find value.

Whether you’re chasing upside or just looking for a safe floor, there’s no shortage of tough decisions ahead. Dive into the latest analysis to uncover which roles and trends could determine your fate as the race for the fantasy playoffs heats up.

Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN

Aaron Jones got the first carry last week in his return to action and has had a long week to prepare for this game physically, but this is a committee situation at best, and his recent profile looks more like a fall-forward back than one with any real upside.

Last 7 Games (Playoffs Included)

90.1% gain rate
4.2% 10+ yard gain rate

Getting past the line of scrimmage is a skill, and Jones still has that, but without much splash-play upside to speak of, splitting duties makes him a tough sell.

Jordan Mason doesn’t provide much competition in the passing game, and that’s where your hope rests. I expect them to be playing from behind this week, and for that to be a common theme over the next two months, but again, you’re gambling on a player without access to a real ceiling.

If you’re stuck, there’s a path to an ugly 10 PPR points, but I’d rather not look anywhere on this roster for value outside of Justin Jefferson.

Alvin Kamara | NO

Alvin Kamara has three straight games without a rush gaining more than seven yards, four straight with under 12 rush attempts, seven straight without a touchdown, and 48 straight without a 25+ yard rush.

Outside of that, all is well for those hoping that Father Time would wait at least one more year to sap the upside from this 30-year-old running back.

This offense is struggling to cross midfield, and without a profile that includes chunk plays or high-end volume, I’m not exactly sure how Kamara can reverse course on what has been a dismal season up to this point, aside from a trade.

The Rams are coming off their bye and have only allowed one running back to hit 15 PPR points this season. That was Christian McCaffrey in Week 5.

It’s hard to find a ton of running backs I feel great about at this point of the season, so it should tell you something that I still like the prospects of 25 RBs over what Kamara brings to the table in this matchup.

Some bust seasons come out of nowhere. This isn’t one of them. I argued that the writing was on the wall entering last season and proved to be wrong, but the foundation of that take was strong.

If you’re swimming upstream with a Kamara-led backfield, it’s because you opted to prioritize resume over reality, a mistake that has undone many a fantasy manager in the past.

Ashton Jeanty | LV

Ashton Jeanty has seen his yards per carry before contact increase from 0.19 to 1.12 in October, still an underwhelming number, but certainly a step in the right direction for the supporting cast.

Despite the improvements up front, the sixth overall pick doesn’t have a carry gaining more than 13 yards this month and is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry in those contests.

Let’s call this what it is: an uneven rookie season.

We were expecting greatness, and that’s clearly not in the cards for Year 1. Some weeks, we see explosive runs. Other weeks, we see a handful of targets.

Breadcrumbs are being laid, but not nearly enough for me to forecast top 10 value the rest of the way. Jeanty was overdrafted this summer, and the scar tissue from that could result in a nice post-hype price tag entering 2026.

We can cross that bridge when we get to it. For the rest of this season, Jeanty is to be viewed as a fine RB2 thanks to a stable role. The range of outcomes is broad, something that isn’t surprising for a strong prospect in an iffy situation, and should be accounted for as we move into the second half of the season.

Bhayshul Tuten | JAX

Travis Etienne hasn’t impressed, but the Jags haven’t been willing to expand Bhayshul Tuten’s role, and that has the rookie profiling as nothing more than a speculative handcuff at best.

We’ve yet to see him reach a 30% snap share, and he hasn’t cleared five touches in over a month. This is an above-average offensive line when it comes to run blocking, and that’s enough to keep my interest in a handcuff back should my roster allow for a stash player, but he’s certainly a cut candidate if you find yourself in a crunch.

Bijan Robinson | ATL

If the Falcons weasel their way into the postseason, could a 24+ point loss to the Dolphins and Panthers go down as the worst pair of outcomes by a playoff team in the history of the sport?

It’s subjective, obviously, but goodness does this Atlanta offense have a wide range of weekly outcomes.

Robinson was sucked into the vortex last week, recording just 5.8 PPR points, 10.3 points below his previous season low. It looked like he had a chance to turn the corner early in the second half after a 17-yard catch, but he lost his first fumble of the season on the next play, undoing almost all of the gains from the play prior.

He cost you this week, and you need to get over it.

Robinson is one of the best in the game, and this offense runs through him, no matter who is under center. A matchup against the only team yet to allow a running back to rush for 50 yards obviously isn’t ideal, but he doesn’t need to put up a big rushing day to help you.

Don’t get cute or fall for a trade offer as deadlines approach. You have a true game-changer on your roster and would be wise to hang onto him.

Blake Corum | LAR

If you’re really trying to get in the weeds, sure, as a big favorite, you talk yourself into flex appeal from a player in Blake Corum who handled 13 touches in Week 7 thanks to a 28-point win.

That work resulted in 5.3 fantasy points.

You’d be taking on a ton of risk by assuming a blowout (through two months — haven’t we learned not to assume anything?) without the certainty of efficiency.

Corum is a great handcuff, but that’s all he was. The former third-round selection is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and would be an interesting flex option if he walked into a 15+ touch role, but we aren’t going to get there as long as Kyren Williams is active.

Brashard Smith | KC

Brashard Smith has just one game this season with 5+ touches, and it was the Week 7 shutout of the Raiders, a game in which the starters were yanked before the third quarter ended.

We are still a little ways away from serious lineup consideration here, but the rookie does need to be rostered. Before not being used much last week, Smith had 3+ catches in four straight games, and that’s his path toward redraft value.

Isiah Pacheco runs as hard as anyone in the league, and Kareem Hunt is picking up red zone duties, but neither has made a massive impact as a pass catcher this season.

Smith averaged 10.2 yards per catch during his four-year college career and caught 39 balls in the one season he was used as a featured back.

It should be noted that we are having issues trusting any Chiefs running back these days, so asking Smith to elevate into the weekly conversation is probably a bit much, but a bailout option in a time of need?

I wouldn’t rule it out. Make sure he’s not still a free agent in all of your leagues now and hope to benefit later.

I wouldn’t rule it out. Make sure he’s not still a free agent in all of your leagues now and hope to benefit later. He’s a must-add if this backfield is at full strength, but it’s not. Isiah Pacheco is dealing with a knee injury labeled a “week-to-week” situation by some reports, which could open the door for Smith to see his snap rate spike.

If we can get a handful of carries and targets in a top 5 offense, Smith would project as a top 30 running back in PPR formats and completely viable flex.

Cam Skattebo | NYG

This one hurt to the core.

Losing a surprise weekly fantasy asset is one thing, but when someone seems to play the game with the joy that we play the fantasy version, and they suffer a devastating injury, it sticks with us.

Skattebo will miss the remainder of the season with a dislocated ankle. He entered Week 8 having run for 55+ yards in five straight games, matching the longest streak by a Giants rookie during the 2000s (Saquon Barkley did it in 2018).

He’s a player to watch when it comes to the recovery trail, as he did plenty to earn himself the top spot on this depth chart heading into the 2026 season. But his fun rookie season is now in the books, with Tyrone Tracy set to pick up the slack in an offense that has now lost their two most exciting skill position players to brutal injuries.

Chase Brown | CIN

It’s hard to say that we are all the way back on a running back after a week in which he didn’t lead his team in rushing and posted a modest 9.1% target share. But given where Chase Brown managers were B.F. (Before Flacco, for those not in the know), last week was a monumental step forward in the loss to the Jets.

12 carries
73 yards
1 rushing TD
3 catches
32 yards
1 receiving TD

He looked good from the jump. His first tote went for seven yards, and the third for 22. I’m going to stop shy of saying that he was playing at the level that we saw a year ago. But the high-IQ play of the day (a well-defended flea flicker that he opted not to blindly toss back to Flacco and instead turned a disaster into an 11-yard gain) was a reminder of the type of RB we were excited about back in August.

His performance on Sunday was better than his previous two best games combined this season, and there’s no denying that the change under center is raising all boats.

With Flacco: 23 carries for 181 yards
Without Flacco: 74 carries for 202 yards

Running backs with a versatile skill set have given the Bears issues this season (Jones, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Ashton Jeanty all cleared 15 PPR points against them), and I think we see more of the same in this suddenly wide-open attack.

Brown is a top-15 option for me at the position, and I think you’re set to be rewarded the rest of the way for not pivoting when times were tough.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS

This Washington backfield is struggling to sustain one RB I feel reasonable about, so there’s no need to handcuff this situation.

Chris Rodriguez has 27 rushes and a single target to his name in 2022. If Jacory Croskey-Merritt were to get injured, I think most of his role would shift toward Rodriguez, but we’d be talking about 80% of a role that is only useful some of the time.

You can find better ways to use your bench.

Christian McCaffrey | SF

Darn, he is human.

McCaffrey struggled last week, totaling just 9.8 PPR points, his worst game by nearly 13 points this season, and a nod to the Houston defensive front (nine carries for 25 yards).

You’re crazy if you’re making any sort of sweeping ranking changes as a result of this dud.

The 49ers trailed for every one of their snaps with a banged-up defense, a backup QB, two missing receivers (not to mention one playing with more broken ribs than I knew we as humans had), and playing in a fourth city in as many weeks.

So, yes, the house of cards eventually came tumbling down.

I’m not sure much of that changes this week, but betting against CMC is dangerous at best. He’s a script-proof back that has produced at (fantasy) MVP levels all season, despite having just one game with 60 rushing yards since the opener.

Nothing has changed in this profile, and nothing will. Unless he’s not healthy, McCaffrey is to be treated as a game-breaker at the highest of levels, even after a down week.

Chuba Hubbard | CAR

Chuba Hubbard, in the Panthers’ first series on Sunday, again held the snap edge and again failed to match Rico Dowdle in efficiency.

This backfield is at risk of being labeled insane (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result), and I don’t know what we can do to stop it.

There are a handful of situations like this across the NFL right now, and it’s a problem. We are looking at a situational committee where the success of certain drives dictates which RB finishes the week with the more valuable end of the split.

It’s simply impossible to project.

I can tell you that Dowdle is checking nearly every advanced box at a higher rate than Hubbard, but I’m not sure that means anything. Over the past two weeks, it hasn’t resulted in any change in usage, and, with this team — for reasons unknown and not motivated for a fresh look — I can’t sit here and tell you that Week 9 is when we get clarity.

Maybe we do, maybe we don’t.

What I can say with confidence is that this team has an implied point total hovering around 17, and that’s not enough for me to start either of their running backs if I can help it.

D’Andre Swift | CHI

D’Andre Swift carried four times for 23 yards on Chicago’s first drive of the game last week in Baltimore, but that proved to be more than half of his rushing yardage for the day as the game script worked away from Chicago, a bit of a surprise against Tyler Huntley.

It didn’t end up mattering too much because he ended up with a touchdown for a fourth straight week and over 4.5 points as a pass catcher for the fourth time in five games. It caught my eye that Kyle Monangai got the first carry of the second half and continues to weasel his way into just enough work to be annoying, but we are picking nits.

Swift is a stable piece in a Ben Johnson offense, and that’s good enough for me. He’s got 12 red zone touches over the past two weeks, so while Williams is seemingly taking a step backward, this offense is doing enough to keep Swift’s expected point totals high.

I might like him more than you (my RB11 this week), but there’s no denying that he’s a lineup lock in all formats given the matchup against the second-worst rush defense by EPA.

David Montgomery | DET

I don’t want to speak for you, but it took me far too long to acknowledge David Montgomery as a safe weekly option as a part of this Detroit attack.

He ran for 25 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Lions, and I missed out on a large chunk of them in fear that this was Jahmyr Gibbs’ backfield.

I was late to the party, but I haven’t overcorrected by hanging in there for too long.

It’s now the Gibbs show, and while I’m not going to compare this backfield to the one in Atlanta, I’m not sure it’s drastically different. Montgomery has just one game this season with more than 13 carries, is averaging under two targets per game, and entered the Week 8 bye with zero red zone touches in consecutive contests.

He’s not a lineup lock, especially not against a defense like Minnesota that likes to crowd the line of scrimmage.

Since the Week 3 explosion against the injury-ravaged Ravens, Monty is picking up 2.8 yards per carry, and the role doesn’t come preloaded with nearly enough work to make this profile tempting, even with it being attached to one of the better offenses in the game.

Isiah Pacheco | KC

The last three weeks have run out about as good as you could hope for Pacheco. The Chiefs have outscored their opponents 89-24, and he’s beginning to separate in a snap-share perspective.

And yet, we’ve been left wanting more.

Kansas City is so confident in its passing game that even its lead back isn’t getting past a dozen rushing attempts on a consistent basis. To my eye, Pacheco is running hard, but he’s yet to reach 60 rushing yards in a game this season and has caught two passes over his past three games.

I also don’t love that they continue to make this a committee situation early, almost asking a different running back to earn work.

First Drive vs. Commanders

Patrick Mahomes: 1 carry for 9 yards
Kareem Hunt: 1 carry for 5 yards (fourth down conversion)
Isaiah Pacheco: 1 carry for 3 yards (first offensive play)
Brashard Smith: 1 carry for 1 yard (fumbled, but recovered)

Pacheco is a middling RB2, even in a matchup that I happen to like for him (BUF: second most yards per carry allowed to running backs this season, a stat inflated by the Henry Week 1 game, but this is still the weaker portion of their front).

You’re looking at a lack of ceiling at the moment, and that’s what scares me more than anything. You don’t have much of a chance of “hitting big” in a profile that lacks goal line and receiving work.

Should this knee injury truly be a week-to-week situation, Hunt would move into the middling RB2 role with Smith profiling as a low-end PPR flex. With Buffalo struggling against the run and plenty of evidence that this team trusts Hunt in scoring position, I think he’d be a strong chalk play in DFS contests.

J.K. Dobbins | DEN

J.K. Dobbins has run for over 75 yards in six of his past seven games, and while the scoring has dried up recently (one TD in five games after scoring in three straight to open the season), he’s as good a bet for 15+ touches as there is, and that creates a nice production floor.

R.J. Harvey has looked the part when extended, but Sean Payton isn’t giving him more than a handful of opportunities in competitive situations by week.

If Dobbins picks up an injury designation or starts to struggle in a significant way, we can have the committee discussion. I actually think it’s more likely than not that we’ll have that talk at some point.

But not in Week 9.

The Texans have held both Henry and McCaffrey under 10 PPR points over the past month. This defense is as tough as it gets, which means we have to downgrade our expectations of Dobbins, but it’s not enough to knock him out of my top 20.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS

Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the lead back of an offense we believe to be above average.

That’s about all I got in terms of positive notes for Washington’s RB1.

JCM hasn’t scored during this three-game skid, has carried the ball 32 times since his last gain of 10+ yards, and has seven catches on the season.

If you’re blindly starting him, you’re overweighing his role. That’s not to say he can’t hit your lineup, but without any versatility, how much different is he really than the committee backs that we struggle with weekly in Seattle, Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, etc.?

If you want to play him when Daniels is active, under the pretense that this is now a 75th-percentile offense that comes with a handful of red-zone trips, I’ll listen. That fuels some upside, but the floor remains low, and if the script works away from him for any reason, you’re really drawing dead.

Croskey-Merritt is my RB27 this week, a part of a tier that keeps me up at night over the spots where I have to dip into it.

Jahmyr Gibbs | DET

Jahmyr Gibbs averaged north of five yards per carry as a rookie, and we wondered if he’d be able to sustain that efficiency when the volume ticked up.

Gibbs averaged north of five yards per carry in his second season, and we wondered if he’d be able to sustain that efficiency when the volume ticked up.

Gibbs is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season.

As it turns out, elite talents remain elite, no matter how much work you give them.

He’s run for six scores in his past six games and has caught 92.9% of his targets in this hyper-efficient offense that caters to his strengths. Gibbs scored six times, averaged over 6.7 yards per carry, and caught each of his nine targets in this matchup a season ago.

He was in more of a committee than he is now.

The Lions are a threat to score any time Gibbs touches the ball, and their lead back is a threat to lead the position in fantasy points in any given week.

This week is no different.

James Cook | BUF

James Cook deserves his flowers.

He ran for 216 yards through three quarters against a Panthers run defense that had actually played well up to that point, the fourth-largest total through three quarters in a game this millennium (those who topped him: 2002 Ricky Williams, 2006 Willie Parker, and 2018 Henry).

It looked easy.

The 64-yard touchdown was a “if you get past the line of scrimmage, you’re running until you hit the goal posts” design from Carolina, and he took full advantage on his way to his fourth game this season with 100 rush yards and a score on the ground.

MORE: Free Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer

Entering the week, I had an eyebrow raised at the lack of work in the passing game. That didn’t change in this spot (zero catches in back-to-back-to-back games), but a 31-point win isn’t going to require much to be done through the air.

I’m far more encouraged by his 5+ yards per carry in five of his past six games than I am concerned about the limitations as a receiver, but it should be noted, given just how versatile that top tier at the position is.

You got a great price on Cook this summer, and while this is a tough matchup, the Chiefs are on a short week, and I think it’s fair to say that this game means more to Buffalo than Kansas City.

Javonte Williams | DAL

Javonte Williams wasn’t left for dead by the fantasy community, but if we were universally sold on him, you’d have no idea who Jaydon Blue is.

He’s been great.

I’d argue better than great.

Williams has a touchdown or 5+ receptions in every single game this season, and while the per-carry efficiency comes and goes, his role as the unquestioned lead back in a high-powered offense is stable.

I think Dallas can look at their October results and switch up their priorities a bit. I don’t care about volume; we know the game script plays with those numbers, but in terms of efficiency, here are the splits for their four games this month.

Two wins: 35 carries for 251 yards (7.2 YPC)
Two losses: 26 carries for 70 yards (2.7 YPC)

There’s obviously some chicken-and-egg to those numbers, but if this team can create a balanced offensive environment, they can compete with anyone.

If not, they get run out of the building by 20 like last weekend.

That’s more of a macro take. In terms of Williams, you can feel great about locking him in this week — a statement I would never have guessed I’d be typing as we prepare for November.

Jaydon Blue | DAL

Jaydon Blue entered what we thought was an uncertain situation.

Not so much.

He received a promotion when Miles Sanders went down.

Doesn’t matter.

At this point, we have no idea whether the rookie is even a handcuff, since we only have a 23-touch sample size at the pro level.

It was encouraging to see the Cowboys look in his direction a little earlier than usual last week in Denver, but they fell out of contention too quickly to tell whether that was something to watch or a weird quirk of this specific game plan.

I’ll be monitoring his usage moving forward, but from a distance. This isn’t a player that needs to be tying up a roster spot during these tough times.

Jaylen Warren | PIT

The Steelers didn’t impress me much on Sunday night, but I thought Jaylen Warren ran reasonably well, and he continues to be a steady RB2 that you can trust weekly.

He’s certainly being used in more of a “traditional” role than I would have guessed preseason, but with multiple receptions in all six of his games this season, I’m not too worried about the juggernaut Colts scripting Pittsburgh’s bell cow out of this game.

Kenneth Gainwell has struggled outside of the game Warren missed, and Kaleb Johnson is an afterthought. You’ve got yourself a clear lead back in a conservative offense that needs him to be effective in order to thrive (Rodgers hinted at as much during the post-game press conference last week).

The upside isn’t elite because I don’t trust this offense to put up points in bulk, but be happy with your 10-12 points and keep it moving.

Jeremy McNichols | WAS

Jeremy McNichols caught a season-high five passes against the Chiefs on Monday night, and if you think the game script works that way in any given week, there’s some PPR potential to chase, but considering that his next game with five carries this season will be his first, it makes him a tough sell in anything but desperate situations.

Croskey-Merritt is pretty clearly the between-the-tackles option, and that’s the safer bet weekly. I tend to think that McNichols loses value with Daniels under center, as he is capable of tucking and running instead of dumping off a shallow route.

When he does that and gets into space, it’s a better math equation with another blocker.

McNichols had a nice performance last week and would be the RB2 I roster in Washington, but in most situations, I don’t believe he needs to be rostered.

Jonathan Taylor | IND

Jonathan Taylor was great last season, and, before Halloween, he has more rushing touchdowns this season than he did in 2021.

The 80-yard scamper was a work of art last week. If you want to put some of the blame on the angles taken by Tennessee defenders, you can. But that sort of thing seems to happen a lot when JT is carrying the ball, so I’m not so sure it’s a defensive issue as much as it is a walking mismatch at the running back position.

Every week, we talk about Indianapolis’s offensive regression, and seemingly every week, they beat us over the head with another ultra-efficient performance.

Maybe they are punching above their weight. Maybe this is a team that will fall short in the playoffs.

None of that matters right now. They’ve got a formula that the NFL can’t stop, and they aren’t afraid to lean into it.

Taylor is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, catching 92.6% of his targets, and scoring a touchdown once every 2.3 quarters.

If some of those metrics regress, or they all do a little bit, you’re still talking about a Tier 1 running back capable of carrying your team to glory. You’ve landed the golden player of the 2021 early rounds: how are you going to build around this beast to ensure you have a chance to raise a banner?

Jordan Mason | MIN

This is shaping up to be our favorite, the good old “roster both, start neither” backfield.

Ugh.

Jordan Mason has seen his yards per carry gained after contact dip in three straight games, and Jones’ return last week certainly doesn’t help the trajectory.

You can use game script as an excuse for last week (four carries for three yards), but two holes are begging to be poked in that argument.

First, the downside of a player who is at risk of seeing his stat line wander into the abyss based solely on the scoreboard. Regardless of what you think of Jones (I think he’s on the downswing in a reasonably significant way), his role floor is higher than that of Mason due to versatility.

Jones: Targeted 19% of his routes this season
Mason: Targeted 10.5% of his routes this season

Second is the schedule. I don’t think there’s a debate to be had about Mason’s limitations, so the fact that Minnesota has yet to play Green Bay or Detroit and has games against Goff, Dak Prescott, and Lamar Jackson is concerning.

Not every week is going to be as lopsided as last (37-10 loss), but the remaining schedule is an uphill battle, and that has Mason ranked outside of the flex tier for me.

Josh Jacobs | GB

His job isn’t in danger, and he ran for yet another touchdown, but Emanuel Wilson (11 carries for 61 yards) was gaining some of the tough yards for the Packers on Sunday night, not Josh Jacobs (13 carries for 33 yards).

I don’t think this sticks, but I’m also the person who thought this team would settle on Jayden Reed as their top target earner. I’m the person who assumed they drafted Matthew Golden with a plan.

Green Bay is pretty clearly a threat to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and maybe their distribution of responsibilities is a reason why.

Maybe not.

Jacobs is a hard-nosed running back who fits this system. He’s caught at least three passes in five of his past six games and already has nine rushing scores. Last week was a little goofy, and maybe the undrafted third-year back gets more work this week in a potential blowout spot, but when the rubber meets the road, I think you have one of the 10 best backs in the game that carries a nice combination of versatility and scoring equity.

It’s important to remember that the Packers had an early bye (Week 5) and might want to save some tread on their RB1’s tires. That’s obviously not ideal in the middle third of the season, but I expect the December version of this offense to look more like the September version (20+ touches for their RB1), and that could be what puts you over the top in your fantasy playoffs.

Kaleb Johnson | PIT

We got a report a month ago that the Steelers believed Kaleb Johnson would contribute before the season ended, but we’ve seen nothing to suggest that, and I’m done holding.

I think you’re better off trying to predict any trade that could happen at the upcoming deadline and investing down various depth charts in the hopes of striking gold. At this point, Johnson is a reminder that not all rookies are even remotely ready when they are drafted — and that’s all.

In two months, he’s gone from a popular value pick to a teaching utensil.

Kareem Hunt | KC

This backfield is moving away from Kareem Hunt when it comes to snap share, but as long as he is getting the valuable looks, he’s on our radar thanks to the potency of this offense as a whole.

Hunt played 54.5% of Kansas City’s red zone snaps and just 26.8% otherwise.

He’s a high-value fantasy option, and with five touchdowns on 70 touches this season, he’s cashing in.

The story here is going to be the same every week until something changes: touchdown chasing.

If he doesn’t score, you’re likely looking at under five fantasy points, but he comes preloaded with two-TD upside like we saw on Monday night with a pair of short scores.

Personally, I’m not going this route if I can help it, but as a backup option, he can make the most of limited work.

That math obviously changes with Pacheco likely sidelined for this week. If that’s the case, we get a 14-16 touch role with scoring equity, and that’s enough to justify starting him in all spots. Smith would also see his role ramp up, though I’d view Hunt as the clear two-down back with most of the scoring equity.

Essentially, Hunt would be what we’ve wanted Pacheco to be.

Kenneth Gainwell | PIT

Kenneth Gainwell had the big game in Dublin with Jaylen Warren sidelined, but outside of that, he’s meant more to the Steelers than to fantasy managers.

On Sunday night against the Packers, his only notable snap was a lost fumble (his first of the season), putting into question the minimum 6-8 touch role he currently holds for a team headed in the wrong direction.

We have proof that he is the handcuff, and we know he is a fluid route runner — two factors that keep him rosterable in all formats, given the structure of this offense.

That said, there’s no reason for him to be even close to your flex spot. I’m not crazy about betting on the featured parts of this Arthur Smith offense, no matter the accent pieces.

Kenneth Walker III | SEA

This is an old man yelling at clouds situation, and guess what?

The clouds? They never listen.

Kenneth Walker has his weekly moments, but NFL coaches love consistency, and if anything, Walker has been a consistent detriment.

He’s pacing to finish as a 20th percentile running back in terms of rush gain rate, something he’s done every season of his career up to this point. There’s a reason that the Barry Sanderses of the world are considered special: that home run-seeking style is hard to pull off.

Walker has been held under four yards per carry in three straight, held out of the end zone in four straight, and has just five catches in six games since catching three balls in Week 1.

We can beg for more work, but he hasn’t really earned it. Giving him more work would encourage a style that has been a net negative for going on five seasons. There is raw talent here, no doubt, and maybe we get a taste of that this weekend.

Or maybe we don’t.

The fact that we can’t count on him carries over to the coaching staff, and that’s why I have a hard time penciling him in for over 15 touches in any single game. The touch count is close enough to that of Zach Charbonnet, so I’ll continue to rank him a touch higher because I have to account for the potential of a splash play, but I don’t feel great about playing him as an RB2 this week.

Or, to be honest, any week.

Kimani Vidal | LAC

Hassan Haskins (hamstring) sat out on Thursday night, and Joe Alt (ankle) was back in the mix, creating a perfect storm around the value of Kimani Vidal.

He paid it off in a big way with 127 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings.

When Omarion Hampton went down, we assumed the role would be a committee one. But with 18+ carries and 117+ rushing yards in two of three games (the exception being a game against the Colts, when the Chargers were playing catch-up for most of the afternoon), this is a bellcow situation.

For now.

This is the final week of Hampton’s mandated absence, and while he’s expected to be sidelined a bit longer (Los Angeles goes on bye in Week 12 if you’re curious), Vidal’s role isn’t going to get you through the playoffs.

We can worry about that situation when we get there. I’m all for looking long-term, but Vidal was found value when you acquired him off waivers, and you’re simply in the business of squeezing as much juice out of him as you can.

He’s a lineup lock this weekend, and I don’t think your confidence in him should hinge on the availability of Haskins. In his two games with double-digit carries, a safe projection for Sunday with the Bolts favored by more than a touchdown, Vidal has produced big post-contact numbers. This skill set projects well against a Titans defense that has been a bottom-10 unit in that regard all season long.

Thinking that Vidal will flirt with 20 PPR points is probably a touch optimistic, but 13-16 is a solid bet, and we will take that every week.

Kyle Monangai | CHI

Welcome to Kyle Monangai’s Cheat Sheet life as the seventh-round rookie who has touched the ball 22 times over the past two weeks and appears to be a piece that Ben Johnson is interested in exploring as he tries to get this ship pointed in the right direction.

Do I think he holds stand-alone value right now or that he has a real shot to unseat D’Andre Swift as the lead back in town?

I do not.

Could the former happen as soon as next week (vs. NYG) should he take advantage of what projects to be an 8-10 touch role in a great spot?

I think so.

He’s handled five red zone touches in the three weeks coming out of the bye and has seen 16 of his 42 carries (38.1%) pick up at least five yards this season.

Swift is running well, but it’s clear that Williams is going to need all the help he can get, and if a 5’8″, 207-pound back that scored 14 times last season at Rutgers offers a specific skill that is NFL-ready, I’m confident that Johnson will pull it out of him.

Rosterable but not playable.

Yet.

Kyren Williams | LAR

A narrow range of production outcomes isn’t a bad thing in most situations, and that’s what we’re seeing from Kyren Williams on the ground.

In five of seven games, the lead Ram has given us 50-66 rushing yards, and that’s … fine? He doesn’t have big play ability via the handoff (one regular season run of 25+ yards since the beginning of last year), and he’s down a full red zone touch per game from last season, leaving him very much without the upside we thought we were signing up for in the third round.

He’s caught multiple passes in six straight games and is picking up at least five yards on 42.1% of his carries, a nice increase from his 36.4% rate a season ago. All hope is not lost, especially not when you consider that Chase Brown and Omarion Hampton held a similar ADP in August, but I’ve lost faith in him as a week winner.

This is obviously a good spot where the game script should lean in his favor. But with the 49ers, Seahawks, and Bucs up next, I’m not sure we’ll see a ton of that over the next few weeks. Enjoy this game … and consider moving on to better position yourself for the stretch run should he offer up a top 10 week.

Nick Chubb | HOU

Nick Chubb handled a season-high 17 carries on Sunday against the 49ers and celebrated by posting his fourth effort in five games without a gain of 12 yards.

I don’t like the word “washed,” but it’s clear that not only are Chubb’s best days behind him, but that Wood Marks offers a level of burst that the 29-year-old is a few knee surgeries removed from.

A flip in touch distribution feels close to inevitable, but you can’t cut ties with Chubb until we see it. If Houston can get some good luck on the health front at receiver and Marks plays a role in an upset win over Denver, we could be having the “does Chubb need to be rostered” conversation in this space next week.

Ray Davis | BUF

Ray Davis benefited from the blowout nature of Buffalo’s 40-9 win over Carolina and matched a season high with nine carries.

They went for 16 yards.

James Cook produces at the levels he does because he is special, so even if he were to get hurt, it wouldn’t be as simple as transferring his work onto Davis. He’s still the handcuff to own, but he’d be more of a low-end RB2 if pressed into a significant role.

You can hold him if you have room, but if every position needs weekly utility because of your spot in the standings, this is the type of player you can move on from.

Rhamondre Stevenson | NE

The Falcons struggled to slow the mighty Dolphins last week, so I guess you could talk yourself into Rhamondre Stevenson taking advantage of his role. Still, we have a reasonable sample size showing that he cannot do that.

Over his past four games, not a single one of Stevenson’s 57 touches has gained more than 17 yards, and he’s failed to catch more than two balls in five straight games.

In short, he’s done nothing to earn his coaching staff’s trust, yet he can’t seem to lose his bellcow role (over 70% snap share in three straight).

I don’t like the projection, but until we see something different, the 16 touches per game he’s been averaging over the past three games seems here to stay. Due to the surrounding matchups, even I can’t knock Stevenson out of the RB2 conversation: there just aren’t enough lead backs to justify benching New England’s bellcow that appears to have a bulletproof role that doesn’t hinge on his performance.

That said, we are looking at a toe injury that has been an issue at practice this week. I’d keep an eye on this situation with reports swirling about New England’s interest in adding RB depth at the deadline. This game is in the first wave on Sunday, so you have pivot options if needed.

Rico Dowdle | CAR

This is worse than a full-blown committee; it’s chaos.

Last Two Weeks (Since Hubbard Returned)

Rico Dowdle: 25 carries for 133 yards
Chuba Hubbard: 26 carries for 65 yards

If we had known this was going to be a 50/50 split, we could have worked around it. We wouldn’t like it, but we’d know what to expect.

But this isn’t that. This is a drive-by-drive setup that carries the potential for unpredictable usage patterns if one RB happens to be on the field for a high percentage of successful drives.

Of course, how a running back runs plays into that, but it’s not the only factor (the carries were divided 5-5 through the first four drives last week). Carolina is a double-digit underdog in this spot, and that puts all rushing production in trouble.

I prefer Dowdle if I’m splitting hairs, but neither is a top 20 option for me this week because I have no confidence in our ability to forecast where the opportunities are going. I’m OK playing the most explosive Panther over Alvin Kamara or David Montgomery if you’re fed up with how the veterans are performing. However, you should enter this situation with eyes wide open: the range of outcomes is wide.

RJ Harvey | DEN

It’s easy to fall in love with the production line last week against the Cowboys (51 yards and three scores on eight touches), but wouldn’t your high school GPA look better if you were asked to take third-grade level tests?

The rookie scored on a 40-yard dash early, a pitch that saw him hit the hole at full speed and never slow down. Harvey has looked great twice this year, in home games against Cincinnati and Dallas.

Until Sean Payton gives us a glimpse of a power shift from Dobbins to Harvey, I don’t think you can reasonably make a move. The lead back more than doubled the snap count of his backup in the first half while the game was reasonably close, something that is consistent with how this offense has functioned up to this point.

If you have Harvey, keep him rostered. If not, I wouldn’t go crazy to make it happen. Harvey is a talented player in a good offense, but it’s pretty clear that he’s not in a position to work into a greater role and thus would need an injury to project as a viable flex.

Tony Pollard | TEN

Tony Pollard is fine, and fine isn’t going to cut it when you have a younger back breathing down your neck.

Pollard wasn’t great when Tyjae Spears was on the shelf to open this season, but he didn’t need to be; he was the only man for the job. He averaged 16.4 carries per game through the first five weeks, a role that was given, not earned (one 15+ yard rush on 82 attempts).

With Spears back, Pollard hasn’t reached a dozen carries in three straight and is trending in the wrong direction for a player with an out in his contract after this season. This isn’t even a Spears thing as much as it is a roster construction thing.

Cam Ward is viewed as the future of this franchise, and his meshing with a 24-year-old back is worth more than his getting comfortable with a 28-year-old.

Pollard should remain rostered in all formats due to his proximity to a 15-17 touch role, but he’s my RB2 in Tennessee moving forward, and that puts him outside of my top 30 when evaluating his value league-wide.

Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX

We’ve got the Travis Hunter usage moving in the right direction, but outside of that, it’s difficult to find room for optimism in Jacksonville these days.

Etienne was one of five Jaguars to log a carry in the first half of their Week 7 blowout loss against the Rams, and that distribution of work, along with the game script, resulted in a third straight game with 12 or fewer carries for their lead back.

That’s a tough sell.

He’s seen 12 targets across those three games, and that’s a start, but they’ve yielded just 12.8 PPR points. It’s clear that this team is taking on water, and that could mean an exploration into Bhayshul Tuten (4-6 touches in five straight games) sooner than later.

Even if he retains the lead role, if we are topping out at 15 touches in a below-average offensive environment, it’s difficult to get excited.

As long as he holds the lead role, he’s going to be on the flex radar, if for no other reason than we saw him have success in September. That said, for me to feel good about him retaining this role, he needs to take advantage of this plus-matchup off the bye.

TreVeyon Henderson | NE

TreVeyon Henderson more than doubled the rushing output of Rhamondre Stevenson last week on fewer touches. Still, he played under 22% of the offensive snaps for a second straight week, and with New England continuing to rattle off victories, this coaching staff is starting to profile as the superstitious type.

I understand it for fans. If my team wins because I wore a shirt, by all means, lean into it. I think we are all rational enough people to understand that my clothing doesn’t impact play.

But for this coaching staff to lean into a lesser running back to keep the vibes steady seems … odd. This is like eating ice cream for dinner every night, getting a clean report from the dentist, and assuming that the ice cream habit helped fuel that positive check-up.

Your dental health and the success of this Patriots team are happening despite the bad habit; quitting it would only strengthen the future outlook.

But no, we can’t rock the boat.

On the first drive last week, Stevenson had zero yards on three carries while Henderson had multiple gains of 12+ yards. If we had any hope of a hot-hand situation, we would have seen a proof of concept last week, but that’s clearly not in the cards.

Henderson did lose a fumble in garbage time last week, but if this team remains consistent, their RBs don’t get punished for a lack of ball security.

This is a frustrating situation for fantasy managers because we think we’re reading it correctly, but aren’t getting the desired results.

I’d love to project change, but I can’t. Not at this point. Henderson is off my flex radar … provided that Stevenson (toe) plays. Should that not be the case, Henderson shifts right into the lead role and holds RB2 value for this week.

In this situation, the most important note would be his potential to earn work moving forward. We know Stevenson is seemingly unable to lose his role in on-field production, but if he’s watching the rookie show out, we have a chance to get optimal usage in the final two months.

Trey Benson | ARI

We knew there was a knee thing bugging Trey Benson coming out of Week 4, but we got news that arthroscopic surgery was required and that a trip to IR was the team’s decision.

Initial reporting has Benson potentially returning when first eligible in Week 10 against the Seahawks, good news for those who hoped that, following the James Conner injury, they had a bellcow at a bargain.

Game script factored in, but he wasn’t used in the same dominating fashion that Conner was, more serving as the plus-side of a low-end committee than a true feature back.

That’s about what I’m expecting when he comes back, though this window does give Michael Carter a good chance to prove capable of handling more two-down work, including a juicy matchup in Week 9 with the Cowboys.

Before landing on IR, Benson had back-to-back 13-touch efforts, both coming in losses. The volume isn’t going to overwhelm, though I do think he’s the favorite to end this season with the lead role in an above-average offense that will benefit from a game against the Bengals in Week 17.

I’m holding and considering a low-ball trade offer, should the manager with Benson be fighting to keep their season on track.

Tyjae Spears | TEN

This is about as committee-like as a committee can get, but at least we have some signal to lead us.

Weeks 6-8

Tyjae Spears: 50.8% snap share, 58 routes, 29 touches
Tony Pollard: 49.2% snap share, 50 routes, 36 touches

Last week, albeit in a blowout defeat, the Titans made a reasonably quick move to Spears. After Pollard handled six of eight first-quarter backfield snaps (5-0 edge in touches), it was Spears operating as the RB1 the rest of the way (12-7 touch edge, including 4-1 inside the 20).

His vision and patience were showcased on a 41-yard gain in the second quarter, a play we would have preferred he finish with a TD, but it was still the type of highlight that stands to earn him playing time as Tennessee shifts its focus from 2025 to 2026 and beyond.

Pollard is pacing for a career-low yards-per-carry, so while Spears already appears to be the preferred option as a pass catcher, don’t be surprised if this turns into Spears’ backfield with Pollard moments, rather than the other way around.

I had Spears ranked as a reasonable flex and Pollard on the backend of that tier in Week 8, and I saw nothing to back me off of that general feel entering Week 9.

Tyler Allgeier | ATL

Tyler Allgeier cashed in a garbage-time carry, so if you played him last week in hopes of such a thing, you got there, even if the garbage time was the polar opposite of your expectation.

He’s a good handcuff in a sporadic offense, a combination that gives him zero weekly utility and means he’d carry some risk even if he were to land the lead role.

He’s ranked easily outside of my top 35 this week: if you’re in a super deep league, I’d rather roll the dice on the boom/bust receivers that are widely available, even in formats like that.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG

Tyrone Tracy is projected to be the beneficiary of the unfortunate Skattebo injury. While he should be rostered across the board, I don’t think we are locking him in anywhere if we can avoid it.

Over his past 12 games, Tracy has produced 13% below expectations and has been nearly four times as likely to get stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage as he is to rip off a 10+ yard carry.

We saw some glimpses of versatility last season, and he’ll be the leader in this backfield. But he’s a different player than Skattebo, and that makes it unreasonable to extrapolate “Giant RB1” numbers his way.

I’m not scared of this matchup and have Tracy ranked as a run-of-the-mill option given his projected volume. He’s basically Etienne for me: a featured piece of an offense with a wide range of weekly outcomes that will have as many standout performances as duds.

Woody Marks | HOU

Woody Marks is stuck in this weird timeshare situation with Chubb, where Houston seems to be stuck between veteran deference and curiosity.

Chubb was on the field Sunday for one more snap than Marks, but the rookie nearly doubled him in routes and earned three red zone touches to the “lead back’s” one.

For the season, Marks is averaging 15.8% more PPR points per game despite having 0.5 fewer expected points by way of his touches, a trend alone that should have this backfield swinging in his favor.

I just don’t see that happening in the short term, which makes both flex players riskier than they’re worth. Chubb has an 85% gain rate, but that’s more of a falling-forward stat for him at this point in his career (6.3% 10+ carry percentage). Marks, on the other hand, checks in with a 75.4% gain rate with a 10.5% 10+ carry percentage.

Sound familiar?

Chubb is Hubbard to Marks’ Dowdle, the Zach Charbonnet to his Walker.

This is a messy situation that is projected to stay that way until either a drastic shift in philosophy or an injury occurs. I’m not expecting either of those things entering Week 9, and that’s how both are comfortably outside of my top 25 (if you roster both, I have Marks half a dozen spots higher for the same reason I have Dowdle as the guy in Carolina and Walker in Seattle: splash plays).

Zach Charbonnet | SEA

Isn’t Zach Charbonnet essentially Allgeier?

Not from a role standpoint — obviously, one has Robinson on his team and the other doesn’t — but both are plodding backs who aren’t the least bit exciting and can cash in when given the chance.

Through six games played this season, Charbs had 205 rushing yards and six catches, while Allgeier had 203 rushing yards and three catches.

Seattle’s starter is getting the red zone work over Kenneth Walker (22-16 edge in red zone touches despite one fewer game played), but he doesn’t have a touch picking up more than 15 yards or a three-target effort this season.

You can play Charbonnet and know what you’re getting. There’s comfort in that, but it requires you to build a good roster around him, because you’re sacrificing ceiling.

Soppe’s Fantasy RB Start-Sit Week 9 Players Include D’Andre Swift, Kimani Vidal, Alvin Kamara, and Others