Week 10 was another busy one for running back news. My “10 Things We Learned” column has a breakdown of the Chargers, Cowboys, Packers, Falcons, Jaguars, and Patriots, so make sure to click through for the lowdown on hot waiver pickups Jamaal Williams, Austin Ekeler, Rex Burkhead, and (if you’re really desperate) Terron Ward.
What about Samaje Perine, you ask? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a recap of the latest backfield happenings for the Redskins, Panthers, Giants, Jets, and Seahawks.
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Washington Redskins
I moved on from Rob Kelley as a standard league fantasy asset about a month ago, but now even the biggest Fat Rob apologists can give up the ghost. Kelley sprained his ankle and MCL in Week 10, and he was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, ending his season.
The Redskins have steadfastly refused to increase Chris Thompson‘s workload, so Samaje Perine stands to get all of the work that Kelley was receiving. Still, we are probably only talking about 10-15 touches, and nothing we’ve seen from Perine or the Redskins’ offense as a whole suggests that Perine is going to be a reliable fantasy back down the stretch. You can add Perine if you are badly in need of a flex option, but I’d easily prefer Jamaal Williams and would also rather have Austin Ekeler, despite his uncertain workload.
Kelley’s injury doesn’t figure to affect Thompson’s role in the offense. Thompson remains a solid asset in PPR leagues, but he requires a big play each week to move the needle in standard leagues — something fantasy owners simply can’t count on.
Carolina Panthers
Jonathan Stewart hasn’t looked much better than Kelley or Perine this season, but he turned back the clock in Week 10 and pulled out a big-time performance. Stewart’s 110 rushing yards on Monday night were 42 more than he’s had in any other game this season, and it wasn’t due to one flukish big play. Stewart churned out consistent yards, and out-touched Christian McCaffrey 17-to-8. McCaffrey got in the end zone twice, however, so his owners won’t complain unless this becomes a pattern.
Stewart’s big game came against a collapsing Dolphins defense, so this may well end up being his best game of the season. It’s possible that Stewart can begin to replicate his early-season form, when he averaged 58 rushing yards over the first four games, but I would need to see another big game from him before I’d consider him anything more than a dicey flex option.
This game does suggest that the Panthers are not yet fully committed to featuring McCaffrey. Carolina is fighting for playoff positioning, and if the Panthers can control games with a heavy dose of Stewart, they will do just that. Fortunately for McCaffrey owners, that plan of attack is unlikely to work against better defenses than the Dolphins, so expect to see many more touches for C-Mac most weeks. He is still an intriguing RB2 for the rest of the season.
New York Giants
The Giants are an unmitigated disaster, but one place they’ve quietly shown improvement in recent weeks is the running game. Over the last five games, Orleans Darkwa has 68 carries for 362 yards, an impressive 5.3 YPC.
Darkwa is often a victim of game script, as the Giants give up on the run when they fall behind early in games. But if he can continue to see the 15 carries he’s average the last two weeks, and add a catch or two, Darkwa has shown enough rushing ability to maintain low-end RB2 value. It is now abundantly clear that he’s the only Giants running back worth owning in standard leagues.
New York Jets
Matt Forte missed Sunday’s game with swelling in his knee, and there are some indications that he could miss more time going forward. Bilal Powell was widely expected to inherit lead back duties in Forte’s absence, but Powell ended up getting one fewer touch and playing three fewer snaps than Elijah McGuire.
Neither Powell (36 yards and a fumble) nor McGuire (58 yards) had a particularly memorable day against a poor Bucs’ defense, but both backs have some appeal if Forte remains out of the picture. Powell showed his immense upside with a 163-yard performance against the Jaguars in Week 4, and gashed the Bills for 74 yards on just nine carries as recently as Week 9. McGuire hasn’t shown much outside of a 69-yard touchdown run in that same Jaguars game, but it’s possible the rookie will improve with more opportunities.
For now, this has the makings of a “hot hand” approach, so both Powell and McGuire are worth owning in fantasy leagues.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks’ messy four-way committee is mercifully a thing of the past, but this backfield is still a fantasy quagmire. C.J. Prosise has been placed on injured reserve after suffering multiple ankle injuries, leaving J.D. McKissic as the team’s clear passing-down back. Given the team’s massive struggles to run the ball, that makes McKissic the most appealing fantasy option in this backfield, albeit only as a flex option in PPR leagues.
Eddie Lacy missed Week 10 with a groin injury, allowing Thomas Rawls a chance to establish himself as the main early-down back. But Rawls rushed for just 27 yards on 10 carries, which could allow Lacy to regain the job. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter; neither Rawls nor Lacy have given any indication that they belong anywhere near your starting lineup, and your bench spots are better used for stashing players with some conceivable upside.
Of course, there was one Seattle back who was able to provide a bit of fantasy value this year: rookie Chris Carson. Famously optimistic Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says Carson could potentially return in December, but right now it is too much of a longshot to make Carson worth adding unless you have an empty IR spot that is just begging to be filled.
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Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.
