The RB position has been, and remains, one of the most difficult to manage in fantasy football. Week 4 saw fantasy football managers lose another two RBs who were in their starting lineups on a weekly basis. We’re all still trying to figure out if we’ll ever be able to predict who will be Rams head coach Sean McVay’s RB flavor of the week on any given Sunday. Will this be the week that Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay returns to the playing field?
Fantasy Alarm will keep you up to date on all the latest breaking fantasy football news as it happens. In the meantime, the following analysis provides a closer look at a few of the NFL backfields that deserve your attention. We hope that it helps you better manage your fantasy football team(s).
Cleveland Browns
The Browns, who lead the NFL in total rushing yards and average rushing yards per game (818 and 204.5, respectively) are certainly going to miss Nick Chubb. However, as a former bell-cow back who led the NFL with 1327 rushing yards in 2017, Kareem Hunt is more than capable of operating as the Browns’ lead back for the next several weeks. As a team that runs the ball 53.26% of the time (most in the NFL) Hunt may need to take a breather now and then and that’s where D’Ernest Johnson steps in. Last week with Chubb out of the game and the Browns seemingly comfortably leading the Cowboys, Johnson stepped up and rushed the ball 13 times for 95 yards (7.32 YPC). We can’t expect Johnson to have that type of production every week, but he plays for a team that loves to run the ball, he’ll be running behind one of football’s best offensive lines, and he’s Hunt’s handcuff. Collectively those factors allow Johnson to have some stand-alone fantasy value moving forward.
Houston Texans
David Johnson is RB26 per Fantasy Football Today based on fantasy points scored per game (FPPG) in PPR scoring formats. With the firing of head coach Bill O’Brien the Texans will no longer have to justify that trading DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson was a smart move. Perhaps it might be best for the Texans if they use a little less David Johnson and a bit more Duke Johnson moving forward. Duke played 38% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 4 and looked pretty good, rushing for 24 yards on five carries and catching three passes for 21 yards. With bye weeks starting in Week 5 Duke might be worth a waiver wire add and he might even be worth inserting into some fantasy lineups in deep leagues who are desperate for a RB replacement.
Los Angeles Chargers
With Austin Ekeler expected to miss four to six weeks, (hyperextended knee and hamstring), we fantasy players will be faced with the task of trying to determine which Chargers RB to use in our weekly lineups. With Ekeler sidelined late in the first quarter of his Week 4 matchup, Joshua Kelley received nine carries and caught three passes and Justin Jackson ran the ball six times and recorded two catches. Ekeler has served as the Chargers’ lead back this season and was active in 54% of their offensive snaps. Kelley hasn’t been too far behind with 40% offensive snaps played. Kelley’s significant share of the Chargers’ offensive snaps was probably due in part to Jackson’s missing Weeks 2 and 3 due to a quad injury, but the fact that Kelley has carried the ball on 75% of the team’s red zone carries is encouraging. Keep in mind that if he doesn’t hold onto the ball (lost fumbles in each of his last two games) those carries could quickly dry up. Kelley was generating a lot of attention this preseason and is likely to lead the Chargers backfield in touches as Ekeler recovers from his injury, however it’s hard to say how much more playing time he sees as compared to Jackson. When it comes to your fantasy lineups Kelley is probably the back to start, but he might be best utilized as a flex option this week until we can fully determine how the Chargers will split the workload in their backload with Ekeler sidelined.
New England Patriots
We got a bit of clarity, (or as much as we can ever expect to get when it comes to Patriots’ RBs), as to how the Patriots’ backfield might be configured over the next few weeks. With Sony Michel placed on short term IR, it looks like Damien Harris, (who just was reinstated from the IR), will get most of the team’s early down work with Rex Burkhead filling a complimentary “Swiss Army knife, whatever you need me to do type of role”. As usual, James White will catch a bunch of passes out of the backfield every week. J.J. Taylor who had 11 carries last week had zero carries this week. We are talking about a Patriots team coached by Bill Belichick, so RB usage could change as individual game scripts warrant.
New Orleans Saints
There’s no question that Saints QB Drew Brees has lost some of the zip on his throws over the past couple of seasons. His intended air yards per pass attempt has fallen from 7.1 in 2018, to 6.4 in 2019, and is at 5.6 so far this season. His diminished arm strength (and the fact that WR Michael Thomas has missed time this season) has caused the Saints to run the ball more. As expected, Alvin Kamara is having a tremendous season, but the Saints’ new offensive scheme has positively impacted Latavius Murray’s fantasy production as well. In the 14 games of the 2019 season in which Latavius Murray and Alvin Kamara were both active, Murray averaged seven carries per game and 6.32 FPPG in PPR scoring formats. In the four games that Murray and Kamara have played together so far this season, Murray is averaging 11 carries per game and 9.7 FPPG. Murray and Kamara might not deliver the same type of one-two punch that we’ve seen from Chubb and Hunt this season but if the trend in which the Saints increasingly rely on their rushing game continues, Murray, like the aforementioned D’Ernest Johnson may be another backup RB who develops some moderate stand-alone fantasy value as the season progresses.
Player News
The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye believes WR Tetairoa McMillan will be used across the formation in 2025.
Kaye said he expects McMillan, taken with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, to primarily occupy the outside X spot and be an “immediate fixture” in Dave Canales’ offense. Xavier Legette, according to Kaye, will play the Z position while Adam Thielan occupies the slot. “Despite those immediate roles, the three players will likely get the chance to move around the formation,” Kaye added. That’s likely a positive for McMillan’s 2025 fantasy outlook after he proved one of the nation’s most efficient receivers on slot routes at Arizona in 2024. McMillan was the first wideout selected in the draft after racking up 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns in 37 games at Arizona. Bryce Young reportedly vouched for McMillan before the Panthers used their first rounder on him.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports the Cowboys were among the teams interested in acquiring Steelers WR George Pickens.
“But with the draft in the rearview,” Russini said, “expect the trade buzz to cool surrounding Pickens.” The disgruntled wideout will likely stay on the Steelers roster alongside new WR1 DK Metcalf. The Cowboys’ interest in Pickens could indicate that they’d like to bolster the team’s wideout room behind CeeDee Lamb in the coming weeks or months. Pickens, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, has led the Steelers in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and TD receptions since entering the NFL in 2022.
49ers signed TE George Kittle to a four-year, $76.4 million contract extension.
The deal includes $40 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. After denying a report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini that he was aiming to become the game’s highest paid tight end, Kittle signs a monster extension that eclipses Trey McBride’s recent deal. Kittle last year ranked third in tight end receiving yards and led the position in yards per route run. He has been one of the NFL’s most efficient pass catchers for years and will enter his age-32 season as an important part of a San Francisco passing attack that is now without Deebo Samuel.
ESPN’s Peter Schrager reports Aaron Rodgers “has no timetable” to sign for the 2025 season.
Schrager said Rodgers has told teams — including the Giants and Steelers — that they should feel free to move on in their quarterback search if Rodgers’ timetable doesn’t fit theirs. Rodgers, 41, told ESPN’s Pat McAfee this month that he was dealing with personal issues and indicated he was in no hurry to sign with the team for 2025. The Steelers could enter the summer with Mason Rudolph and rookie QB Will Howard atop their quarterback depth chart.
Seahawks exercised the fifth-year option on OT Charles Cross.
Cross now remains tied to the organization through the 2026 season. PFF gave the towering 24-year-old tackle exemplary marks in 2024, ranking him 10th of 140 qualified tackles, including 15th in pass protection and 16th in run blocking. The Seahawks extend the negotiating window on one of the key pieces of their offensive front.
Browns signed WR Diontae Johnson to a one-year contract.
The former Steeler wasn’t able to carve out a significant role with the Panthers, Ravens, or Texans in 2024 after seemingly breaking out in Pittsburgh. The Browns apparently saw enough during his visit with the team Monday to sign him to a one-year contract, the details of which have yet to be released. Expect Johnson to start opposite Cedric Tillman on the perimeter while Jerry Jeudy works the slot.