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Week 11 Running Back Snap Count Analysis (2021 Fantasy Football)

Week 11 Running Back Snap Count Analysis (2021 Fantasy Football)

Several big-name running backs are back from injury this week, which could either clear some backfield situations up or make them even more confusing. Below are a few for your review as we get closer to the fantasy playoffs. 

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Baltimore Ravens

We never thought we’d see so much ‘clarity’ from the Ravens backfield, but Week 11 was about as close as it will get. With Lamar Jackson out, Ty’Son Williams inactive, and Le’Veon Bell cut, it was a two-man show for the Ravens. Devonta Freeman appears to be the lead back after out-carrying the fully recovered Latavius Murray, 16 carries to 10. Neither was particularly effective (Freeman totaled 49 yards; Murray had 32), but Freeman did get the call when it came to the goalline carry that put the Ravens ahead. Freeman was the clear winner in the passing game, too, seeing six targets (good for second on the whole team), catching all of them for 31 yards.

The Ravens may toggle between the two veterans from now on, but both should see a healthy amount of snaps to finish the season. 

Next week: Ravens vs. Browns 

Buffalo Bills

There’s only one sentiment to describe the Buffalo Bills backfield at this point: WTF. As if the situation weren’t muddled enough, the Bills have thrown missing person Matt Brieda into the mix to make this a three-person cluster rather than a two-person. It was odd to see Breida last week as his eight snaps were his most since Week One. But it was also a blowout of the Jets, so the Bills may have wanted to give Breida some run with the game out of hand. 

But Breida saw his snaps tick up more this week as the Bills were the ones being blown out. He tied with Devin Singletary for most touches out of the backfield with six – five rushes and a single reception – and was either Option 1A or 1B, depending on how you looked at it. Singletary saw three carries but the most targets with four and catching three of them. Meanwhile, Zack Moss is now playing behind two running backs for snaps, carries, and targets. So just avoid all of them. 

Next week: Bills at Saints 

Kansas City Chiefs

Much like the Giants experienced on Monday, the Chiefs had a dilemma on their hands. Their starting running back – Clyde Edwards-Helaire – returned from injury after missing five weeks. But his replacement – Darrel Williams – played well enough in his absence to warrant more playing time. It turns out the Chiefs agreed, nearly evenly splitting the snaps in the backfield. 

But when it came to actual rush attempts, CEH re-claimed his starting title with 12 carries for 63 yards and a score. Williams managed just five carries for 15 yards. Neither was a factor in the passing game – which Williams had been – as the Chiefs returned to the Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill show. 

As far as the run game, this is CEH’s job again and will be going forward.

Next week: Bye 

New York Giants

After a shaky start to his workhorse role, due to the injury to Saquon Barkley, Devontae Booker was getting hot. He had gained over 200 yards on the ground in his last three games while also seeing an average of four targets in that same span. It may not seem like a lot, but volume is king in fantasy, and Booker had it. 

But now that Barkley is back after missing more than a month, how would Booker fit in? It turns out he’s carved out a little bigger role than before the Barkley injury. Whereas Barkley saw close to 90% of the snaps earlier in the season, Monday night’s 2/3; 1/3 split is a shift. Neither of them was particularly effective, with the two of them gaining just 40 yards on nine carries, but this could be a preview of how the rest of the season will go in the Giants backfield. 

Next week: Giants vs. Eagles 

San Francisco 49ers

As if we needed more proof for why the 49ers elevated Elijah Mitchell over Jeff Wilson and Trey Sermon, this game was it. Thanks to an injury to Mitchell – the starter since Raheem Mostert went down in Week One – both Wilson and Sermon had a golden opportunity to prove 49ers coaches wrong. They failed, totaling 82 yards on a combined 29 carries and averaging less than three yards per carry between them. And this is against a bottom-five defense, according to DVOA

The injury to Mitchell isn’t considered serious, so this isn’t a situation that will last long, but neither Wilson nor Sermon did anything to knock Mitchell out of the starting lineup. 

Next week: 49ers vs. Vikings 

Washington Football Team

Yes, Antonio Gibson is still the lead back in Washington while J.D. McKissic is the passing-down back. That didn’t change in Week 11, as Gibson saw 19 carries to lead the backfield. But, of course, McKissic did his thing, too, as he was the only back to see a target. But keep an eye on Jaret Patterson. Week 11 was the second time in Washington’s last three games that Patterson saw double-digit snaps in a game. The seven carries were also the second-most for him in a game after the 11 he had a few weeks ago. 

Gibson’s hold on the starting job is loosening just a little between lingering injuries and his ongoing fumbling issues. It’s not enough to not start him, but it’s clear that Patterson is nipping at his heels if something happens. 

Next week: Washington vs. Seattle 

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Michael Moore is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @DLF_Moore.

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