At one point or another, every fantasy football manager has fretted over a running back’s usage this season.

The panic isn’t always justified. Alex Collins, LeSean McCoy, and Chris Carson have eased early fears, and those patient with Sony Michel may now have an RB1 for their troubles. Other situations, however, are trending in the wrong direction.

Anyone not regretting an early running-back selection is a devout Zero-RB proponent or a liar. If you’re like this writer, you’re ready to throw in the towel on a team with Jordan Howard, Marshawn Lynch, Lamar Miller, and Dion Lewis. Two of those backs are among the five situations discussed in Week 6’s snap-count review. The prognosis isn’t too pretty for either.

View Snap Count leaders across the NFL

Chicago Bears

 
This column called for caution two weeks ago after Tarik Cohen stole Howard’s thunder with a 20-touch, 174-yard breakout against Tampa Bay. Howard’s investors now need to sweat a little more. His snap percentage (51.4) declined for the third consecutive game, and he recorded just 69 yards on 14 touches in a full-length overtime loss to Miami. Following a promising start as a pass-catcher, he failed to record a reception for the second straight game.  Cohen, meanwhile, caught seven passes for the second time in a row. While Howard received three red-zone handoffs, one resulted in a fumble right before he could cross the goal line. Cohen promptly received more work before he also coughed up a late fumble. Howard returned to rattle off consecutive runs of 19 and 15 yards on Chicago’s final possession, which ended in a missed field-goal try from Cody Parkey. Despite all these caution flags, Howard is 11th in rushes (78) and 19th in rushing yards per game (54.4). A lack of bell-cow backs doesn’t give most owners the luxury of giving up, but they must at least lower their expectations. Maybe even trade him for 75 cents on the dollar if possible. Averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 4.2 catches per game, Cohen could catapult into a must-start stud if this usage holds. Chicago’s offense has looked undeniably better with him involved, so there’s no reason for Matt Nagy to revert to September’s structure.

Indianapolis Colts

 
Be honest: Who forgot about Marlon Mack? The second-year running back, who accrued 3.8 yards per rush last season, hadn’t played since tallying 36 yards in Week 1. In his absence, Nyheim Hines emerged as a viable flex play, particularly in PPR formats. Yet the 22-year-old made a statement in his return from a shoulder injury by pounding the Jets for 93 yards — tying a career-high — on 13 touches. He immediately vanquished Jordan Wilkins, who didn’t see a single touch while being limited to special-team duties. Mack warrants a waiver-wire add, and he’s immediately startable with the Colts hosting the Bills. But let’s not forget that Hines once again led the team in snaps during their fourth loss in a row. Andrew Luck is on pace to set an NFL record with 48 pass attempts a game, so Mack could struggle to get consistent carries just like Wilkins. Grab him where still available in hopes of securing another flex option. Hines had an ugly day sullied by just three targets and an end-zone drop, but don’t dismiss the team’s reception leader (31) after one rough day. Mack has 23 catches in 16 career games, so his teammate should keep filling the same pass-catching role for the 1-5 Colts.

Miami Dolphins

 
After Howard’s fumble gave the Dolphins life, Kenyan Drake committed the same goal-line blunder in overtime. That was his only red-zone carry since Week 3. Frank Gore got three looks inside the 10, but he still has not punctuated a rushing touchdown this season. The 35-year-old has, however, accumulated more rushes (6, 11, 12, 15) and rushing yards (12, 41, 63, 101) despite just once out-snapping his younger peer. Had Drake scored a touchdown instead of fumbling, we’re likely celebrating his redemptive Week 6. He drew his most handoffs since Week 1 (13) and leads Miami in targets (17) over the last two weeks after drawing six from Brock Osweiler. The logic may be flawed, but Drake’s teammates might have spared him a steeper penalty by salvaging a victory. Yet even if the role doesn’t diminish, he still has 10 fewer carries than Gore (62). He’ll hold a higher ranking because of the receiving work, but both are flex considerations at best despite going against a Detroit defense yielding 5.3 yards per carry in Week 7.

Oakland Raiders

 
It’s hard to activate Beast Mode when the Raiders always lose. Since bursting out for 157 yards on 23 touches in Week 4’s lone win of 2018, Marshawn Lynch has labored to 100 total yards on 27 touches in the past two losses combined. The Raiders ran one play (a Derek Carr sack) inside the red zone during Sunday’s 27-3 loss to the Seahawks, so Lynch went his third straight game without finding pay dirt. His workload fluctuates on a weekly basis. That’s not the case for Jalen Richard, who has received at least five targets in each of the last four games. He’s second behind Jared Cook in receptions (31) and targets (37), making him 2018’s RB28 in PPR. The Raiders are constantly playing from behind, so he’s a solid plug-in floor play on the other half of their Week 7 bye. A limited snap count apparently has not kept Lynch healthy, as Jon Gruden called the veteran’s groin strain a “cause for concern” heading into the Week 7 bye. Should he miss time, Richard would likely keep his role while Doug Martin assumes the carries as a touchdown-dependent flex play.

Philadelphia Eagles 

 
Corey Clement claimed the touchdown with more total yards, but Wendell Smallwood led the way in snaps and touches. Thursday night strongly pointed toward Philadelphia’s backfield remaining a committee without the injured Jay Ajayi. At least the duo didn’t have to worry about rookie Josh Adams, who only played on special teams. Darren Sproles missed his fifth straight game with a hamstring injury, but the veteran could muddy the waters even more by returning this weekend against Carolina. All of them would be out of the luck if the Eagles acquired Le’Veon Bell or LeSean McCoy before Oct. 30’s trade deadline, but neither is a particularly likely outcome. Smallwood still sports a slight upper hand since he fielded six of his team-high 18 handoffs inside the 20. Clement, meanwhile, has a better chance of running away with a larger role if the Eagles were simply easing him back after missing two games with a quadriceps issue. Both currently hover around the No. 30 range for running backs with some upward mobility in the right matchup.

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