Backfield Breakdown: RB Usage Report & Week 3 Waivers Preview

Running backs have dominated fantasy scoring through two weeks, with cumulative production similar to recent seasons while QBs, WRs and TEs lag far behind. Twenty-two RBs scored double-digit PPR points in both Week 1 and Week 2, including consecutive 20-point performances from Alvin Kamara, De'Von Achane and J.K. Dobbins. 

There's a lot to sort through this week between injuries and role changes, highlighted by some not-so-promising developments for top players at the position. Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor each topped 100 total yards, but they did so while ceding far more snaps and touches to backups than they had Week 1, which suggests McCaffrey-esque workloads may not be in the cards.

You'll find details on that and more below, after we kick things off with all the latest injury news...

Injury Report 🚑

New Injuries

Isiah Pacheco (fractured fibula / expected to miss 6-8 weeks)

Joe Mixon (ankle / day-to-day)

Rachaad White (groin / day-to-day)

Tyjae Spears (ankle / day-to-day)

Tank Bigsby (shoulder / day-to-day)

Jeff Wilson (oblique / day-to-day)

Pierre Strong (hamstring / week-to-week)

MarShawn Lloyd (IR - ankle / eligible Week 6)

Pacheco won't play again until at least November, leaving Carson Steele and Samaje Perine as Kansas City's healthy running backs. The Chiefs are bringing Kareem Hunt in for a workout with plans to sign him to the practice squad, and they may get Clyde Edwards-Helaire back at some point (he's been struggling with PTSD and is on the NFI list through at least Week 4).

Mixon and White suffered less serious injuries, both returning to their respective games after exiting, although Mixon then came out again and was replaced by Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale. Bucky Irving is the clear beneficiary if White doesn't play Week 3 against Denver, while Houston's situation is far more complicated in light of Dameon Pierce missing Week 2 with a hamstring injury and Akers losing a fumble near the goal line.

The other RBs listed are all backups, and early reports sound favorable for all besides Strong and Lloyd. Those injuries are mostly worth tracking because they could lead to larger Week 3 workloads for starters Tony Pollard, Travis Etienne, Josh Jacobs and De'Von Achane, not because any of Spears/Bigsby/Lloyd/Wilson should be in a fantasy lineup.

Missed Week 2

Kenneth Walker (oblique / week-to-week)

Raheem Mostert (chest / no IR expected)

Dameon Pierce (hamstring / week-to-week)

Christian McCaffrey (IR - Achilles / eligible for Week 6 return)

Audric Estime (IR - ankle / eligible Week 6)

Nick Chubb (PUP - knee / eligible Week 5)

Jonathon Brooks (NFI - knee / eligible Week 5)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (NFI - illness / eligible Week 5)

Kendre Miller (PUP - hamstring / eligible Week 5)

McCaffrey's placement on IR overshadows everything else, and it sounds like he's in serious danger of missing time beyond the minimum. Achilles tendonitis can take months to heal, and his failed attempt to gear up for Week 1 may mean restarting the rest/recovery process. Jordan Mason has filled in more than capably, at least in the running game, opening the year with back-to-back performances of 20-plus carries, 100-plus rushing yards and a TD. With WR Deebo Samuel (calf) now expected to miss multiple games, the 49ers may also start to get rookie Isaac Guerendo involved in the running game a bit.

Walker and Mostert were the other key Week 2 absences, apart from guys that started the year on injury lists, and while it's unclear if either will be back for Week 3, they at least seem to be avoiding IR. Zach Charbonnet played 95 percent of Seattle's snaps in a win over the Patriots on Sunday, while De'Von Achane got "only" 63 percent of Miami's snaps but piled up 29 touches for 165 yards on an otherwise brutal night for the Dolphins (they lost by 21 to the Bills and saw QB Tua Tagovailoa suffer yet another concussion).

Chubb and Brooks arguably got slight boosts the past couple days without any specific news about them. In Chubb's case, the Browns showed a hint of dissatisfaction with Jerome Ford, giving D'Onta Foreman a big role after he barely played Week 1. In Brooks' case, the good news is Andy Dalton replacing Bryce Young under center, which could allow Carolina's offense to be merely bad instead of historically incompetent.

Stock Report 📊

A lot of what you'll see here is building on my work from Box Score Breakdown, the weekly recap article with stat tables for every team that include snaps, routes, and target/air-yard shares, in addition to all the basic stats like carries, catches, yards and TDs. I also discuss role specifics and make note of various circumstances that could cause numbers to be misleading, so it's worth checking out if you're looking to go into even more detail on running backs before making waiver adds or lineup decisions for the upcoming week. 

All of the stats below are from Week 2, unless it specifies that they are full season stats (signified by 'SZN'). 'Opps.' is short for opportunities, i.e., carries + targets.       

Trending Up 📈

De'Von Achane - 63% snaps / 29 of 36 RB opps. (81%) / 165 total yards

Alvin Kamara - 77% snaps pre-halftime, with 11 of 13 RB opps. (85%) / four TDs total

Josh Jacobs - SZN: 51 of 67 RB opps. (76%), with 235 rushing yards (4.9 YPC)

James Cook - 58% snaps pre-Q4 / three TDs

J.K. Dobbins - 48% snaps / 17-131-1 rushing, after 10-135-1 in Week 1

Devin Singletary - 80% snaps / 17 of 18 RB opps. (94%)

Zack Moss - 82% snaps / 13 of 17 RB opps. (76%)

Chuba Hubbard - 59% snaps / 15 of 25 RB opps. (60%)

Zach Charbonnet - 95% snaps / all 19 RB opps. (100%)

Zamir White - 65% snaps / 13 of 21 RB opps. (62%)

Carson Steele - 24% snaps / seven of 32 RB opps. (22%) / Pacheco injury

Braelon Allen - 36% snaps / 11 of 33 RB opps. (33%) / 56 total yards and two TDs

D'Onta Foreman - 38% snaps / 15 of 27 RB opps. (56%)

Deuce Vaughn - 14% snaps / five of 26 RB opps. (19%)

Trending Down 📉

Breece Hall - 71% snaps / 22 of 33 RB opps. (67%)

Jonathan Taylor - zero Q4 snaps

Bijan Robinson - 75% snaps / 19 of 29 RB opps. (66%)

Jerome Ford - 42% snaps / 9 of 27 RB opps. (33%)

Ezekiel Elliott - 39% snaps / 9 of 26 RB opps. (35%)

Chase Brown - 18% snaps / four of 17 RB opps. (24%)

Alexander Mattison - 22% snaps / 4 of 21 RB opps. (19%)

Jaleel McLaughlin - 30% snaps / 3 of 21 RB opps. (14%)

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor played 85% of snaps through three quarters Sunday, taking 14 touches for 135 yards, but he curiously didn't play at all in the fourth quarter even though he said he wasn't injured. Shane Steichen had a dubious explanation afterward, saying he simply wanted to give Trey Sermon some playing time (although scatback Tyler Goodson actually took more snaps down the stretch). I could kind of understand wanting Goodson in there for receiving purposes while trailing by two scores, but putting Taylor behind both Sermon (not a good pass catcher) and Goodson seems extremely strange. We're obviously still starting Taylor in Week 3, but there are some worrisome signs early on, including QB Anthony Richardson's disappointing performance.

The other big change involving a superstar RB on Sunday was Breece Hall ceding about one-third of New York's workload to Braelon Allen. Hall played 97% of snaps before the fourth quarter Week 1 and got 22 opportunities prior to Allen's first touch. The Jets apparently like Allen a lot, considering he took a bunch of work from Hall in a close Week 2 contest and also got some dual-back snaps with Hall on the field.

The Falcons apparently took notice of the trend and cut Bijan Robinson's snap share from 89 percent in Week 1 to 75 percent in Week 2, giving Tyler Allgeier nine of the 23 RB carries (and one of the six targets) after barely using him in the opener. Robinson and Hall are safe as RB1s, but their Week 2 usage reduces the odds of best-case scenarios, whereas Week 1 was highly promising in that regard.

Unsettled Backfields 🎲

These are the backfields that need to be monitored closely, where role changes could be imminent or we aren't sure about the team's depth chart moving forward. Backfield with a clear hierarchy/order won't be included unless there's a long-term injury to the starter and the backup situation is uncertain or confusing. 

Messy Backfields

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Las Vegas Raiders
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Denver Broncos
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. Cleveland Browns

The Chiefs are our headliner, losing Pacheco for at least the next six weeks. Undrafted rookie Carson Steele got far more playing time than Samaje Perine on Sunday, but Steele lost a fumble along the way and is probably behind Perine for obvious passing situations. The Chiefs don't seem especially confident in either player, which explains why they're bringing in a washed-up Kareem Hunt. Their practice squad has Keaontay Ingram (who stinks) and Emani Bailey (another UDFA rookie), the latter of whom ran for 1,209 yards at TCU last season but then lost his chance to be drafted when he ran a 4.61 40. Anyway, Steele is the priority waiver addition, with Perine also worth rostering in all formats. Whether either ends up startable in fantasy is anyone's guess.

Cleveland is the other new addition here, with D'Onta Foreman replacing Jerome Ford as the lead runner in Sunday's 18-13 win over Jacksonville. It was a planned change, not an in-game thing, as Foreman got five of six carries on the opening drive and 14 of the 22 RB carries overall. Pierre Strong played 15% of snaps and got two of the five RB targets, but he's now week-to-week with a hamstring injury, providing a silver lining for Ford's fantasy managers. Still, it was a discouraging development after Ford played 70% of snaps Week 1.

Las Vegas, Carolina and Denver, on the other hand, all had Week 2 workload splits that were more encouraging than the Week 1 results for their respective starts. Zamir White, Chuba Hubbard and Javonte Williams led their teams in carries while playing 59-65 percent of snaps, but none of them scored a TD or came close to 100 total yards. Williams' 76% RB opportunity share was the best of the bunch, with Hubbard at 60% and White at 62%. It's possible Hubbard is revived by his team's QB change, although he'll then have to deal with Jonathan Brooks (ACL) joining the backfield at some point. 

Last but not least, the Cowboys added Deuce Vaughn to their backfield mix Week 2, giving him four carries in the first half and a target in garbage time. Ezekiel Elliott was the loser while Rico Dowdle's workload looked similar to Week 1.

On the Brink

1. Chicago Bears
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Los Angeles Chargers

J.K. Dobbins looks ready to break free of his 50/50 timeshare with Gus Edwards, whose 29 carries have yielded 2.9 YPC and a 41.4 percent success rate, compared to 9.9 YPC and 64.3 percent for Dobbins. That said, the Chargers probably won't have Dobbins gargantuan workloads, as he has a brutal medical record and is still at high risk for lower-body injuries after suffering an Achilles' tear last year. The Chargers could give Kimani Vidal a look if Edward continues to struggle.

For Tampa Bay, rookie Bucky Irving was less involved Week 2 than Week 1 even though Rachaad White briefly left the game with a groin injury. White is a good all-around player but not especially effective as a pure runner, so this could shift some in Irving's favor over time.

In Chicago, it's been a brutal two weeks for the entire offense, including D'Andre Swift, who is averaging 2.0 YPC on 24 carries and 4.0 YPT on six targets. Khalil Herbert has poached only four carries, but all of those have been at the goal line or in short-yardage situations, including a one-yard TD plunge Sunday night. Swift is getting plenty of snaps and most of the backfield touches, but it hasn't amounted to much so far, and there's no real upside if he's ceding all of the goal-line work to Herbert and some of the pass-down snaps to Travis Homer. 

Waivers Look-Ahead ±

If you're looking for a more comprehensive waivers article, RW's Kevin Payne has you covered. Here we're just taking a quick look at some RBs to target based on the work contained in this article and Monday's Box Score Breakdown. 

In order to qualify, the RB needs to be rostered in no more than 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Potential Short-Term Starters

1. Chuba Hubbard (at LV) - 47%
2. Carson Steele (at ATL) - 6%
3. Samaje Perine (at ATL) - 6% 
4. Cam Akers (at MIN) - 2% 
5. Bucky Irving (vs. DEN) - 34% 
6. Dameon Pierce (hamstring, at MIN) - 5%
7. D'Onta Foreman (vs. NYG) - 1%
8. Ty Chandler (vs. HOU) - 29% 
9. Rico Dowdle (vs. BAL) - 40%
10. Antonio Gibson (at NYJ) - 16%
11. Justice Hill (at DAL) - 17%

I'd rather start Hubbard than Steele/Perine this week, but the Kansas City guys offer more upside beyond the next couple games, as Carolina's Jonathan Brooks figures to debut long before Isiah Pacheco (fibula) returns. Irving might be the strong start of all these guys if White is out this week, playing at home as a TD favorite over the woeful Broncos. The problem is that White seemingly has a pretty good chance to play after returning to Sunday's win at Detroit, whereas Pacheco is definitely out and Joe Mixon (ankle) probably no better than 50/50. 

Akers would be more appealing if not for his red-zone fumble Sunday night; the big mistake increases the chances of Dare Ogunbowale stealing a bunch of work if Mixon and Pierce are both out and Akers is the starter. Pierce seemingly hurt his hamstring in practice last week, which means he'll be only 9-10 days removed from the injury when the Texans take on the Vikings.

The other guys are more of fringe options, with minimal odds of topping 15 options and some risk of a goose egg or close to it. Foreman has a nice matchup, at least, while Chandler, Dowdle, Gibson and Hill face much tougher defenses.

Bench Stashes

1. Braelon Allen - 10%
2. Tyler Allgeier - 26%
3. Isaac Guerendo - 6%
4. Blake Corum - 43%
5. Jaylen Wright - 21%
6. Ray Davis - 14%
7. Jamaal Williams - 7%
8. Kimani Vidal - 5%
9. .         Kareem Hunt - 2%
10. Tyrone Tracy - 5%
11. Clyde Edwards-Helaire - 2%
12. Will Shipley - 1%
13. Trey Sermon - 1%

Drop Candidates

1. Alexander Mattison - 37% (shallow leagues)
2. Keaton Mitchell (ACL) - 13%
3. Jeff Wilson (oblique) - 12%
4.               Dalvin Cook - 5%
5. Roschon Johnson - 2%