• Trade for Rams workhorse RB Kyren Williams before it’s too late: No running back has taken more goal-line carries, run more routes or played on a higher percentage of his team’s snaps.
• Derrick Henry’s usage should be concerning for his fantasy managers: Henry is not only being out-snapped by teammate Justice Hill, but he also has just four red zone carries through the first two games of the 2024 season.
• Don’t give up on Zack Moss or Zamir White just yet: Both lead backs have faced tough matchups to start the season, but their schedules ease up in the coming weeks. With their heavy usage, expect those opportunities to soon translate into more fantasy points.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Running backs are more crucial in fantasy football this season than they've been in years. As defenses shift to playing more two-high coverage, teams are running the ball at a rate unseen in the last 30 seasons. NFL teams are averaging a 45.6% rush rate in 2024, the highest since 1992 (45.8%).
Here are the top running back takeaways from the first two weeks of the 2024 season, which could significantly impact fantasy points in Week 3 and beyond.
Rams RB Kyren Williams is disappointing in fantasy despite being the No. 1 workhorse back
Despite barely playing in the fourth quarter of Week 2 due to the Rams' blowout loss to the Cardinals, Kyren Williams has still logged the highest percentage of his team’s offensive snaps (86.2%) among all running backs in 2024. Before the fourth quarter, Williams had played 109 of the Rams’ 119 offensive snaps this season (92%). He also leads all running backs in routes run (59) and carries inside the five-yard line (5).
While Williams has struggled with efficiency so far, his heavy workload combined with his talent suggests that the points are bound to follow soon.
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