Week 4 is in the books and trends are starting to emerge in the NFL. The league's running back situation is surprising to say the least. Four of the top-10 fantasy RBs were assumed to be backups at the beginning of the year. Heck, some of them are still backups capitalizing on injuries in their respective backfields. Most importantly, we're finally starting to get a good sample size for most teams to make legitimate predictions for what may happen in the coming weeks.

With that being said, there are still plenty of teams with volatile RB pictures and anything could happen week to week. Is Devonta Freeman going to put up three TDs every week? Is he even going to be the starter next week? Is Karlos Williams the most productive backup running back ever? Let's answer some of the questions that we all have deep in our souls.

 

AFC EAST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidate(s)	Waiver     Wire Watch
Questionable	Patriots	LaGarrette Blount	Dion Lewis, James White	Brandon Bolden	N/A
Solid	Jets	Chris Ivory	Bilal Powell	Zac Stacy	N/A
Questionable	Bills	LeSean McCoy	Karlos Williams	Bryce Brown, Boobie Dixon	Karlos Williams
Solid	Dolphins	Lamar Miller	Damien Williams, Jonas Gray	Jay Ayaji	N/A

 

**BYE** LaGarrette Blount finally emerged from hibernation Week 3 against a lackluster Jaguars squad. He was active in both the running and passing game, piling up 92 yards from scrimmage with three total touchdowns. Dion Lewis, who was the surprising star of the Patriots backfield up until now, was still active in this one. He recorded 67 yards on 13 total touches and found the end zone as well. Although Blount was certainly the leader of the pack this week, (his 26 standard points were good for fourth among Week 3 RBs) there is more than meets the eye here. It is worth noting that all of his scores came from 1-yard runs and they all came in the second half once the game was firmly in New England's control. Lewis remained the favored back early in the game. While it seems as if Blount will lead the backfield going forward, there is still no telling what the Pats will do week-to-week. James White also saw some action, gaining 34 yards on six touches.

Chris Ivory (quad) rebounded in a big way against the Dolphins in London, racking up 166 yards on 29 rushes and a score. Ivory's yardage was the top total from Week 4 and his 22.60 fantasy points were good for a top-three performance. That's now two-of-four weeks that Ivory has been a top-three half back. He has shown his ability to exploit favorable matchups and has proven to be a legitimate RB-1 in most league formats. Zac Stacy was the change-of-pace back in this one, gathering seven yards on five carries, while Bilal Powell caught one pass for 12 yards. Ivory is the only man in the picture in New York. The Jets will have a Week 5 BYE.

In the absence of LeSean McCoy (hamstring), Karlos Williams was the one and only guy in the Bills backfield. Though this opportunity made Williams a must-start waiver wire pickup/cheap DFS dream, the backup was mostly ineffective on the day. On the ground, he posted a meager 18-40-0 line. Fortunately, he added 3o yards and a score on three receptions. Williams had multiple big gains, including a touchdown, called back on a few of Buffalo's litany of penalties. A team that commits too many penalties, like holding, can be a nightmare for a tail back's production. McCoy should return to action next week. Still, Williams is worthy of stashing in almost all leagues, as he tends to produce even in the shadow of the Bills star RB.

Joe Philbin is finally out as head coach in Miami and the team is likely to (eventually) benefit from the move. Over the past three weeks, the Dolphins have been, all around, the worst team in the league as they have failed to execute in all aspects of the game. The ground game has been especially putrid. The team attempted only 10 rushes throughout the entire game due to the fact that they were playing catch-up all morning in London. Lamar Miller still appears to be the top guy here, although I would recommend benching every player on this offense (except maybe Jarvis Landry) until the new coaching staff can turn things around. The Dolphins will have a Week 5 BYE.

 

AFC WEST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidate(s)	Waiver     Wire Watch
Questionable	Broncos	C.J. Anderson	Ronnie Hillman	Juwan Thompson	Ronnie Hillman
Solid	Chiefs	Jamaal Charles	Charcandrick West	Knile Davis, De'Anthony Thomas	N/A
Solid	Raiders	Latavius Murray	Taiwan Jones	Roy Helu	N/A
Questionable	Chargers	Melvin Gordon, Danny Woodhead	Branden Oliver	Donald Brown	N/A

 

Ronnie Hillman became the unlikely star of Denver's tight win over Minnesota on Sunday evening. His 72-yard touchdown run propelled the Broncos to take an early lead in the second quarter, as the backup RB posted an 11-103-1 line by the end of the game. C.J. Anderson still led the team with 14 touches, but didn't impress many with 70 total yards from scrimmage. With each passing week, Anderson is making a stronger case to get benched. It's the third time this year Hillman has out-rushed him, and Anderson's pedestrian 3.9 YPA were actually his highest total of 2015. Neither RB should be started against Oakland's top-10 rush defense in Week 5. This situation has officially become volatile.

The Chiefs could only give Jamaal Charles 11 carries for the second consecutive week against the Bengals on Sunday. As usual, Charles salvaged the outing in the receiving game. In total, Charles chipped away for 145 yards on 17 touches, albeit with no touchdowns. In fact, no player on the Chiefs found the end zone on Sunday, as the team accounted for 21 points on seven field goals. Knile Davis failed to record a touch for the second week in a row and has seemingly dipped below Charcandrick West in the depth chart. West managed 17 yards on five attempts. With 457 yards and five total TDs, Charles is the second-best fantasy RB in 2015.

Latavius Murray regressed a bit in this one, gaining 61 yards on 19 touches, losing a fumble in the process. The fumble was atypical, as it was really just an incompletion on a backwards pass. This was supposed to be an appealing matchup for Murray against a lackluster Chicago squad. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the Bears looked revitalized playing in front of their home crowd with Jay Cutler at the helms. Roy Helu tallied 35 yards on seven touches and caught a pass for a touchdown. Still, Murray is the unquestioned starter in Oakland.

Yet again, Melvin Gordon received the most carries from the Chargers backfield and, again, proved to be ineffective with a 12-38-0 line. On the other hand, Danny Woodhead had another nice game, tacking on 138 yards on 12 touches with most of his gains coming in the passing game. After Week 4, Woodhead is the 11th best fantasy running back with 347 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Gordon may be listed as the top dog on the depth chart in San Diego, but the veteran Woodhead is clearly the more favorable fantasy option in the Chargers backfield.

 

AFC NORTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidate(s)	Waiver     Wire Watch
Solid	Ravens	Justin Forsett	Lorenzo Taliaferro	Javorius Allen	N/A
Solid	Steelers	Le'Veon Bell	DeAngelo Williams	Dri Archer	N/A
Volatile	Bengals	Giovani Bernard	Jeremy Hill	Rex Burkhead	N/A
Questionable	Browns	Isaiah Crowell	Duke Johnson	Shaun Draughn	Duke Johnson

 

Justin Forsett finally asserted his dominance in a Week 4 overtime win in Pittsburgh on Thursday night by gaining 150 yards rushing on 27 attempts. This type of performance should become more regular for Forsett as the season goes along, especially considering the Ravens inability to pass the ball effectively. Javorius Allen factored in five carries for 19 yards while Lorenzo Taliaferro ran the ball three times for 13 yards. Forsett is still waiting for his first touchdown of 2015.

Another solid start from Le'Veon Bell. His 22-129-1 line is business as usual for the star RB and he is now averaging over 140 yards from scrimmage per game with two total touchdowns. It is interesting to compare the two starts of Bell to those of DeAngelo Williams. Although Bell has been dominant since returning from a two-game suspension, his 40.20 standard fantasy points trail the 42.10 points of Williams in Weeks 1 & 2. If Bell were to ever go down with injury, the Steelers have a very competent veteran backup waiting in the shadows. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the same cannot be said for the quarterback position.

Everybody calm down. Here are the facts. Jeremy Hill bounced back in a big way against the Chiefs, notching three touchdowns on nine carries for 40 yards. Giovani Bernard carried the ball 13 times for 62 yards and recorded a score of his own. Now, fantasy owners will see that Hill recorded a top-two Week 4 performance and claim that he has returned to prominence, overshadowing the fact that Bernard, for the second consecutive week, led the team in touches and yardage. Owners ho sold low on Bernard should correctly be feeling regret right now. Still, Hill is not out of the water yet. He won't score three touchdowns every week and if he is not leading the team's backfield, he can't continue RB1 levels of production. Both Hill and Bernard are well worth owning and starting in most leagues, although maybe not against the Seahawks in a tough Week 5 matchup. Rex Burkhead added a 27-yard reception in this one.

Behold the arrival of Duke Johnson! After laying dormant for the first three weeks of the season, the rookie showed up in a big way against the Chargers on Sunday, racking up 116 yards on eight carries, nine receptions and an electric touchdown grab. Shockingly, Isaiah Crowell put up an impressive performance as well, gaining 125 yards on 15 touches. This was an all-around surprising performance from the Browns half backs. After having almost no role in the passing game through the first three weeks, both Crowell and Johnson dominated the air attack in San Diego. It's entirely unclear how the Browns will move forward with their RB duo from here. We will learn more when the team travels to Baltimore next week.

 

AFC SOUTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidates	Waiver     Wire Watch
Solid	Colts	Frank Gore	Josh Robinson	Tyler Varga	N/A
Solid	Texans	Arian Foster	Chris Polk, Alfred Blue	Jonathan Grimes	N/A
Volatile	Titans	Bishop Sankey	Dexter McCluster, Antonio Andrews	Terrance West, David Cobb	Antonio Andrews, Dexter McCluster
Solid	Jaguars	T.J. Yeldon	Denard Robsinson, Bernard Pierce	Toby Gerhart	N/A

 

Frank Gore did not look sharp in an uninspiring overtime win over the Jaguars Week 4. The veteran rushed for 53 yards on 17 carries, good for 3.1 YPA, and coughed up another costly goal line fumble. Fortunately for him, there's not much of anybody behind him on the depth chart to threaten his job. With that being said, it would not be wise to trust Gore on a week-by-week basis to produce. He is locked in as the top guy in Indianapolis, but won't be very helpful for fantasy purposes at this point of his career.

It was a debut to forget for Arian Foster, as the superstar managed only 10 yards on eight carries, including an embarrassing fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Alfred Blue and Chris Polk saw some action as they rotated with Foster and shared carries. Polk actually looked pretty good, amassing 27 yards with a touchdown on just three carries. Things should be much different moving forward. Foster declared that he feels '100 percent' after the game and his role should increase in the coming weeks. Look for him to have a big game against a plain bad Indianapolis run defense next week. Polk and Blue should be dropped unilaterally.

**BYE** Another bizarre week from the Titans backfield. The unexpected star of Week 3 was Antonio Andrews, who amassed 61 yards on a team-leading 13 touches with a touchdown. Through three weeks, three different backs have led the Titans in scoring. The wise move would be to stash one or two of them, but keep them on the bench. There's no telling who will be the starter from week to week. McCluster and Sankey put up nearly identical performances. However, it is important to take into account McCluster's team-leading 36 snaps compared to 23 for Andrews and 18 for Sankey.

T.J. Yeldon recorded his first NFL 100-yard rushing game on Sunday against the Colts, going for 105 yards on 22 carries. Although Yeldon has failed to produce for much of the season, he is third in the league with 70 carries and continues to be a workhorse in the Jags young offense. Toby Gerhart made a surprising appearance in overtime, but was quickly shuffled to the sideline after he was stopped in the backfield. Yeldon remains a locked-in starter with a hefty upside moving forward.

 

NFC EAST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidates	Waiver      Wire Watch
Volatile	Giants	Rashad Jennings	Andre Williams, Shane Vereen	Orleans Darkwa	N/A
Questionable	Eagles	DeMarco Murray	Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles	Kenjon Barner	N/A
Solid	Cowboys	Joseph Randle	Darren McFadden	Christine Michael	Darren McFadden
Volatile	Washington	Alfred Morris	Matt Jones	Chris Thompson	Chris Thompson, Matt Jones

 

Rashad Jennings put up the first fantasy-worthwhile performance by a Giants RB this season on Sunday, piling up 92 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches with a touchdown. Most of that came on a ridiculous 51-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning, during which Jennings victimized multiple Bills defenders en route to the end zone. Andre Williams received the bulk of the carries from the backfield, but was only able to tally 35 yards on 11 carries. Shane Vereen remained an active third-stringer, adding 21 yards on five attempts. Despite the nice numbers from Jennings, there is no telling what the Giants will do week-to-week with their trio of talented rushers.

DeMarco Murray is not getting the ball enough and he's not afraid to say it. Aside from an explosive 30-yard rush, Murray managed only an additional six yards on eight total carries as the Eagles were handled by the Washington Professional Football Team on Sunday afternoon. It is undeniable that Ryan Mathews is a better fit for this offense. On the season, Mathews is averaging 4.0 YPA compared to an abysmal 1.6 for Murray. Fortunately for Murray owners, the star RB and 2014's leading rusher is simply being paid too much money to justify benching. Murray will likely get plenty of chance to affirm his abilities, but will gradually lose action to Mathews and Darren Sproles if he cannot produce.

Lance Dunbar was having himself a game before going down with a gruesome-looking knee injury. It is now confirmed that the injury is a torn ACL, which will cause Dunbar to miss the remainder of the season. It's just another in a series of costly injuries to the Cowboys offense this season. In his absence, Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden teamed up to form an incredibly ineffective duo. In 21 combined carries, Randle and McFadden managed only 57 yards, although Randle did manage a touchdown. Dunbar's injury will only serve to strengthen Randle's value, as well as McFadden's to a certain extent. With 303 yards from scrimmage and four scores, Randle surprisingly ranks as the league's fourth-best fantasy RB this year.

Back to reality in Washington. After three different running backs led the backfield through the first three weeks, incumbent starter Alfred Morris finally returned to starting duties on Sunday against the Eagles. Morris far out-carried his backups, piling up 62 yards on 17 attempts. Still, third-stringer Chris Thompson impressed again, adding 77 yards on just eight touches. The third-year back has been electric when he touches the ball in 2015. For now, it seems as though the coaching staff in D.C. has re-committed to trusting Morris as the featured half back. However, it is worth keeping an eye on both Thompson and Matt Jones, who had 11 yards on seven rushes, moving forward. There is a ton of talent in this backfield.

 

NFC WEST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidates	Waiver Wire Watch
Solid	49ers	Carlos Hyde	Reggie Bush	Jerrod Hayne, Mike Davis	N/A
Solid	Seahawks	Marshawn Lynch	Thomas Rawls	Fred Jackson	N/A
Questionable	Cardinals	Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington	David Johnson	Stepfan Taylor	Andre Ellington
Solid	Rams	Todd Gurley	Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham	Isaiah Pead	N/A

 

Colin Kaepernick led the 49ers in carries on Sunday as he tends to do against the Packers, accounting for 57 yards on 10 rushes. That would be impressive, except he was sacked six times for a total of 41 yards, bringing his net gain to just 16 yards. Anyway, Carlos Hyde could not find his stride in this one, gaining just 20 yards on eight carries. After a dominant Week 1 performance against Minnesota, Hyde has been stagnant through three weeks. Reggie Bush finally got a few touches in this one, but was largely irrelevant. Jerrod Hayne fumbled again, and is starting to look like a guy who should not be playing football.

After all of the hype surrounding undrafted rookie half back Thomas Rawls, the youngster turned out to be a bust in a Week 4 thriller on Monday night. Rawls only managed 47 yards on 17 carries and was not much of a factor after the first half. Fred Jackson was much more effective in his limited playing time, adding 54 yards on five touches. This will all be in the past soon enough. Marshawn Lynch is likely to return Week 5 and will be ready to roll in Cincinnati.

It was another solid afternoon of football for the double Johnson one-two punch. Chris Johnson accounted for 94 yards on 19 touches, while David Johnson, more active in the passing game, was responsible for 81 yards on seven touches. It seems as if the Cardinals will stick with this system moving forward, right? Wait - Andre Ellington (PCL) will likely be returning from injury Week 5. While Chris Johnson is slated to remain as the top guy in the Cardinals backfield, Ellington may take some touches away from the rookie Johnson, especially in the air attack. This is certainly a situation worth monitoring as the Cards head to Detroit Week 5.

Todd Gurley has arrived in the NFL. The much-hyped rookie showed up in a big way in his second game as he compiled 161 yards on 21 touches, good for 7.7 YPC. Gurley went absolutely nuts in the second half, almost winning the game against the elite Cardinals single-handedly, even showing some crucial game clock awareness in the process. The offensive line in Saint Louis is a sham. It's unclear if Gurley will be able to repeat his success behind this squad. It is clear that he will start from here on and that his upside is limitless for the rest of 2015 and beyond.

 

NFC NORTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidates	Waiver Wire Watch
Solid	Packers	Eddie Lacy	James Starks	Alonzo Harris	N/A
Volatile	Lions	Ameer Abdullah, Joique Bell	Theo Riddick	Zach Zenner	Theo Riddick
Solid	Bears	Matt Forte	Jacquizz Rodgers	Jeremy Langford	N/A
Solid	Vikings	Adrian Peterson	Jerick McKinnon	Matt Asiata	N/A

 

Eddie Lacy looked fairly strong in San Francisco, going 18-90-0 in a relatively slow day for the Packers offense. The good news is that lacy looked pretty healthy, dragging defenders and pounding through the line in vintage form. It's been a somewhat slow start to the season for one of the top-drafted RBs in 2015. Look for Lacy to start turning up the intensity in the near future. James Starks had nine carries for 23 yards and will likely resume his change-of-pace role in the coming weeks.

The Lions should just give up on their run game. Actually, the Lions should just give up in general. After an insanely botched call on Monday night, the Lions find themselves the last winless team in the NFL. It's a shame, considering the Lions defense played their hearts out and looked like a top-five unit in Seattle. If Detroit could get a run game going and control the clock with that defense, it could be a playoff-bound team. For the third straight week, Ameer Abdullah failed to record more than 50 yards from scrimmage. Joique Bell (ankle) did not play. Theo Riddick remained the only viable fantasy play (although only in PPR formats) with five receptions for 31 yards. Stay away from the Lions backfield until Jim Caldwell gets fired.

Matt Forte was active in both the rushing and passing games on Sunday, as he achieved 155 yards on 29 touches against the Raiders. Forte leads the NFL, by far, in touches per game as he continues to be the workhorse in a depleted Bears offense. He lost a fumble in this one, but there shouldn't be much cause for concern. Through four weeks, Forte is a top-five fantasy RB and shows no signs of slowing down. Jeremy Langford and Jacquizz Rodgers briefly surfaced while Forte caught his breath.

The 16-81-1 performance was nothing extraordinary from Adrian Peterson, but is something to be respected against an incredibly tough Broncos defense. Through four weeks, AP has racked up 464 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns, making him a top-three fantasy RB thus far. All Day believes he can produce another 2,000-yard season. It would not be wise to doubt him. Matt Asiata and Jerrick McKinnon received one carry each in the contest. The Vikings will have a Week 5 BYE.

 

NFC SOUTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Baller Stability Rating	Team Name	Primary Running Back	Backup or Handcuff	Longshot Candidates	Waiver Wire Watch
Solid	Saints	Mark Ingram	Khiry Robinson	C.J. Spiller	C.J. Spiller
Questionable	Falcons	Devonta Freeman	Tevin Coleman	Terrone Ward	Tevin Coleman, Terrone Ward
Solid	Panthers	Jonathan Stewart	Cameron Artis-Payne	Fozzy Whittaker	N/A
Questionable	Buccaneers	Doug Martin	Charles Sims	Mike James, Bobby Rainey	Charles Sims

 

Mark Ingram played some good football against the Cowboys with a 17-77-0 line adding six receptions for 51 yards. Of course, the big story here is C.J. Spiller's 80-yard touchdown catch in overtime to win the game. Aside from that, both Spiller and Khiry Robinson were essentially non-factors in the game. Perhaps Spiller's big play will earn him a bigger piece of the pie in the future. For now, Ingram is playing well a is a lock for starter duties.

Another week, another historic performance for Devonta Freeman. The second-year back posted a 14-68-3 line for his second consecutive three TD game. These stats would be impressive enough without knowing the fact that he added another 81 yards on five receptions. Freeman led all NFL backs for the second straight week and has totaled 70.20 points in that span. The odd part about this game is that third-string back Terrone Ward was the featured back in this game, technically. He out-carried Freeman, posting a 19-72-1 line in the process. Tevin Coleman is expected to return from injury Week 5. Who knows what will happen? Let's be honest - Freeman will absolutely not keep up this kind of pace, regardless of how multi-dimensional the Falcons offense is. With that being said, his play has certainly earned him the right to start football games in Atlanta until he proves himself unfit for the job.

Cam Newton led the Panthers run game on Sunday, rushing for 5 1 yards on 12 carries against a weak Buccaneers run game. Despite that weak defensive front, Jonathan Stewart was, once again, unable to get anything going, posting a 10-50-0 line on the afternoon. Is this guy even good? In his defense, the panthers never really gave him much of a chance to find a rhythm in this one. Still, Stewart has no handcuff with whom to split carries and has still managed just 220 yards rushing through four weeks with no scores. He trails all three of Philadelphia's tepid half backs, to put things in perspective. Cameron Artis-Payne was a slight factor, adding 25 yards on eight attempts. The Panthers will have a Week 5 BYE.

Doug Martin finally showed up for the Buccaneers on Sunday, recording a 20-106-1 showing with an additional five receptions for 37 yards. It was an important performance for Muscle Hamster, as Charles Sims has been hot on his heels to take the starting job away. Sims also had a nice game, tacking on 53 yards and a score on just nine touches. Still, Martin did a nice job to make the roles more defined here, asserting his hold on the job. Tampa Bay might have to run the ball more often if Jameis Winston continues to put forth four-interception performances.

 

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