Week 8 in the NFL took place during Halloween weekend and some fantasy football players might have thought they were being tricked by the treat of getting to watch a couple of former highly regarded fantasy football RBs back in action. Yes, that was Alfred Morris carrying the rock for the Giants and D’Onta Foreman with five carries for the Titans. Tevin Coleman tricked us into believing that his knee injury had healed, and then he went and reinjured the same knee and had to be removed from his Week 8 matchup. Speaking of tricks, is Ezekiel Elliott really fantasy football’s RB37 in PPR scoring formats over the past three weeks?
In any case, it’s going to be another trying week for fantasy football managers as they try to determine which Packers RB to start with Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon both out on Thursday night, and what the Seahawks’ backfield will look like (see below) for their Week 9 matchup against the Bills. The Dolphins and 49ers backfields are both a mess as well.
Fantasy Alarm will keep you up to date on all the latest breaking fantasy football news as it happens. In the meantime, the following analysis provides a closer look at a few of the NFL backfields that deserve your attention. We hope that it helps you better manage your fantasy football team(s).
Indianapolis Colts
Some fantasy football managers who had Jonathan Taylor in their starting lineups in Week 8 were livid as Jordan Wilkins out touched and out produced the presumptive starting rookie RB. However, it appears that Wilkins’ increased role in Week 8 was due to what Colts head coach Frank Reich called “a little bit of an ankle injury”. Taylor tried to play through the injury but after playing 22 first half snaps against the Lions, he was only able to play four more in the second half. Wilkins, who according to Pro Football Focus, leads the NFL in missed tackles forced per attempt (0.31), is certainly a solid backup but Taylor’s fantasy managers should be comforted by the fact that his reduced playing time in the second half of Week 8 seems to be injury related and not performance related. Taylor hasn’t exactly taken the fantasy world by storm, but he hasn’t performed poorly enough to lose his starting job either. The question is, how serious is Taylor’s “little” ankle injury, and if it forces him to miss time will Wilkins be able to carve out a permanent regular role in the Colts’ backfield moving forward?
Kansas City Chiefs
Week 8 saw a worst case scenario play out for fantasy football managers who roster either Clyde Edwards Helaire or Le’Veon Bell. CEH played 50% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, compared to Bell’s 26%, but when it came down to actual touches, each had six carries and three targets. Bell’s Week 8 matchup against the Jets was touted as a revenge game, but it never materialized. For a time he and CEH split rotations but as the Chiefs’ Week 8 matchup against the Jets turned into a blowout, both were rested for almost all of the fourth quarter. Bell should be acclimated to the Chiefs’ offensive scheme by now, and the next couple of weeks will determine if the Chiefs’ backfield will be managed as a true 50/50 split moving forward.
Los Angeles Chargers
And then there were three…again. With Austin Ekeler sidelined since Week 4, Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley had been splitting time in the Chargers backfield, but Week 8 saw Troymaine Pope “burst” onto the scene with 95 total yards (10 carries for 67 yards and five catches for 28 yards). Jackson had 17 carries and it appears his role is still intact, but Kelley had just seven and only played 24% of the Chargers’ offensive snaps. For now, and it may change again next week, Jackson seems to be the safest play among the Chargers’ RBs. However, don’t expect much more than mid to lower RB2 range type of fantasy production in PPR scoring formats. It’s possible that Pope may have miraculously surpassed Kelley on the Chargers’ depth chart. Stay tuned.
Miami Dolphins
Week 8 saw the debut of the Tua Tagovailoa era in Miami, and while the Dolphins won, the rookie QB only attempted 22 passes. Fantasy managers rostering Myles Gaskins had to be optimistic that he would be able to retain his fantasy value as a pass catching back after he led the team with six targets in Week 8. Unfortunately that optimism quickly turned to pessimism once it was announced that Gaskin, fantasy football’s RB20 in PPR scoring formats, is expected to miss three games due to a sprained MCL. The Dolphins have a few options at RB. They can utilize Matt Breida , who has a 4.9 YPC average and 74 career receptions, a bit more. Jordan Howard has been a healthy scratch for three consecutive weeks, but was effective as a goal line back earlier in the season. They also acquired pass catching RB DeAndre Washington from the Chiefs at the trade deadline. If Week 8 is any indication, Tagovailoa is going to need to lean on his running game as he slowly develops as an NFL quarterback. The Dolphins ran the ball just over 52% of the time in Week 8, compared to their 45.02% season average. Using Breida as the team’s early down back, with Howard reclaiming his goal line role, and Washington playing on passing downs seems to be the best way to distribute the workload among the Dolphins RBs for the next few weeks. However, we’ll have to wait and see if head coach Brian Flores agrees.
Seattle Seahawks
With both Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde inactive for Week 8, and Travis Homer limited due to a knee injury, rookie RB DeeJay Dallas took the lead in the Seahawks backfield. Dallas played 79% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps and while he rushed for a disappointing 2.28 YPC (18 carries for 41 yards), he did score a rushing and a receiving TD. Dallas probably hasn’t permanently moved up the Seahawks’ depth chart as a result of his Week 8 performance, but the Seahawks may need him to lead their backfield again in Week 9, but we’ll have to wait and see. Head coach Pete Carroll, who’s notoriously tight lipped about his players’ injury statuses, will probably keep fantasy football players guessing about Carson or Hyde’s Week 9 availability until the 11th hour, like he usually does. By the way, has anyone seen Rashaad Penny lately? Fantasy Alarm will provide you with any updates as they become available.