James Cook tries to stay hot vs. the hollowed-out Saints, Saquon Barkley hopes to shake off his slow start in a difficult matchup, and Cam Skattebo cements his takeover of the Giants’ backfield against the Chargers.
Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Updated 9/28 at 11:00 AM ET. Failed to remove Jaylen Warren. My apologies. Very not cool.
Week 4 Running Backs
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | vs. JAC |
| 2 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | vs. WAS |
| 3 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | at LAR |
| 4 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | vs. CLE |
| 5 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | at TB |
| 6 | Derrick Henry | BAL | at KC |
| 7 | Bucky Irving | TB | vs. PHI |
| 8 | James Cook | BUF | vs. NO |
| 9 | Josh Jacobs | GB | at DAL |
| 10 | Jordan Mason | MIN | at PIT |
| 11 | De’Von Achane | MIA | vs. NYJ |
| 12 | Omarion Hampton | LAC | at NYG |
| 13 | Kyren Williams | LAR | vs. IND |
| 14 | Cam Skattebo | NYG | vs. LAC |
| 15 | Travis Etienne | JAC | at SF |
| 16 | Trey Benson | ARI | vs. SEA |
| 17 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | vs. CHI |
| 18 | Kenneth Walker III | SEA | at ARI |
| 19 | Breece Hall | NYJ | at MIA |
| 20 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | at NE |
| 21 | Alvin Kamara | NO | at BUF |
| 22 | J.K. Dobbins | DEN | vs. CIN |
| 23 | Javonte Williams | DAL | vs. GB |
| 24 | Chase Brown | CIN | at DEN |
| 25 | Quinshon Judkins | CLE | at DET |
| 26 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | at LV |
| 27 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | vs. MIN |
| 28 | Tony Pollard | TEN | at HOU |
| 29 | David Montgomery | DET | vs. CLE |
| 30 | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | at ARI |
| 31 | TreVeyon Henderson | NE | vs. CAR |
| 32 | Nick Chubb | HOU | vs. TEN |
| 33 | Kareem Hunt | KC | vs. BAL |
| 34 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | vs. CAR |
| 35 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS | at ATL |
| 36 | Ollie Gordon II | MIA | vs. NYJ |
| 37 | Isiah Pacheco | KC | vs. BAL |
| 38 | Jeremy McNichols | WAS | at ATL |
| 39 | Bhayshul Tuten | JAC | at SF |
| 40 | Woody Marks | HOU | vs. TEN |
| 41 | RJ Harvey | DEN | vs. CIN |
| 42 | Braelon Allen | NYJ | at MIA |
| 43 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS | at ATL |
| 44 | Tyler Allgeier | ATL | vs. WAS |
| 45 | Rachaad White | TB | vs. PHI |
| 46 | Blake Corum | LAR | vs. IND |
| 47 | Miles Sanders | DAL | vs. GB |
| 48 | Kenneth Gainwell | PIT | vs. MIN |
| 49 | Rico Dowdle | CAR | at NE |
| 50 | Emari Demercado | ARI | vs. SEA |
| 51 | Jerome Ford | CLE | at DET |
| 52 | Antonio Gibson | NE | vs. CAR |
| 53 | Kendre Miller | NO | at BUF |
| 54 | Kyle Monangai | CHI | at LV |
| 55 | Ty Johnson | BUF | vs. NO |
| 56 | Brian Robinson Jr. | SF | vs. JAC |
RB Notes: Technically, Jordan Mason’s snap percentage barely increased last week, but that’s because the game was 31-3 at halftime and 48-3 late in the third quarter. As expected, he handled all the work that mattered, obliging fantasy managers with a pair of touchdowns. For Week 4 he should have more competitive game script vs. a Steelers run defense that has been one of the league’s worst. … The first thing to really go right for Omarion Hampton this season was someone else’s wrong. Najee Harris’ torn achilles’ tendon gave Hampton a do-over on his disappointing Weeks 1 and 2, and he responded by handling 39-of-46 snaps after Harris’ injury and posting by far his most productive box score. His 6/59 receiving line was particularly encouraging. With a week to game plan, we would expect backups Hassan Hakins and Kimani Vidal (provided he’s promoted from the practice squad) to be more involved than Haskins was against the Broncos, but Hampton inarguably has a new lease on RB10-18 life. … Kyren Williams’ snap percentage has fallen: From 86.7 in 2024 to 75.9. Although that might feel small, Williams’ fantasy value has long been derived by his complete snap-and-touch domination. Blake Corum getting more involved could ultimately render Williams more of a mid-range RB2 than low-end RB1.
Almost as big as the Giants’ quarterback change is the shift to Cam Skattebo as the every-down back. Already blowing by Tyrone Tracy on the depth chart, the move has been made official by Tracy’s multi-week shoulder injury. Devouring high-value touches and delivering solid efficiency marks despite the Giants’ chaotic offensive environment, Skattebo is an immediate RB2 who could post RB1 numbers fairly frequently. … The Cardinals tried to have Trey Benson ready for this moment. Fresh off handling a career-high 13 touches following James Conner’s in-game injury, we suppose he’s as ready as he will ever be. Although fantasy managers have dreams of an every-down role, perpetual nuisance Emari Demercado figures to remain involved on passing downs. For now Benson is a workload-based RB2 who needs to prove he can become a production-based one. … Ashton Jeanty’s Week 3 snap percentage remained in the 55-60 range. That is not what summer drafters signed up for. The Raiders have also been largely non-competitive in back-to-back contests. The Bears are a get-right matchup, with Chicago somehow being almost as giving on the ground as it is through the air. The problem is, we don’t even really know what “right” is for Jeanty yet. He’s a solid-if-uninspiring RB2 for the time being.
Amidst the victory lapping on both sides, everyone secretly assumed Kenneth Walker/Zach Charbonnet would remain one of the season’s most annoying fantasy situations. It was all that in more in Week 3, with KWIII face-planting in Charbonnet’s absence but having the decency to score two touchdowns. Now Charbonnet is back from his one-game absence while Walker will be playing on a short week. Walker has the higher ceiling, with Charbonnet perhaps having a slightly higher floor. We all need to have humility and a tolerance for being wrong. … Compiling more and posting better efficiency marks another year removed from his injury woes, J.K. Dobbins is looking like one of the biggest surprises of the fantasy season. He has proven to have an RB2 floor, while managers could maybe even dream of an RB2 ceiling in plus matchups like this Sunday’s date with the Bengals’ struggling defense. … If Dobbins is the surprise, RJ Harvey is the nightmare. Stuck on 30 percent of the snaps, Harvey is getting dangerously close to droppable in every format of fantasy. It must be said that Harvey’s contingency value remains elite, making any possible drop potentially rash. That’s just not what you were signing up for.
Chase Brown’s summer case was predicated on being an every-down player in one of the league’s best offenses. Well the Bengals are looking like one of the league’s shakier groups without Joe Burrow, while Brown’s snaps have been hovering in “just” the 75 percent range. He, of course, has provided next to no production thus far. Samaje Perine’s supposedly minor thumb injury probably shores up Brown’s Week 4 usage floor, but Brown’s fantasy stock is in free fall ahead of this tough Denver road trip. … Based on both his usage and early production profile, Quinshon Judkins should probably be a high-end RB2. The problem is his wretched offensive environment, while the Browns are two-score road ‘dogs for Week 4. That setup has long been where fantasy running back outings go to die, especially if you’re not a prolific pass catcher. Judkins has the talent to break the mold, just know that his floor could fall out in the Motor City. … Woody Marks has consolidated work behind struggling starter Nick Chubb. He’s a reserve back who could slowly command more work even without an injury ahead of him.
You would like to think Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson’s Week 3 fumbling issues would give TreVeyon Henderson a long runway. They did last week, and Henderson responded with another dud of a day. Although he is supposedly/unsurprisingly first in line for work against the Panthers’ vulnerable run defense, there remains too much workload risk to treat Henderson like a true RB2. He is a volatile FLEX option. … Jacory Croskey-Merritt suddenly has a knee injury, plunging the Commanders’ backfield into further workload confusion. The only thing that’s clear is Kliff Kingsbury and company seem to have a fixed idea of JCM’s usage, and it involves 8-10 weekly touches and roughly 30 percent of the snaps. That could change at any moment with a young player who has commanded work in this way, but he first needs to prove he will even be on the field this week. Early signs are that he will be. … Behind JCM, plug-and-play third-down back Jeremy McNichols probably continues to offer more fantasy upside than early-down grinder Chris Rodriguez Jr. despite “C-Rod’s” theoretical touchdown potential. … The “Ollie Gordon option” finally came to fruition in Week 3. With nothing else working, the ‘Fins should begin to lean more on the run game, keeping Gordon in the “JCM zone” when it comes to potential touches.
