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Alex breaks down the top 10 running backs from Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season and what those numbers mean for fantasy football going forward. Who was the biggest surprise this week?
With just under a quarter of the season completed, it has been one of the wildest first four weeks in NFL history. Aside from the turnstile of injuries we've experienced and the litany of surprise busts and studs -- the NFC divisional leaders are the Minnesota Vikings (4-0), Washington Commanders (3-1), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1).
Through the season's first month, passing has been down league-wide. As a whole, quarterbacks are averaging 202.6 passing yards per game. If the total holds, it would be the lowest since 2005, when the league averaged 203.5. It's a concerning statistic for those who went zero or hero RB in drafts this summer, but the rise of the running back is in full swing thus far in 2024.
ICYMI, below are the top 10 PPR running back performances from Week 4, which includes MNF for this week. Without further ado, let's get into this week's top 10 backs.
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Top 10 Running Backs of the Week (including MNF)
Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season in PPR scoring:
| Rank | Player | Team | Points |
| 1 | Derrick Henry | BAL | 35.9 |
| 2 | Kenneth Walker III | SEA | 33.6 |
| 3 | D'Andre Swift | CHI | 29.5 |
| 4 | Alvin Kamara | NO | 24.9 |
| 5 | Jordan Mason | SF | 24.0 |
| 6 | Chase Brown | CIN | 23.2 |
| 7 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 22.1 |
| 8 | Justice Hill | BAL | 21.6 |
| T-9 | Kyren Williams | LAR | 20.4 |
| T-9 | Jeremy McNichols | WAS | 20.4 |
1. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore picked up its second win of the season on Sunday Night Football -- putting a stop to a seemingly undefeatable Buffalo Bills squad in a 35-10 victory. This was due in large part to the monstrous, vintage "King" Henry performance where the bruising back toted the rock 24 times for 199 yards and a score while adding another 10 yards and a touchdown through the air after reeling in all three of his targets.
The Bills defense had no answer for Henry, whose TD on the ground came on an 87-yard burst up the right sideline on the Ravens' first play from scrimmage, where he went untouched. It's the second game in a row he's eclipsed 30 PPR fantasy points, and he looks to be benefiting from the dual threat his quarterback Lamar Jackson poses, which opens up some very wide running lanes.
87 YARDS, the LONGEST run in @Ravens franchise history!! 😱
📺: #BUFvsBAL on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/faa9j8bNYn— NFL (@NFL) September 30, 2024
The 30-year-old veteran is showing no signs of slowing and will be a weekly top-5 play at his position. He'll have another excellent chance to finish as the overall RB1 in Week 5 when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals on the road, who've allowed the eighth-most rushing yards and fifth-most rushing scores through the season's first quarter.
2. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
Kenneth Walker III burst back onto the field after a two-week hiatus due to an oblique injury, and boy, did he light it up! He rushed 12 times for a cool 80 yards and not one, not two, but three touchdowns! He wasn't just a ground threat, either, snagging four passes for 39 yards. Walker took the lion's share of the carries over his teammate, Zach Charbonnet, solidifying his spot as a low-end RB1 or a juicy high-end RB2 for the rest of the season.
While Charbonnet did pinch some goal-line carries and got a bit more action in the passing game, it's crystal clear that the Seahawks' coaching squad sees Walker as the main man in their backfield. Watch out, because it looks like Walker is ready to run wild for the rest of the season!
3. D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
D'Andre Swift got himself off the schneid in Chicago's second win of the season -- a 24-18 home victory over the Los Angeles Rams. After three disappointing single-digit fantasy point weeks, the 25-year-old exploded for 165 total yards and a score.
D'Andre Swift finds the end zone for his first Bears touchdown! 🔥 @Fedex pic.twitter.com/vbtPSxNH1C
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
His 16 carries were the most he'd seen on the season -- turning them into 93 yards and a touchdown. Swift also added 72 yards through the air -- hauling in all seven of his targets. Unfortunately, unless you were forced to start him, his 29.5 fantasy points would be on a lot of benches this week.
It was nice to see the Bears get the run game going and not have rookie quarterback Caleb Williams attempt 50+ passes, but it's too early to tell if this game script will be predictive for the remainder of the season. Chicago will host the Carolina Panthers at home in Week 5, and Swift will be an RB3 with upside if his usage remains increased.
4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara is again featured in this column due to his hyper-involvement in the Saints offense. He again put on a show despite his team losing a close one on the road to the division-rival Atlanta Falcons, 26-24.
Kamara carried the ball 19 times, churning out 77 yards and a touchdown on the ground while catching seven of nine targets for an additional 42 yards. He has yet to see less than 20 touches in a game and garners a pristine role as the engine of New Orleans' offense.
Kamara for the TOUCHDOWN!#Saints | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/ULvT3xHrNH
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 29, 2024
The 29-year-old may see increased usage if versatile offensive weapon Taysom Hill (ribs) is forced to miss time. Regardless, expect Kamara to get all the work he can handle when his team squares off against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on the road in Arrowhead in Week 5. He's a weekly elite RB option.
5. Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers
Jordan Mason continues to perform admirably in the absence of Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles). Mason rushed 24 times for 123 yards and a touchdown as the team handily defeated the New England Patriots, 30-13. He added 37 yards through the air, hauling in two of three targets.
Through four matchups, Mason has at least 20 carries, 100 rushing yards, and a touchdown in three of them. The former undrafted free agent hasn't exactly been CMC, but fantasy managers can't complain about that kind of output and consistency.
San Francisco was nearly at full strength offensively in this one, and the team should continue to improve and rack up wins. McCaffrey's return is projected to be in early November, but his situation feels very touch-and-go at this point. Mason will be an RB1 until further notice and likely holds some standalone value even when the dual-threat All-Pro returns to the field.
Jordan Mason’s 447 rushing yards are second-most over first four games of season in 49ers history, behind only ... CMC (459 in 2023)https://t.co/opkrcPsoi4 pic.twitter.com/r3R549IBdw
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 30, 2024
6. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase Brown is a surprise addition to this list after leading his backfield for the first time this season. Cincinnati's offense began the season cold -- seemingly a theme in the Joe Burrow era, but it picked up its first win in Week 4 in a 34-24 road victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Brown matched backfield mate Zack Moss with 15 carries in this one but was the more effective runner, totaling 80 yards (5.3 YPC) to Moss's 51 (3.4 YPC). The former Illinois running back caught two of three targets for 12 more yards through the air, and he also scored two touchdowns -- both on the ground from inside the 5-yard line.
Chase Brown starts the scoring for the Bengals
📺: #CINvsCAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ICUVigmsfD— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
It was the first time this season that Moss didn't lead the backfield in carries, though he did score a touchdown through the air and caught all four of his targets for 27 yards. Regardless of volume, Brown has been the better rusher over the last three weeks. Fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on this situation as a changing of the guard between the two cannot be ruled out just yet.
The Bengals will host their division-rival Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 5, and whoever leads the backfield will be up for a tall task against a Ravens D that has allowed the second-fewest rush yards in the league and is likely to hold the top spot after the culmination of Week 4.
7. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard again had a standout performance in Week 4. In the team's 34-24 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Hubbard toted the rock 18 times, rushing for 104 yards and a score, while racking up another 17 yards through the air, securing all four of his targets. It's back-to-back weeks for him totaling 20+ touches and 100+ yards on the ground with a score.
Chuba Chuba 🚂 🚂
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/6UYyIWFTYj
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 29, 2024
Through two weeks of an Andy Dalton-led offense, the Oklahoma State product has quickly evolved into a high-end RB2 with upside and has garnered some must-start consideration while he has a stranglehold on the Panthers' lead-back role.
It will be interesting to see what his usage is like with Jonathon Brooks (ACL) nearing his professional debut. You have to imagine he'll be worked in slowly coming off a significant injury. Additionally, Hubbard is making his case to keep the job.
He'll have an excellent chance to produce effectively again in a middle-of-the-road away matchup when they take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. They've allowed 493 yards on the ground thus far -- 15th-most in the league.
8. Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry wasn't the only Ravens running back to eat on Sunday night. Justice Hill saw just four carries in Week 4, turning them into 18 yards. However, he was very active in the passing game -- reeling in all six of his targets for 78 yards and a touchdown through the air. The receptions, targets, and yards all led the team.
Lamar Jackson (6) to Justice Hill (1)
Baltimore Ravens
19 yards
pic.twitter.com/26LnstQalk— NFL TD Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) September 30, 2024
It's the second time Hill has caught six balls this season, and the score was his first of the year. Quarterback Lamar Jackson attempted just 18 passes on the night, operating efficiently in the win.
This type of performance can't be counted on moving forward. Still, Baltimore's passing attack hasn't exactly been effective when running through the wideouts and tight ends. If the former fourth-round pick stays involved in the passing game, he could work his way into low-end flex consideration.
T-9. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Despite the Rams offense sputtering, Kyren Williams has now scored at least one touchdown in each of the season's first four weeks. He's up to six total now and was again effective on the ground despite his team falling to 1-3 after a 24-18 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Williams handled 19 carries, churning out 94 yards (his most of the season) and a touchdown while catching all four of his targets for an additional 10 yards. The Notre Dame product is a locked-in RB1 and essentially L.A.'s only offense right now, with it down its top two wide receivers.
Kyren Williams cutting his way through on this Rams Duo run pic.twitter.com/ZJDhcg9HtO
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 29, 2024
He'll face a tougher task in Week 5 than he did this past Sunday when the Rams host the Green Bay Packers, but Williams is a must-start option even though he likely won't score 24 touchdowns again this season.
T-9. Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders
Well, that was unforeseen. The Washington Commanders continue rolling behind the play of impressive rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The second overall pick is completing 82.1% of his passes through the season's first four weeks -- the highest completion percentage through four weeks by any QB in NFL history. Not rookie quarterbacks -- all quarterbacks.
It's a staggering start for Daniels, who has taken the league by storm with his accuracy and dual-threat ability. In turn, Washington's offense -- particularly the rushing attack -- has benefited greatly.
McNichols saw just eight carries in the game, but he turned them into 68 yards (8.5 YPC) and two touchdowns with his long gain rush of 27. He took on the Austin Ekeler role in this one with Ekeler (concussion) in the league's protocol.
Jeremy McNichols (1)
Washington Commanders
27 yards pic.twitter.com/D8ZmB8H6Jn— NFL TD Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) September 29, 2024
This is likely a one-off performance with McNichols, who is projected to be relegated to bench duties upon the former Charger's return. Additionally, Daniels will take his fair share of the carries, which makes him hard to trust regardless. If we can glean anything from this performance, the Commanders prefer to use a two-back system going forward.
Thanks for reading and best of luck in all your matchups in Week 5!
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