James Cook hunts for another huge day on the ground, Jeremiyah Love attempts to build off his recent breakout, and Braelon Allen and Ollie Gordon II hope to provide fill-in goodness.
Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Updated 10/2 at 6:00 PM ET. Removed Jadarian Price and Rachaad White. Ticked a banged up D’Andre Swift down.
Week 4 Running Backs
| 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | at CAR |
| 2 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | at NO |
| 3 | Kenneth Walker III | KC | at LV |
| 4 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | vs. DEN |
| 5 | Derrick Henry | BAL | vs. TEN |
| 6 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | at WAS |
| 7 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | vs. KC |
| 8 | James Cook | BUF | vs. NE |
| 9 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | at CLE |
| 10 | Jeremiyah Love | ARI | at NYG |
| 11 | Chase Brown | CIN | vs. JAC |
| 12 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | vs. LAR |
| 13 | Kyren Williams | LAR | at PHI |
| 14 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | vs. DET |
| 15 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | vs. NYJ |
| 16 | Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN | vs. MIA |
| 17 | Javonte Williams | DAL | at HOU |
| 18 | Bucky Irving | TB | vs. GB |
| 19 | Bhayshul Tuten | JAC | at CIN |
| 20 | Braelon Allen | NYJ | at CHI |
| 21 | Cam Skattebo | NYG | vs. ARI |
| 22 | Omarion Hampton | LAC | at SEA |
| 23 | David Montgomery | HOU | vs. DAL |
| 24 | TreVeyon Henderson | NE | at BUF |
| 25 | Quinshon Judkins | CLE | vs. PIT |
| 26 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS | vs. IND |
| 27 | J.K. Dobbins | DEN | at SF |
| 28 | Kyle Monangai | CHI | vs. NYJ |
| 29 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | at BUF |
| 30 | Alvin Kamara | NO | vs. ATL |
| 31 | Ollie Gordon II | MIA | at MIN |
| 32 | Tony Pollard | TEN | at BAL |
| 33 | Blake Corum | LAR | at PHI |
| 34 | RJ Harvey | DEN | at SF |
| 35 | Woody Marks | HOU | vs. DAL |
| 36 | Keaton Mitchell | LAC | at SEA |
| 37 | Emanuel Wilson | SEA | vs. LAC |
| 38 | Brian Robinson Jr. | ATL | at NO |
| 39 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAC | at CIN |
| 40 | Tyjae Spears | TEN | at BAL |
| 41 | Jaylen Wright | MIA | at MIN |
| 42 | Kaleb Johnson | GB | at TB |
| 43 | Kenneth Gainwell | TB | vs. GB |
| 44 | George Holani | SEA | vs. LAC |
| 45 | MarShawn Lloyd | GB | at TB |
| 46 | Kaelon Black | SF | vs. DEN |
| 47 | Tyler Allgeier | ARI | at NYG |
| 48 | Emmett Johnson | KC | at LV |
| 49 | Mike Washington Jr. | LV | vs. KC |
| 50 | Isaiah Davis | NYJ | at CHI |
| 51 | Najee Harris | NYG | vs. ARI |
| 52 | Kendre Miller | NO | vs. ATL |
| 53 | Kaytron Allen | WAS | vs. IND |
| 54 | Justice Hill | BAL | vs. TEN |
| 55 | Raheim Sanders | CLE | vs. PIT |
| 56 | Ty Johnson | BUF | vs. NE |
RB Notes: Christian McCaffrey is “just” the RB7 by average PPR points thus far. That he’s done so on “only” 48 touches definitely heartens. With the 49ers’ skill corps improbably getting more banged up by the day, CMC’s workloads figure to slowly creep skywards again. … Jeremiyah Love still handled just 64.4 percent of the Cardinals’ Week 3 snaps. The big difference this time was, he was responsible for 26 of the backfield’s 32 touches. Rookies have a way of taking one step forward, one step back, but Love should be in the process of leaving Tyler Allgeier in the rear-view mirror. … Jaylen Warren had 176 yards from scrimmage in a game where he had an 87-yard touchdown called back. So yeah, he had a good day at the office with Rico Dowdle (toe) on the shelf. Dowdle is out again Thursday, making Warren a potential Week 4 X-factor. … Saquon Barkley has yet to find the end zone and has three total catches. The lack of high-value touches is overshadowing some pretty strong running. Barkley is averaging over five yards per carry and is top five in average rush yards over expected, for instance. The Eagles’ 2024 offense is never coming back, but Barkley should end up hanging around in the RB10-14 range.
No matter how many downs he plays, Chuba Hubbard ultimately lacks weekly RB1 upside. That’s also an unnecessarily negative of view of just an extremely solid player. The Panthers find themselves home ‘dogs against the Lions, but with a game total of north of 50 and no one to share the load with, Hubbard is a mortal lock for 15-plus touches. … With Breece Hall (quad) looking doubtful for Week 4, Braelon Allen becomes a plug-and-play RB2. Although Allen is the only Jets back other than Hall to handle a touch this season, No. 3 Isaiah Davis will almost certainly mix in vs. the Bears, limiting Allen’s overall upside just a bit. He’s an early-down back for a road underdog. … The Week 3 stabilization of Cam Skattebo’s usage came as a bit of a surprise. The fact that it failed to result in any big plays on the ground was not. Expect more of the same for Week 4. This is a Giants team that can’t pass right now. They are modest home ‘dogs vs. a Cardinals team incapable of blowing them out. That means another 15-20 Skattebo handles is a strong bet even if Najee Harris remains involved for 8-10.
Any regular reader of my work knows I put a heavy summer fade on Omarion Hampton. That makes it tempting to take the victory lap too far. I was “right.” Now I need to remember there are varying degrees of right or wrong when it comes to fantasy football. For as much as I would like to drop Hampton out of the top 24 amidst his and the Chargers’ current struggles, it’s ultimately unlikely he handles fewer than 12-14 weekly touches, which is probably just enough to keep him locked into every-week startable status. … David Montgomery has looked washed rather than reinvigorated in Houston. The Texans have noticed, limiting D-Mont to 54 percent of their snaps as they frequently play from behind. The Texans are projected to play from ahead against the Cowboys, but lacking explosion and proof of workload concept, Montgomery is a thin RB2 play. … With the Patriots playing from multiple scores behind against the Jaguars, TreVeyon Henderson saw his snap percentage plummet to 36.5. Things might get worse before they get better in the “Patriots lead” department, though Henderson’s play-making ability will be in great demand as the Pats try anything to match points with the Bills. That’s why the frustrating second-year pro can’t be dropped from the RB3/FLEX ranks.
As Ian Hartitz points out, Quinshon Judkins’ 42 touches without a touchdown lead all running backs. Judkins is not running well. In fact, he’s bottom five in average rush yards over expected. But he has precisely zero goal-line competition. Even in a bad offense like Cleveland’s, his workload domination combined with his likely touchdown opportunities keep him locked into the RB22-28 range. … As a heavy investor in De’Von Achane futures, I tried to project a potential post-injury committee this summer. I came down on the side of Jaylen Wright on early downs, Ollie Gordon II as the change-of-pace. That might still develop, but Wright’s Week 3 absence with a foot injury opened the door to Gordon receiving a career-high 20 touches. He didn’t do anything with them, but the fact that he (mostly) held up under that kind of workload undoubtedly pleased the coaching staff. Then again, maybe all they will remember is him briefly missing time with cramping issues. Wright is practicing, but only in a limited fashion. Until we get proof of game-day health, Gordon will have a decisive rankings advantage. Just remember to have Wright on speed dial.
With Jonah Coleman (ankle) on injured reserve, things are for once going exactly as expected in a Sean Payton backfield. J.K. Dobbins is the early-down grinder, and RJ Harvey is catching a few passes. Neither has a remotely plausible RB2 case, but they are both getting the ball just enough in their respective roles to qualify as a carries-based FLEX in Dobbins’ case and receptions-based FLEX for Harvey. … The Saints’ backfield is suddenly one of the saddest in fantasy football. With Travis Etienne (hamstring) likely to miss Monday’s little shootout that could with the Falcons, Alvin Kamara offers last-gasp, high-value touch based FLEX appeal. Kendre Miller isn’t about to be trusted with a goal-line carry. … Week 3 felt like the end of the first phase of Jadarian Price’s rookie season. His fumble banishment for most of the game’s middle section confirmed this is not a player getting the benefit of the doubt. Price could develop the “hot hand,” but the fact that it’s Week 4 and he’s still in hand-to-hand combat with Emanuel Wilson and George Holani for work has him struggling for FLEX air.
