Without the usual benefit of being able to watch teams play in preseason games, we fantasy football managers and analysts alike have had an especially hard time evaluating players for the upcoming fantasy football season.
It’s especially hard when we’re trying to evaluate running backs. It’s even harder when we’re trying to evaluate running backs that we’ve never seen play. We can read the draft profiles and research and compare statistics all day long, but there are times when nothing beats the eye test. There’s nothing like watching a running back in action so that you can determine if you agree with the scout who wrote that Clyde Edwards-Hellaire “can easily change his run tempo and wait for his blockers to create holes”.
This crazy offseason has forced us to rely on past performance and statistics, the lies spewed by NFL head coaches, and the sometimes unintentionally biased reports supplied by media who are lucky enough to watch a football practice.
The following is an analysis of all 32 teams. We’ve attempted to project backfield configurations, including trying to determine who the RB handcuffs are, heading into Week 1 of the NFL season. We’ll all have a better idea of how NFL teams plan on managing their backfields once Week 1 is over but for now, we hope that the following will help you to better manage your fantasy football team(s).
Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy players who had already invested in Cardinals lead back Kenyan Drake in preseason drafts were obviously concerned when he was seen wearing a walking boot this preseason. The Cardinals have assured everyone that he’ll be ready for Week 1, but whether or not he’ll be given a full workload to start the season remains to be seen. Luckily for the Cardinals, Chase Edmonds is a very capable backup RB as evidenced by his 5.1 YPC last season. Rookie Eno Benjamin rounds out the rest of the Cardinals backfield. He may have been a seventh round pick, but he’s got skills. Benjamin caught 77 passes for Arizona State in the last two seasons of his college football career.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons hope that Todd Gurley ’s arthritic knee will allow him to bring some consistency to their run game this season. The Rams managed Gurley’s carries very carefully last season. He averaged 14.9 carries per game in 2019 compared to the 18.3 he averaged in the 2018 season. His 2019 3.8 YPC was also significantly lower than his career 4.4 average. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has said that Brian Hill has earned the right to be considered Gurley’s backup. However, many presume that if Gurley should be forced to miss time, the Falcons would probably use a committee approach with Hill and Ito Smith splitting carries.
Baltimore Ravens
No team ran the ball as much as the Ravens last season and while QB Lamar Jackson will probably throw the ball a bit more in 2020 they will still be a run first team. On the heels of his 1018 rushing yard season Mark Ingram rushed for 1018 yards last season and will still be the Ravens’ starting RB in Week 1. His pass protection skills make him a valuable piece of the Ravens’ overall offense. Second round pick J.K. Dobbins will probably eat into some of Ingrams’ workload. He’ll also steal some of Gus Edwards ’ 145 carries from last season. Edwards, who had 46 first down conversions last season, still has some fantasy value as a change of pace back. Dobbins will likely be given a handful of carries to start the season and he’ll likely have a prominent role as a pass catching option as well. Second year back Justice Hill is last in the Ravens RB depth chart and would fill Edwards’ role as a change of pace option should he be forced to miss time.
Buffalo Bills
Second year back Devin Singletary had a very good rookie season. He played 12 games, averaged 5.1 YPC and caught 29 passes out of the backfield. Despite his early success the Bills don’t think he can be a traditional 20 carry per game, bell-cow back. He’ll start the season as the Bills’ lead back, but rookie Zack Moss has the skillset to potentially win that job by seasons end. Moss has three down potential, eats up short yardage and can also catch passes out of the backfield. At the very least Moss should vulture multiple TD opportunities away from Singletary this season. T.J. Yeldon and Taiwan Jones are also part of the Bills’ backfield, but have little to no fantasy value to start the season.
Carolina Panthers
There’s not much too add about the Panthers’ backfield. It’s obviously all about Christian McCaffrey . The only change for the 2020 season is that Mike Davis replaces Reggie Bonnafon as McCaffrey’s handcuff.
Cleveland Browns
For the first eight games of the 2019 season when Nick Chubb had the Browns’ backfield all to himself he averaged 19.3 carries per game and had 25 receptions. Kareem Hunt made his debut in Week 9, after serving his suspension for violating the NFL’s code of conduct, and it became clear that Kareem Hunt had taken over the team’s pass catching duties. In the final eight games of the season with Hunt and Chubb sharing the Browns’ backfield, Chubb still dominated the early downs and averaged 18 carries per game, but he only caught 11 passes. Hunt averaged 5.4 carries but recorded 37 receptions during the final eight weeks of the season. In short, both Chubb and Hunt have fantasy value but as long as he’s healthy, Chubb has significantly more. Hunt will again get a handful of carries per game and also provide fantasy managers with moderate but consistent production in PPR scoring formats. He’s also a great handcuff for those rostering Chubb as well.
Chicago Bears
David Montgomery disappointed a bit in his rookie campaign. He had 242 carries but rushed for just 3.7 YPA. Montgomery suffered a groin injury late in the preseason and was expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks. That would put him on track to start in Week 1 but you should follow his progress as game time approaches. The other main cog of the Bears backfield is Tarik Cohen who thrives in PPR scoring formats. Things could get ugly if Montgomery is forced to miss the Bears season opener. The only other RB on the Bears roster is Ryan Nall . Nall hasn’t had the opportunity to play many NFL snaps, but he posted a 5.8 average YPC and caught 56 passes in three years at Oregon State. If things get really bad we might end up seeing Cordarrelle Patterson playing some snaps as a RB.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon is solidly entrenched as the Bengals’ multi-dimensional bell-cow back. Giovani Bernard will continue to operate as a change of pace back who is extremely good at catching the ball out of the backfield. Talented rookie Trayveon Williams, who averaged 6.0 YPC in his college career at Texas A & M, would likely get the bulk of carries as Mixon’s handcuff if he were to miss time.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys backfield features one of the better offensive lines, one of the premiere bell-cow backs, and one of the better handcuffs. Ezekiel Elliott is coming off another big season in which he rushed for 1357 yards and caught 54 passes. Tony Pollard, Elliott’s handcuff, only carried the ball 86 times last season, but averaged a gaudy 5.3 YPC. He has a college career 6.8 YPC and is a talented pass catching back. He should be able to easily step up and fill in for Elliott should the need arise.
Denver Broncos
While many speculate that Melvin Gordon will be the lead back in the Broncos offense you can’t discount Philip Lindsay’s potential role in the Broncos’ backfield. He’s compiled a 4.9 average YPC, caught 70 passes and hasn’t fumbled while carrying the ball 416 times over the last two seasons. Don’t be too surprised if he doesn’t play more snaps than Gordon by the end of the season. Based on sheer ability and past results Lindsay has earned the right to be the starter in the Broncos backfield. Recent reports have suggested that the Broncos backfield may feature more of a 50/50 split between Lindsay and Gordon. Royce Freeman provides the Broncos with additional backfield depth and another RB who is good at catching passes out of the backfield.
Detroit Lions
The Lions’ backfield is a mess for fantasy purposes. That shouldn’t be all too surprising since head coach Matt Patricia is a Bill Belichick disciple. Based on how he’s used in RBs in the past, we all know Belichick hates fantasy players. Adrian Peterson was brought in to fortify the Lions’ young backfield which already featured Kerryon Johnson , rookie D’Andre Swift (listed as fourth on the Lions’ RB depth chart), and Ty Johnson. Kerryon Johnson has dealt with knee injuries in his first two seasons in the league and Swift has missed practice time due to his own leg injury. With so many mouths to feed, fantasy players should probably avoid the Lions backfield to start the season.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones had a career year in 2019, compiling 1558 total yards and 19 total TDs, but some wonder how his 2020 fantasy production will be affected by the addition of rookie RB A.J. Dillon. With or without Dillon in the mix, it will be difficult for Jones to repeat his 2019 TD total. Dillon is going to have a role in the Packers rushing attack, and he’ll likely cut into Jones’ 60 percent share of the Packers’ red zone rushing opportunities. Jamaal Williams is still around and while Dillon will cut into his workload as well, he should still be an active pass catcher.
Houston Texans
The Texans are hoping David Johnson finds some of that old magic that made him fantasy football’s top scoring RB back in the 2016 season. The Texans will likely give Johnson every opportunity to keep the starting job in order to prove that they weren’t crazy for giving up one of the football’s best receivers (DeAndre Hopkins ) to acquire him. David Johnson is averaging 54 receptions per 16 games for his career, but since his 2016 career year he’s only averaging 3.6 YPC. His backup, Duke Johnson , is also one of the better pass catching and elusive backs in football. Per Pro Football Focus, over the past three seasons he’s forced 0.25 missed tackles per attempt, second-best in the NFL. Buddy Howell rounds out the Texans backfield, but doesn’t have any fantasy value to start the season.
Indianapolis Colts
Supported by one of the best offensive lines in football, the Colts executed the fifth most rushing plays in the NFL last season and they will continue to be a run first team. Marlon Mack will open the season as the team’s lead back, but expect second-round pick Jonathan Taylor’s role to gradually increase as the season progresses. Taylor averaged 6.7 yards per carry and 4.2 yards after contact per rush in his three years at Wisconsin. He has the opportunity to get 150 or more carries this season. There’s even the possibility that he might end up as the Colts’ featured back before the season is over. The one negative aspect of Taylor’s game that could hold him back is his tendency to fumble the ball. He had 18 fumbles (15 lost) in 41 career games at Wisconsin. Nyheim Hines , who has 107 receptions over the past two seasons, will continue to be used as a pass catching specialist.
Jacksonville Jaguars
James Robinson was flying up ADP charts in the last few days of fantasy football draft season after he was listed as the Jaguars’ RB1 in their first unofficial depth chart. He’s a good short yardage option who has pass protection skills. The latter may be his ticket to regular playing time. Devine Ozigbo is tough to bring down and he’s good at pushing piles. Ryquell Armstead will open the season on the reserve/COVID list and head coach Doug Marrone suggested it “will be awhile” before he plays. Look for Robinson and Ozigbo to likely split the early down carries to start the season. Chris Thompson , reunited with new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, will have a secure role as the Jaguars’ pass catching back.
Kansas City Chiefs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is considered one of 2020’s most exciting fantasy players, and yet he’s never played an NFL down. Based on his skillset and college stats this kid can do it all. He has the potential to be an every down back. He’s elusive, can change directions without sacrificing any speed and he’s an excellent pass catching back as well. The one area that he has to work on is his pass protection skills. Darrel Williams , who has excellent pass protection and pass catching skills, will be Edwards-Helaire’s backup.
Las Vegas Raiders
Thank goodness that the Raiders have a multi-dimensional young bell-cow RB in Josh Jacobs . At least he’ll provide some stability to this backfield. In a surprising move, the Raiders recently traded their 2020 third round pick, “RB” Lynn Bowden Jr., to the Dolphins. Bowden was a slot receiver and QB in his previous football life. The Raiders re-signed pass catching back Jalen Richard to a two year contract and added Devonte Booker to their roster as well. Pass catching specialist Dare Ogunbowale has met with the Raiders but as this article is being written he remains unsigned. Look for the Raiders to make some more moves in order to balance out their backfield.
Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler will be the lead RB in the Chargers’ backfield and only time will tell if he can withstand a full season of 200 plus carries. Justin Jackson is widely regarded as a potential change of pace back and as Ekeler’s handcuff. He’s averaged 5.1 YPC in limited action over the past two seasons (79 carries). Joshua Kelley has received a lot of attention as training camp progressed and could see his role gradually increase as the season wears on. At 212lb he might be better suited as an every down back if Ekeler is sidelined for a significant period of time.
Los Angeles Rams
According to Rams head coach Sean McVay, he’s planning on using a three-running back rotation consisting of Malcolm Brown , Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. in Week 1. He didn’t reveal how the workload would be divided among the three and suggested that his game plan was still a work in progress. Based on his skillset, Akers has a good chance of eventually developing into the Rams’ lead back, presuming that they will eventually utilize a lead back. He can run between the tackles, he has excellent blocking skills and he can catch the ball out of the backfield.
Miami Dolphins
Jordan Howard should open the season as the Dolphins’ lead back. He’ll catch the occasional pass out of the back field but Howard is one dimensional. Matt Breida is a bit more explosive than Howard, and is good at catching the ball out of the backfield. If he avoids the injury bug Breida might end up replacing Howard as the Dolphins RB1 before the end of the season. Patrick Laird, who caught 23 passes in limited play last season, may eventually have a small role in passing down situations. Myles Gaskin and Malcolm Perry make up the rest of the Dolphins RBs, however neither have any immediate fantasy value. Lynn Bowden, who was acquired from the Raiders, will be used as a WR.
Minnesota Vikings
Unless something drastic happens, Dalvin Cook will be the Vikings’ lead back in Week 1. The rumors stating that Cook would hold out until the Vikings granted him a new contract, were just rumors. When healthy Cook is one of the best bell-cow backs in the game. His injury history makes Alexander Mattison one of the most important fantasy football handcuffs. Mike Boone , the third man in the Vikings backfield, is no slouch either. He averaged 5.6 YPC in limited play last season, but he won’t have much fantasy value to start the season.
New England Patriots
With Damien Harris on the IR (eligible to return in Week 4), Sony Michel will start the season as the Patriots’ lead back. However, it appears that the Pats will look to ease him back into the mix as he continues his recovery from offseason foot surgery. Rex Burkhead will play some meaningful snaps early in the season, and “old reliable” James White will continue to have a big role as a pass catching option.
New Orleans Saints
Not much has changed with regards to the Saints’ backfield, but there are a couple of things to take note of. Much of the focus about Kamara missing four days of practice in late August centered on his contract renegotiations with the Saints. That may have well contributed to his unexcused absences, but another factor that may have kept him off the practice field was the fact that he received an epidural shot to his back. Why did he need an epidural? Season long fantasy players rostering Kamara should make sure to grab his handcuff, Latavius Murray , just in case his back issue is more serious than the Saints are letting on. In the end Kamara’s going to get paid, he’ll rush for 750 to 900 yards and record 81 receptions, just like he always does. One newcomer to the Saints backfield is Ty Montgomery who could have a limited role catching passes out of the backfield.
New York Giants
While he only missed three games last season, a nagging ankle injury limited Saquon Barkley for much of 2019. He’s healthy to start the 2020 season and is a force to be reckoned with on the ground and as a pass catching back. He has the ability to lead all RBs in fantasy production in 2020. Dion Lewis joins the Giants’ backfield as a change of pace option who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. Wayne Gallman , who is in the last year of his rookie contract, would only have a significant role in the Giants’ offense should Barkley suffer and injury.
New York Jets
Improvements to the Jets’ offensive line may help Le’Veon Bell bounce back from what ultimately was a hugely disappointing 2019 season. Some feel he made the best of a bad situation by finishing as 2019’s RB18 in PPR scoring (per Fantasy Football Today). The ageless Frank Gore is reunited with head coach Adam Gase and could possibly get upwards of 10 touches per game. It looks as if Gore and rookie Lamical Perine would split carries should Bell be forced to miss time.
Philadelphia Eagles
Miles Sanders is the closest thing to a bell-cow back that the Eagles have had in a while. The talented second year back will get to run behind one of the best offensive lines in football. The Eagles didn’t start using him regularly until Week 9 last season, but he ended up getting it done on the ground (4.6 YPC) and through the air (50 receptions). Boston Scott will served as a hybrid change of pace, third down back for the Eagles this season. He averaged just under six receptions per game over the last four weeks of the 2019 regular season. Corey Clement probably won’t see much game action on a weekly basis, but he’ll serve as Sanders’ handcuff.
Pittsburgh Steelers
He’s missed nine games over the past two seasons, but if he can stay healthy, James Conner will lead the Steelers backfield in carries. Benny Snell will likely be Conner’s backup, but Anthony McFarland shouldn’t be ignored. He’s explosive and elusive. He carried the ball 245 times in his college career and averaged 6.7 YPC. Jaylen Samuels will continue to be a pass catching option for the Steelers this season.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers backfield doesn’t have a true bell-cow who’s going to automatically get 200 plus carries this season, but they have a lot of moving parts that collectively are very effective. Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman are likely to work as RB1 and RB1A this season. Mostert forced 46 missed tackles on 190 rushes (including the playoffs) and averaged 5.92 YPC in the final five games of the regular season. Who can forget his 220 rushing yard, four TD performance in the NFC championship game? Coleman missed time due to injury but still managed to catch 21 passes for 180 yards and scored seven total TDs last season. It appears that Jerick McKinnon is finally healthy! He should fill the role of pass catching specialist for the 49ers this season. TD vulture Jeff Wilson and Kyle Juszczyk , who’s also got some pass catching skills, also made the final cut on the 49ers roster. Unfortunately, their production is too inconsistent for them to have much fantasy value.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks will continue to operate a run first offense and Chris Carson will be leading the charge. His hip seems fully healed and he’ll get the majority of the team’s carries. Rashaad Penny , who is still recovering from an ACL tear, will open the season on the PUP list. He’ll be unavailable for the first six games of the season. While Carson has the ability to catch passes out of the backfield, rookie RB DeeJay Dallas is expected to have a limited role in pass catching situations as well. Carlos Hyde will likely start the season as a change of pace back and will serve as Carson’s handcuff.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians will tell anybody that will listen that Ronald Jones is his team’s primary back…even after he signed free agent Leonard Fournette . We’ll take him at his word, for now. Fournette still needs some time to fully learn the Bucs’ playbook, but Arians has said that he will have a solid role in Week 1. He may have revealed a bit of his game plan when Arians said that Fournette’s “a big, strong back that can really catch.” There will be a lot of mouths to feed in the Bucs’ backfield this season, including LeSean McCoy and rookie RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans executed the third highest percentage of running plays in 2019, and why wouldn’t you run the ball when you have a RB like last season’s rushing champion Derrick Henry on your roster? Darrynton Evans takes over Dion Lewis ’ role as a change of pace back who can catch passes out of the backfield.
Washington Football Team
Washington’s release of Adrian Peterson left fantasy players scrambling as they tried to determine which Washington RB will have the most fantasy value this season. Antonio Gibson’s late draft season ADP skyrocketed! Although he’s listed as a RB, Gibson played from the slot during most of his two season college career. He’s explosive and will obviously be a tremendous asset in PPR scoring leagues but does he have the stamina to carry the ball 200 plus times this season? Peyton Barber may be given an opportunity for some early down work, but in four seasons in the NFL he’s compiled a lowly 3.6 average YPC. J.D. McKissic has an opportunity for a role as a pass catching specialist. Bryce Love might be the Washington RB with the most upside and the one that fantasy players have been looking for! Love has made tremendous strides in his recovery from his torn ACL and head coach Ron Rivera was talking him up a few weeks ago. As long as there are no lingering effects from his ACL tear Love has the skillset to develop into the Washington Football Team’s lead back by seasons end.