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Which running backs were the most efficient with touches in Week 9? What should we look for in Week 10? Kyle Richardson puts together all the data for each team's backfield and gives you the breakdown on several RBs you should monitor in fantasy football leagues.
After a week off, it’s time to get back to it. Week 9 offered some underwhelming performances from players we may have been counting on to for a victory. Are those performances going to be the norm moving forward or should we expect better weeks ahead? These key questions need to be answered prior to the trade deadline in your leagues.
This article is all about watching how a backfield is being used for every team. Snap counts are very useful, but I want to know what a player is doing when he has the ball in his hands. Anytime a running back gets a touch, what is being done with that touch?
Watching a trend with touches for running backs will not only let us know their usage for any given week or period, but how effective they are with the ball. High volume plus high effectiveness is always the best outcome. High volume with low effectiveness can be great and low volume with high efficiency can be streaky at times. Let’s dive into our Week 10 preview.
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RB Touches and Efficiency Breakdown
Buffalo Bills
So, what should we do with LeSean McCoy the rest of the season? Most continue to hold on, especially if he cost a high draft pick. I get multiple questions about McCoy on a weekly basis and I provide the same answer almost every time: McCoy will typically be in your lineup because he offers the volume. McCoy has had at least 50% of the backfield touches in all but three weeks this season, two of which were due to injury. The problem with starting McCoy though? The inefficient touches. He averaged 2.1 yards per touch in Week 9 and is only averaging 4.2 yards per touch on the season.
There is some hope for Week 10 though because the Bills will be playing the New York Jets who are giving up 19.06 fantasy points per week to opposing running backs. The Jets have also given up 794 rushing yards and 421 receiving yards to opposing running backs this season. With Sam Darnold out this weekend and Josh McCown facing a tough Bills secondary, this game could be close, allowing the Bills to utilize McCoy better.
Chicago Bears
Tarik Cohen disappeared in Week 10. Cohen, who is averaging 7.9 yards per touch for the season only averaged 1.9 yards per touch in Week 10. Oh, by the way, this was in a week that the Bears scored 41 points and blew out the Buffalo Bills. Everything seemed to set up perfectly for Cohen to have a big day, but it didn't happen. Jordan Howard has also caused issues, scoring four touchdowns in his last three games. Cohen owners know Howard will steal goal-line carries and touchdowns, but they would also like to see some of those touchdowns come Cohen's way. The fact is, Cohen has been ultra-efficient with his touches which has led to some big weeks. Howard has 62% of the running back touches in 2018 and only has one week with less than 48% of the touches. If you have Cohen in your lineups on a weekly basis, you can expect a high ceiling and a low floor, like we saw last week.
Cleveland Browns
The fantasy football community has spent so much time drooling over Nick Chubb the past three weeks that we may have forgotten about Duke Johnson. Or maybe we forgot about Duke Johnson because he's been out of sight and out of mind all season. In Week 9, Johnson saw a season-high 30% of running back touches and went for 8.6 yards per touch. Chubb will still be the back to own in Cleveland as he'll continue to see 70% or more touches, but hopefully he can average more than 3.9 yards per touch. If the Browns can continue to work both players into the game plan and use them effectively, then Chubb has RB1 upside on a weekly basis and Johnson is a legit RB2 in PPR leagues.
Houston Texans
Time must be running out for Lamar Miller after another underwhelming performance in Week 9. Even though the Texans are on a bye during Week 10, it's important to note this backfield right now because D'Onta Foreman is coming. Miller only averaged 3.4 yards per touch and even though he has played well at times this year, he hasn't been great. Not only was Miller inefficient, but Alfred Blue also out-touched him. When Foreman gets back into game action, he could start to pull plenty of opportunities away from Miller, making his fantasy potential slim. For those concerned with Foreman's injury, just keep one thing in mind. Foreman doesn't need to be great when he returns, he just has to be better than Miller, and that shouldn't be difficult.
Washington Redskins
Have we given up on Adrian Peterson? Has the fountain of youth run out? The volume continues to be there for Peterson and regardless of the performance he had last week, he is still efficient. Only twice this season has Peterson averaged under four yards per carry. Next up, the Redskins get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are giving up 23.74 points to opposing running backs this season, sixth-most in the NFL. In the long run though, Peterson has matchups with the Eagles, Jaguars and Titans, all of which are in the top-10 of least points allowed to opposing running backs this season.
If you currently own Peterson, try to move him in a trade after this week, if your trade deadline hasn't passed yet. Peterson is in line for a bounce-back performance which will cause his value to go back up. Packaging Peterson with a wide receiver could earn you an upgrade at running back or wide receiver.
