Running backs remain king in fantasy football. While it feels like there are more elite quarterbacks and wide receivers than ever before, the amount of consistent, dependable running backs is dwindling. This makes it all the more important to find value at running back in fantasy football. In order to help you do that, I will be taking a look at a few backfields each week who stick out based on recent trends or new information we learned.
The fantasy football regular season sure did end with a bang. Five different players scored north of 35 fantasy points in one of the highest scoring weeks I can remember. Let’s unpack everything we learned about the running back rooms across the league as we head into the most important three weeks of the year.
San Francisco 49ers
After Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason were both placed on IR last week, the stage was set for Isaac Guerendo on Sunday. And for most of the game, he put on quite a show. Guerendo lived up to the hype against the Bears, running for 78 yards and two scores on top of 50 yards through the air. However, Guerendo’s day was cut short, as he left the game in the fourth quarter with a foot injury. It is unclear the exact timeline of Guerendo’s injury, but given the 49ers play on Thursday night this week, his status is certainly up in the air.
Fourth-year back Patrick Taylor Jr. was the next man up for the 49ers, and he punched in a touchdown after replacing Guerendo. Taylor should be a hot waiver wire add this week considering how easily running backs succeed in the 49ers offensive scheme, and I would be willing to spend whatever FAAB money I have left on him.
Behind Taylor, Israel Abanikanda and Ke’Shawn Vaughn will both likely get mixed into the offense as well if Guerendo is out. Because of that, I wouldn’t say Taylor has as high a ceiling as Guerendo did, but he should still be a serviceable starter for you this week.
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Las Vegas Raiders
Is Sincere McCormick the fantasy football league winner of 2024? Imagine telling someone that back in August. With Zamir White and Alexander Mattison both out with injuries, McCormick led the Raiders backfield in carries for the second consecutive week. Considering how awful White and Mattison have been on an efficiency basis this year, McCormick’s numbers legitimately jump off the page. In the last two weeks, he has turned 27 carries into 142 yards and added four receptions. McCormick led the Raiders in snaps on Sunday as well, playing 61% to Ameer Abdullah’s 39%.
Moving forward, I think McCormick could very realistically keep up fantasy relevant production. I see no reason for the Raiders to turn back to White and Mattison considering they are long eliminated from the playoffs, and McCormick has objectively looked a whole lot better. His ceiling is limited because Abdullah will continue to be involved in the passing game and the Raiders offense is generally unproductive, but McCormick should be able to return FLEX value based on his volume and efficiency.
I would also be comfortable spending the rest of my FAB budget on him this week if he’s still available as there are so few weeks left in the season, especially since the Raiders play one of the softest fantasy playoff schedules in the league (Falcons, Jaguars, Saints).
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs continued to deploy a running back by committee approach to their backfield this week. Isiah Pacheco was the most used of the lot, playing 32 snaps and running for 55 yards on 14 carries. As expected, Kareem Hunt was used as a 1B, with 20 snaps, five carries and 16 yards. As if that wasn’t already crowded, Samaje Perine also played 17 snaps but saw just two touches. For the second straight week, the 12-1 Chiefs somehow ran zero plays within the 5-yard line, so we don’t have a great idea on who the preferred goal line back is, either.
I’m not really a huge fan of anyone in this backfield for fantasy. As the “1A”, Pacheco is startable, but I am still not convinced that he will be the clear top-15 option that we saw before his injury. His volume should support him as a FLEX option, but I’m not too excited about playing him unless he starts getting more goal line work.
Hunt should remain on rosters, but I would move him to my bench now as he is starting to lose reps to Pacheco. I will continue to keep an eye on this situation as the Chiefs could play a few more potential slugfests against the Browns, Texans and Steelers in the next three weeks.
Seattle Seahawks
Zach Charbonnet is having one of the funnier seasons that I can remember. Whenever he plays alongside Kenneth Walker III, he looks mediocre at best. In games Walker has been healthy, Charbonnet has turned 43 carries into just 137 yards, good for a measly 3.1 YPC. However, when Walker is inactive, Charbonnet has been essentially the best running back in fantasy football. In three starts, he has 369 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns, easily making him the overall RB1.
The Seahawks reported that Walker is dealing with a calf injury, and additional tests are being done this week to determine the severity. If Walker misses more time, Charbonnet would obviously remain an elite starter in fantasy. However, I would move him back to my bench if Walker comes back, as Charbonnet’s usage and efficiency is evidently night and day when he is the backup.
New York Jets
After Breece Hall was ruled out with a knee injury last Saturday, it looked like Braelon Allen would join Guerendo and Charbonnet as elite backups-turned-starters. However, Allen was simply average in the Jets loss to the Dolphins, mostly because he ended up splitting time essentially evenly with fellow rookie Isaiah Davis. Allen played one more snap than Davis, had one more carry and three more rushing yards but ended up being the less helpful fantasy asset as Davis ran in a 17-yard score.
It looks like Hall is trending towards playing this week, despite the Jets having nothing much to play for besides their pride. If he’s healthy, I would be fine starting Hall, but I expect him to see a bit less work than usual. If Hall can’t play, both Allen and Davis are startable in fantasy considering the Jets play the Jaguars’ porous rush defense. I would still give Allen the nod over the two, but Davis is certainly worth adding this week as a FLEX option in deeper leagues.
