Week 3 of the NFL season provided us with many backfield storylines, several of which provided league-wide narratives to build off of going forward. Featuring a group of breakout rushers, notable season debuts, and even a touch of nostalgia, Week 3 had it all. 

Breakout Performances: 

In an exciting slate of Week 3 games, a slew of running backs broke out with big performances, particularly from a group of guys who otherwise weren’t expected to be top-notch fantasy producers coming into the 2015 season.

Beginning with Thomas Rawls, that’s right, 5’9” 220 lbs Thomas Rawls undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan, burst onto the fantasy scene in Week 3 after a shocking 109 yard performance against the Bears. With the apparent hamstring injury to Marshawn Lynch during this past week, the expectation was that the Seahawks were going to rely upon the veteran Fred Jackson to get the job done in the ground game. Instead it was the third stringer in Rawls who stepped up and carried the load for Seattle, receiving 18 total carries in relief of Beast Mode. Right now, word is that Lynch’s hamstring is nothing serious and that he should be back next week, however if the MRI reveals anything further, expect Rawls to step up once again. Essentially what to take away from this development is that Rawls should be considered Lynch’s handcuff as opposed to the previous assumption that Jackson would be the permanent second stringer.

Joseph Randle finally showcased his potential behind this mauling Dallas offensive line, as he carried the ball 14 times for 87 yards and three touchdowns against the Falcons on Sunday afternoon. Most of his damage was done in the first half, before the Falcons started putting nine guys in the box and before the Dallas defense forgot that Julio Jones was on the field. Randle is a really talented runner, with tons of potential, but that will only be showcased if Brandon Weeden proves that he can be some semblance of a threat to defenses going forward. If Weeden steps up, expect Randle to continue to shine, however if he crumbles like he did in Cleveland, expect more stat lines for Randle like he had in the second half against the Falcons, where he ran the ball four times for a whopping -5 yards.

Although the rookie Karlos Williams has now scored in all three of his first career NFL games, Sunday’s performance against the Dolphins is the one that will be remembered as his coming out party, as he rushed for 110 yards on only 12 carries. His 9.2 yards per carry average on Sunday afternoon was helped a bit by a single 41-yard scamper, but it was an impressive one at that, so fantasy owners should start to believe the hype. It is becoming apparent that Shady isn’t fully healthy and might not be all season long, so with a legitimate chance at splitting the workload, Karlos Williams has become a viable fantasy option. He should continue to get goal line looks, and with continued success should see his snap count and workload increase overall.

Ryan Mathews, behind an offensive line who in previous weeks looked no better than a sand sifter, had a very impressive 25 carry 108 yard performance against a stout New York Jets front seven on Sunday afternoon. As a whole the Eagles just looked more calm and focused in Week 3, but it should be a bit concerning for DeMarco Murray owners the success that Mathews had on Sunday compared to Murray’s disastrous first two weeks in Philadelphia. When it comes down to it, one player is getting paid $20 million in guaranteed money, while the other is getting only $5 million. Considering this, there is little chance that Murray will be out of the picture once he returns from his phantom hamstring injury, but at some point Chip Kelly’s going to have to make a decision. If Murray can’t get things going next week, and Mathews succeeds again, Murray might see the bench for the foreseeable future. My guess though is that the first two weeks of the season were not a Murray issue, but rather it was an offensive line issue. Sam Bradford was using a very predictable and repetitive snap count, while Chip Kelly’s offensive play selection became very predictable as well. With the turnaround in Week 3, Murray should come back to a more energized offensive unit, and will likely see some fantasy success. This however will not come without a price, as there is now to be more of a reps split in the backfield with Murray and Mathews due to Mathews’ solid performance in Week 3… He earned it.  

On Sunday without starting running back, Tevin Coleman, the Falcons were suspected to be in for a long game facing the Dallas Cowboys and their top ranked rush defense. What ended up happening was the opposite, as Devonta Freeman stepped up for Atlanta and gashed the Cowboys for an astounding 141 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Atlanta committed 30 carries to the bowling ball back, and he was one of the leading factors in the Falcons huge come-from-behind victory in Dallas. Coleman doesn’t seem any closer to returning for Week 4, so Freeman should have a tight grip on the lead back gig going forward for Atlanta. Pick him up as quickly as possible in all fantasy formats.

Finally! Someone stepped up in the Texans backfield in the wake of the preseason Arian Foster injury. On Sunday against the Buccaneers, Alfred Blue rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown, effectively putting the Tampa Bay to bed late in the in the Texans 19-9 win. With still no hard conformation from head coach Bill O’Brien about the status of Arian Foster, it looks like Blue will still be the man for Houston in the backfield going forward. Next week against the Falcons should be another good test for Blue and the Texans offensive line, as the Falcons were annihilated by Randle and the Cowboys in the first half, but shored things up in the second. Continue to play Blue on a week-to-week basis until we hear anything further about Arian Foster.

Notable Returns: 

In much anticipated fashion, arguably the league’s best back, Le’Veon Bell, made his return to the gridiron in Week 3 against the Rams. He saw 26 total touches for a combined 132 yards and a touchdown, pleasing fantasy owners, especially ones in PPR leagues due to his seven catches on eight targets. With many believing that the loss of Ben Roethlisberger will hinder the production of Bell, I believe that it might actually enhance his fantasy value. With Michael Vick now under center, there are obviously offensive limitations for the Steelers compared to what Big Ben could bring them. Expect offensive coordinator Todd Haley to simplify the system, putting Vick in a lot of convertible situations; featuring a run heavy offense with a slew of screens, check downs, and play action roll outs. Translation: expect to see Le’Veon Bell heavily featured in this offense going forward, maybe even more so than previously expected.

Also making his season debut in Week 3, after a suspension that he received along with Le’Veon Bell due to his antics in Pittsburgh, was LeGarrette Blount of the Patriots. Bill Belichick’s notoriously mysterious backfield game plan made it difficult to give readers a realistic expectation for Blount in his season debut, but I think I summed it up pretty well in my last edition. When referring to my Patriots fantasy advice, I said “…it’s probably for the best to go ahead with starting both Dion Lewis or LeGarrette Blount if you have either, as Blount has a higher probability to score a touchdown than anyone else on the team not named Gronk, while Lewis has proven to be an effective weapon for Tom Brady out of the backfield over the past two weeks.” Ultimately that is what happened, as Lewis proved once again to be a solid PPR option while even scoring a rushing touchdown, whereas Blount rumbled his way for two more touchdowns than anyone else in the game, three more than someone named Gronk. I would continue to play the backfield in New England the same way going forward, as their offensive identity is becoming clearer.

Back to the Future:

Chris Johnson on Sunday jumped into Doc Brown’s Delorean and gunned it to 88… Well 2009, but anyway, he looked to be back in his CJ2K form behind a revitalized Arizona offensive line and only months after being shot in a drive by. After totaling 150 combined rushing and receiving yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers, it is going to be difficult for Andre Ellington to come back and reassume his unquestioned starting role. Expect a close to even carry split with Ellington and Chris Johnson going forward, with a sprinkle of the explosive rookie David Johnson every now and then.

Historical factoid here… In a renaissance of sorts, Week 3 of the 2015 NFL season saw the fantasy focus devoted firmly back on the running back position as four players, Devonta Freeman, Joseph Randle, Jamaal Charles, and LeGarrette Blount, all rushed for three touchdowns; the most since Week 17 of 2006 when three players, Tiki Barber, Larry Johnson, and Steven Jackson, all completed the impressive fantasy feat. As the game has (d)evolved into a quarterback favored show, it was nice to see guys still getting it done on the ground, hanging and banging, bobbing and weaving across the goal line. All four players should remain top fantasy options going forward due to their obvious goal line capabilities.

PPR Bonus:

I know I have made it clear in previous editions of this article, but if you haven’t done so already, PPR owners need to go out and grab Lance Dunbar of the Dallas Cowboys. With Romo out and Brandon Weeden showing no confidence as a thrower, it looks like it’s going to be check down city for Dallas going forward. This means that Dunbar, who is already tied for the team lead in receptions with 21, might, believe it or not, see an uptick in production. If his Week 3 performance is any indication (10 receptions for 100 yards) he might turn out to be one of the best undrafted fantasy players of the year.