• Go trade for Jaylen Warren on the cheap …right now: Najee Harris continues to struggle in Arthur Smith’s offense. He is averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry and saw a diminished workload in Week 4. The Steelers' backfield desperately needs a spark, and Warren can offer that when he is back on the field and fully healthy.
• Kareem Hunt immediately takes over the Chiefs' backfield: The Chiefs activated Kareem Hunt last week and wasted no time making him their lead back. Hunt led the backfield in snaps and handled the majority of carries in Week 4.
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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 four weeks of the 2024 season that could greatly impact fantasy points in Week 5 and beyond.
Rams' Kyren Williams is the only RB getting 80% of his team’s rushing attempts this season
Kyren Williams (84.7%) is the only running back in the league who has played 80% or more of his team’s offensive snaps in 2024. He has accounted for nearly 77% of the Rams' rushing attempts, the highest rate (by far) of any player this season. Jordan Mason (70.5%) and Jonathan Taylor (68.6%) are the only other players who have handled over 62% of their team’s rush attempts this season.
Williams is the definition of a workhorse back. He’s been on the field for 41 of the Rams’ 48 third-down plays and has received 100% of their goal-line carries. He also leads the league in red-zone carries (23) and carries inside the 5-yard line (9).
Williams was a steal in the second round of fantasy drafts this season, and his fantasy outlook will only look brighter once Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are back on the field, which should help the offense sustain longer drives and score more points.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Packers, Raiders, Vikings
Kareem Hunt takes over the Chiefs' backfield in his first game of the 2024 season
In his first game of the season—and his first with the Chiefs since 2018—Kareem Hunt immediately stepped into a lead role.
The Chiefs moved on from undrafted rookie Carson Steele, giving Hunt the majority of snaps among running backs. Hunt led the team with 14 carries in Week 4 and added two receptions for 16 yards.
While Samaje Perine received the lone goal-line carry in Week 4, Hunt will likely take over that role soon. Hunt excelled as the Browns' goal-line back in 2023, scoring on 7 of his 12 carries inside the 5-yard line. On the other hand, Perine got his first carry inside the 5-yard line as a Chief in Week 4 and has never had more than four such attempts in a season.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is expected to return to practice this week after missing the first four games due to illness, which could impact Hunt’s production. However, for now, Hunt appears to be the best fantasy option in the Chiefs' backfield.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Saints, at 49ers, at Raiders
Steelers RB Najee Harris only gets 43% of the team’s rush attempts in Week 4
Despite backup Jaylen Warren being inactive and third-stringer Cordarrelle Patterson exiting with an ankle injury before halftime, Najee Harris handled a season-low 43% of the Steelers' rushing attempts in Week 4.
Before his injury, Patterson was carving up the Colts' defense, averaging over 7.0 yards per carry, while Harris struggled to even hit 1.5 yards per carry. Harris continues to flounder in Arthur Smith's offense, posting a career-low 3.4 yards per carry this season — a troubling sign for a player who has never been particularly efficient.
Expect Warren and Patterson to see increased workloads once healthy, which could happen as soon as this weekend, according to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Harris, unfortunately, seems to be shaping up as a fantasy disappointment for the third year in a row. If Warren is available in your league, now is the time to grab him.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Cowboys, at Raiders, vs Jets
Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving plays a career-high 41.6% of snaps
Rookie running back Bucky Irving is gradually taking on a larger role in the Buccaneers' backfield. In Week 4, he logged his first NFL game with double-digit carries and played a career-high 41.6% of offensive snaps.
Meanwhile, Rachaad White saw a dip in playing time, playing just 58.4% of snaps after consistently being over 70% in the first three weeks. The Buccaneers appear to be trusting Irving more, particularly as a runner in the red zone, where he received all five of the team’s red zone carries (including three inside the 5-yard line) last Sunday.
Irving now only has six fewer carries on the season than White, and he has been far more successful as a rusher. Irving (5.8) averages three more yards per carry than White (2.8) in 2024.
White has been one of the least efficient backs in the NFL over the last two seasons, and it is just a matter of time before the Buccaneers hand the keys to the fourth-round rookie.
Upcoming matchups: at Falcons, at Saints, vs Ravens
Bengals RB Chase Brown steals goal-line work from Zack Moss in Week 4
After getting only two red-zone carries and zero goal-line carries over the first three weeks of the season, Chase Brown was given three of the Bengal’s four red-zone carries, including two of their three near the end zone in Week 4.
Chase was successful, scoring on both goal-line opportunities. His counterpart, Zack Moss, got just one goal-line carry and was stopped. Before last Sunday, Moss had accounted for 11 of the Bengals' 13 red-zone rush attempts, including all four goal-line attempts.
Moss still outsnapped Brown 40-27 in Week 4, but the two split running duties, with both players getting 15 carries in the game. Twenty-seven offensive snaps are a career-high single-game mark for Brown — he had never played more than 17 snaps in a game before Week 4, 2024.
However, Moss is still the Bengals' preferred passing-down back. He has played 43 of the Bengals' 51 third-down snaps in 2024, the third-most among backs across the league. Moss found the end zone with his one red-zone target last Sunday, while Brown dropped his one red-zone target near the end zone.
For now, Moss is still the best fantasy option in this backfield, but if Brown’s snap count and goal-line usage continue to trend upward, both could be viable starts in the future.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Ravens, at Giants, at Browns
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