• Christian McCaffrey is so back: In his season debut after an Achilles injury, Christian McCaffrey racked up over 100 scrimmage yards on 19 touches, playing 88% of the 49ers' snaps in Week 10. His backups were hardly involved, seeing the field sparingly and combining for only two touches all game.
• Broncos rookie Audric Estime takes over backfield: With Javonte Williams struggling as one of the least efficient backs in the NFL this season, fifth-round rookie Audric Estime appears to have taken over the lead role. Estime led the Broncos backfield in snaps and logged a career-high 14 carries in Week 10, while the other running backs combined for just three carries.
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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
With so many running backs splitting their backfield in today’s NFL, it is more important than ever to figure out which players are receiving the most valuable snaps and touches on their team and who is slowly losing their workload to teammates who are outproducing them.
Here are the top running back takeaways over the first 10 weeks of the 2024 season that could greatly impact fantasy points in Week 11 and beyond.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey plays 88% of snaps in his season debut
The 49ers hold back from using their stud running back in his first game back from the Achilles injury that had kept him out the first nine weeks of the season.
Christian McCaffrey played 56 snaps, the fifth-most among all running backs across the league in Week 10. Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo were an afterthought in the backfield, getting just one carry each, with McCaffrey getting 19 of the 21 running back touches in the game.
Now that McCaffrey has a game under his belt and it’s clear the 49ers aren’t hesitant to return him to a full workload, fantasy managers can expect big things from him for the rest of the season—especially in Week 11 against the Seahawks, a team he’s dominated historically. McCaffrey’s 163.0 career scrimmage yards per game against Seattle are the most by any player against the Seahawks all-time and the third-highest mark by any player against any team in NFL history (minimum five games played).
Upcoming matchups: vs. Seahawks, at Packers, at Bills
Rookie Audric Estime leads the Broncos backfield in snaps and carries in Week 10
With veteran Javonte Williams struggling as the Broncos' lead back this season, the team turned to fifth-round rookie Audric Estime in Week 10, giving him significant playing time for the first time in his career. Estime saw a career-high 14 carries and played 45% of the Broncos' offensive snaps — far surpassing his previous usage, as he’d accumulated just 15 career carries and had never played more than seven snaps in a single game before. In Week 10, Estime not only led the backfield in snaps and carries, but the other Broncos running backs combined for only three carries, with Williams getting just one.
The Broncos’ search for a new lead back is no surprise, given Williams’ struggles this season. His 59.0 PFF rushing grade ranks last at the position, and his yards after contact per carry average is second-worst among 35 running backs with at least 75 carries.
While Audric Estime’s Week 10 production — 53 yards on 14 carries at 3.8 yards per attempt — wasn’t spectacular, he was up against a stout Chiefs run defense and showed enough promise to warrant more opportunities. If Estime is still available in your fantasy league, now is the time to add him before his role expands.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Falcons, at Raiders, vs Browns
Tony Pollard loses significant playing time with Tyjae Spears back on the field
In last week’s article, I wrote that Tony Pollard was handling a substantial workload but that there was also a worry that it could decline once teammate Tyjae Spears returned from injury. Unfortunately, my fear came to fruition.
In Spears’ first game back, Pollard’s snap share dropped to a season-low 53.7%, down from 85.4% during Weeks 7-9 with Spears sidelined. Pollard logged only 29 snaps — just four more than Spears’ 25. They also split red-zone snaps, and Spears took over on third downs, playing nine of the Titans’ 10 third-down plays.
Spears was also more productive on the ground, averaging 6.7 yards per carry on seven attempts, while Pollard averaged 4.9 yards on nine carries.
With both Pollard and Spears healthy, they’re likely to cap each other's fantasy value, making big weeks rare for either player. This is compounded by an offense that provides limited scoring chances. Pollard hasn’t had a goal-line carry since Week 4 — the only game this season he’s had a carry inside the 5-yard line — and Spears has yet to see any opportunities near the end zone.
To make matters worse, the Titans’ next two games are against strong run defenses in the Vikings and Texans.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Vikings, at Texans, at Commanders
Jaguars Travis Etienne plays 68% of snaps with Tank Bigsby injured
With Tank Bigsby banged up, Travis Etienne held onto his lead role in the Jaguars' backfield, logging 68% of the offensive snaps in Week 11, including every snap in the fourth quarter. Despite the volume, he struggled to produce against a strong Vikings defense, managing just 44 rushing yards on 11 carries and one catch for a loss of one yard. Bigsby, who suffered an ankle injury on his first carry, returned briefly but played only 10 snaps, leaving his status uncertain for Week 11.
Even if Etienne continues to get the majority of touches, his fantasy outlook remains concerning. The Jaguars’ offense has been in disarray without Trevor Lawrence, and they’re set to face a tough stretch of matchups against top-tier run defenses in the Lions, Texans, and Titans, with a bye week in between.
Upcoming matchups: at Lions, bye, vs. Texans, at Titans
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