Leonard Fournette fills in as a top-five RB1, D’Andre Swift banks on garbage time in Los Angeles, and Cordarrelle Patterson hopes to make like Austin Ekeler vs. the Dolphins.
Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Week 7 Running Backs
RB Notes: Bigger than a normal dog, Derrick Henry has 44.8 half PPR points than any other running back. … Alvin Kamara’s lack of Week 4 targets was predictably a mirage. He drew eight in Week 5 before the Saints headed on bye. He returns vs. a Seahawks defense getting eaten alive on the ground, one that has surrendered the fourth most RB receptions with 39. Kamara has been held below 21 touches one time all year. … The RB9 by average half PPR points since returning from his rib issue, Darrell Henderson handled a season-high 23 touches in Week 6. 20 will probably be his absolute floor as a 15-point home favorite vs. a Lions defense facing the third most carries in the league. Detroit can’t keep the other team off the field, so running backs simply gobble up volume. This also makes it a good setup for closeout-mode back Sony Michel, who has legit FLEX appeal in this short-handed week. … Making like the poor man’s Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor has been haunting defenses with big runs while fighting for more targets. 39.4 percent of Taylor’s rushing yardage has come on carries of 15-plus yards. Although that makes him a boom-or-bust option, it also means he can change games and fantasy matchups on only 1-2 carries. Taylor’s upside is too high to keep him out of the elite zone.
Similar to Darrell Henderson, Leonard Fournette has been handling bigger workloads and is running as a massive Week 7 home favorite. Averaging 22 touches over the past three weeks, Fournette will have almost endless runway with the Bucs spotting the Bears 12.5 points. … Aaron Jones has watched AJ Dillon’s touches and snap percentage rise in recent weeks. The situation still isn’t beyond what it was with Jamaal Williams in Green Bay. Jones has got this, and the Packers’ 1A will have ample big-play opportunities vs. the Football Team’s awful defense as an 7.5-point home favorite. … Joe Mixon has been a rollercoaster in the passing game, but he commanded a season-high 20 percent target share in Week 6. He is third in running back touches. Permitting the third fewest rushing yards, the Ravens will test Mixon’s one-week resurgence, especially since Samaje Perine is off the COVID list. … D’Andre Swift is getting home in garbage time, commanding huge second half workloads. The world is his comeback mode oyster as a 15-point road ‘dog in Los Angeles. … Darrel Williams went according to plan in Week 6, generating two scores on his 24 low-efficiency touches. This 57.5-point totaled showdown will create no shortage of goal-line opportunities.
Chuba Hubbard has the fourth highest percentage of his team’s running back touches since taking over for Christian McCaffrey. His passing-game role has stabilized. The Giants have a bottom-five run defense. … Damien Harris (ribs) is absent from the injury report. He should live up to his early-down destiny as a touchdown home favorite against the Jets. Behind Harris is Rhamondre Stevenson, who has 19 total touches over the past two weeks and is cutting into Brandon Bolden’s work in the passing game. Harris’ direct backup and perhaps getting a shot at third-down duties, Stevenson could be carving out permanent standalone FLEX value. He definitely has it for Week 7 with six teams on bye. … Cordarrelle Patterson headed into the Falcons’ bye week being used like Austin Ekeler. We hope the Falcons aren’t planning to make any adjustments coming into a matchup with a Dolphins defense permitting the fourth most running back fantasy points. … Devontae Booker has donated the occasional touch to FB Elijhaa Penny during Saquon Barkley’s absence but is playing north of 70 percent of the snaps and dominating the Giants’ running back opportunities. The Panthers are a bad matchup, but the G-Men are modest home underdogs. Barkley (ankle) has yet to resume practicing.
Josh Jacobs has been awful as he fights through injury behind the Raiders’ remade offensive line. Finally off the injury report after battling an illness in Week 6, Jacobs might get going at home against the Eagles’ bottom-five run defense. … Elijah Mitchell entered the 49ers’ Week 6 bye miles ahead of Trey Sermon on the depth chart. Unless the Niners are planning wholesale changes, Mitchell’s workload should be nice for what will be a home slobberknocker vs. the Colts on Sunday Night Football. … The Seahawks are acting excited about Rashaad Penny, who will come off injured reserve against the run-erasing Saints. Alex Collins is still the only FLEX worth betting on. Even in this tough matchup, he will get too many touches to fade outside the RB2 ranks. Coach Pete Carroll is looking for ways to minimize Geno Smith’s involvement. … A third-down back being forced into emergency early-down duty, D’Ernest Johnson should handle enough high-value touches against the Broncos on Thursday Night Football to provide RB2 returns. Yet to be utilized as a true running back, Demetric Felton is a zero-floor FLEX. … Antonio Gibson’s shin injury is headed the wrong direction. He could sit in Green Bay. Even if he doesn’t, the Football Team will be dialing up plenty of J.D. McKissic looks as touchdown-plus road ‘dogs.
Provided Damien Williams returns from the COVID-19 list against the Bucs, he will be the Bears back worth betting on against the league’s best run defense. The ground won’t really be an option, but checkdowns will be. That is Williams’ area of expertise. … As Patrick Kerrane pointed out on Wednesday’s podcast, if you’re looking for differentiating factors between Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, you could start with Williams leading the league in Pro Football Focus’ “breakaway percentage.” Williams is generating a ton of his yardage on big plays. The problem, of course, is all the non-big plays, though he is quietly up to 4.6 yards per carry. Perhaps the ground is finally shifting beneath the Denver backfield’s feet. … Michael Carter headed into the Jets’ bye playing 52 percent of the snaps in Week 5. It would stand to reason he sees an even bigger commitment coming out of the off week. … Miles Sanders has reanimated over the past two weeks, out-touching Kenneth Gainwell 27-4. His floor remains terrifyingly low, but big plays will also be a possibility running alongside Jalen Hurts. … Jaylen Waddle seems more like the Dolphins’ RB1 than Myles Gaskin or Malcolm Brown.