Week 14 was one of the craziest weekend of games in a long time with the absurd Miami Dolphins finish, the Patrick Mahomes comeback and the Chicago Bears holding one of the best offenses to 6 points. You never know what is going to happen in this league, but boy its fun!
Congrats to all the fantasy owners who have moved on in the playoffs, and hopefully this article can you help you with some running back decisions. We are seeing a ton of injuries being a huge factor down the home stretch as well as teams not having much to play for.
As a reminder, this weekly piece is here to help fantasy players sort through all the NFL backfields to understand how coaches are using their backs. The date only breaks down the teams that do not heavily favor one back as a bell-cow.
Let’s dive into the Week 14 data, and as always, snap counts and red zone data come from Pro Football Reference.
Volume Metrics
The table below is sorted by total season touches for each backfield.
| Running Back | Team | W13 Snap % | W13 Touches | Season Snap % | Season Touches | Season RB Touch Share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tevin Coleman | ATL | 33/71 (46.5%) | 11 | 490/868 (56.5%) | 179 | 58.7% |
| Ito Smith | ATL | 32/71 (45.1%) | 14 | 282/868 (32.5%) | 106 | 34.8% |
| Gus Edwards | BAL | 31/71 (43.7%) | 16 | 194/974 (19.9%) | 93 | 26.3% |
| Kenneth Dixon | BAL | 23/71 (32.4%) | 9 | 62/974 (6.4%) | 31 | 8.8% |
| Ty Montgomery | BAL | 19/71 (26.8%) | 3 | 83/974 (8.5%) | 22 | 6.2% |
| Javorius Allen | BAL | DNP | DNP | 307/974 (33.9%) | 76 | 21.5% |
| LeSean McCoy | BUF | 9/76 (11.8%) | 2 | 428/866 (49.4%) | 174 | 51.3% |
| Chris Ivory | BUF | 27/76 (35.5%) | 12 | 269/866 (31.1%) | 113 | 33.3% |
| Marcus Murphy | BUF | 40/76 (52.6%) | 5 | 177/866 (20.4%) | 52 | 15.3% |
| Jordan Howard | CHI | 39/71 (54.9%) | 20 | 509/882 (57.7%) | 213 | 56.6% |
| Tarik Cohen | CHI | 30/71 (42.3%) | 13 | 405/882 (45.9%) | 146 | 38.8% |
| Joe Mixon | CIN | 47/67 (70.1%) | 31 | 473/818 (57.8%) | 218 | 69.6% |
| Giovani Bernard | CIN | 25/67 (37.3%) | 5 | 266/818 (32.6%) | 76 | 24.3% |
| Nick Chubb | CLE | 33/52 (63.5%) | 17 | 294/896 (32.8%) | 160 | 46.2% |
| Duke Johnson | CLE | 18/52 (34.6%) | 2 | 364/896 (40.6%) | 66 | 19.1% |
| Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 48/74 (64.9%) | 17 | 393/854 (46.0%) | 197 | 55.0% |
| Royce Freeman | DEN | 9/74 (12.2%) | 6 | 221/854 (25.9%) | 107 | 29.9% |
| Devontae Booker | DEN | 17/74 (22.9%) | 2 | 242/854 (28.3%) | 54 | 15.1% |
| LeGarrette Blount | DET | 19/60 (31.7%) | 14 | 230/870 (26.4%) | 133 | 34.7% |
| Theo Riddick | DET | 25/60 (41.7%) | 10 | 338/870 (38.9%) | 80 | 20.9% |
| Zach Zenner | DET | 16/60 (26.7%) | 12 | 28/870 (3.2%) | 17 | 4.4% |
| Kerryon Johnson | DET | DNP | DNP | 346/870 (39.8%) | 150 | 39.2% |
| Aaron Jones | GB | 42/65 (64.6%) | 20 | 369/860 (42.9%) | 155 | 52.4% |
| Jamaal Williams | GB | 24/65 (36.9%) | 4 | 339/860 (39.4%) | 100 | 33.8% |
| Lamar Miller | HOU | 51/72 (70.8%) | 19 | 544/899 (60.5%) | 213 | 59.3% |
| Alfred Blue | HOU | 22/72 (30.6%) | 6 | 367/899 (40.8%) | 146 | 40.7% |
| Marlon Mack | IND | 40/67 (59.7%) | 14 | 304/918 (33.1%) | 143 | 40.5% |
| Nyheim Hines | IND | 28/67 (41.8%) | 6 | 433/918 (47.2%) | 130 | 36.8% |
| Jordan Wilkins | IND | DNP | DNP | 183/918 (19.9%) | 71 | 20.1% |
| T.J. Yeldon | JAC | 13/71 (18.3%) | 2 | 489/869 (56.3%) | 155 | 43.9% |
| Leonard Fournette | JAC | 55/71 (77.5%) | 16 | 205/869 (23.6%) | 120 | 33.9% |
| Carlos Hyde | JAC | 3/71 (4.2%) | 1 | 88/869 (10.1%) | 42 | 11.9% |
| Spencer Ware | KC | 41/86 (47.7%) | 20 | 247/870 (28.4%) | 71 | 23.4% |
| Damien Williams | KC | 43/86 (50.0%) | 12 | 95/870 (10.9%) | 25 | 8.2% |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC | 39/57 (68.4%) | 17 | 333/799 (41.7%) | 137 | 37.4% |
| Justin Jackson | LAC | 21/57 (36.8%) | 9 | 60/799 (7.5%) | 32 | 8.7% |
| Melvin Gordon | LAC | DNP | DNP | 450/799 (56.3%) | 197 | 53.8% |
| Frank Gore | MIA | 24/48 (50.0%) | 13 | 324/760 (42.6%) | 163 | 51.1% |
| Kenyan Drake | MIA | 24/48 (50.0%) | 7 | 436/760 (57.4%) | 143 | 44.8% |
| Latavius Murray | MIN | 8/58 (13.8%) | 3 | 415/864 (48.0%) | 134 | 45.7% |
| Dalvin Cook | MIN | 49/58 (84.5%) | 18 | 349/864 (40.4%) | 119 | 40.6% |
| Sony Michel | NE | 34/82 (41.5%) | 20 | 251/915 (27.4%) | 171 | 38.3% |
| James White | NE | 33/82 (40.2%) | 6 | 518/915 (56.6%) | 156 | 34.9% |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | NE | 18/82 (21.9%) | 2 | 208/915 (22.7%) | 55 | 12.3% |
| Rex Burkhead | NE | 17/82 (20.7%) | 5 | 93/915 (10.2%) | 41 | 9.2% |
| Alvin Kamara | NO | 41/64 (64.1%) | 17 | 569/858 (66.3%) | 243 | 59.9% |
| Mark Ingram | NO | 29/64 (45.3%) | 14 | 266/858 (31.0%) | 126 | 31.0% |
| Isaiah Crowell | NYJ | 5/54 (9.3%) | 3 | 333/811 (41.1%) | 164 | 47.3% |
| Elijah McGuire | NYJ | 40/54 (74.1%) | 20 | 168/811 (20.7.9%) | 52 | 14.9% |
| Trent Cannon | NYJ | 18/54 (33.3%) | 6 | 124/811 (15.3%) | 40 | 11.5% |
| Doug Martin | OAK | 33/67 (49.3%) | 16 | 255/855 (29.8%) | 137 | 37.2% |
| Jalen Richard | OAK | 33/67 (49.3%) | 9 | 344/855 (40.2%) | 101 | 27.4% |
| DeAndre Washington | OAK | 1/67 (1.5%) | 0 | 56/855 (6.9%) | 25 | 6.8% |
| Corey Clement | PHI | 4/52 (7.7%) | 1 | 238/870 (27.4%) | 90 | 27.6% |
| Josh Adams | PHI | 21/52 (40.4%) | 7 | 185/870 (21.3%) | 87 | 26.7% |
| Wendell Smallwood | PHI | 4/52 (7.7%) | 1 | 262/870 (30.1%) | 82 | 25.2% |
| Darren Sproles | PHI | 22/52 (42.3%) | 4 | 60/870 (6.9%) | 17 | 5.2% |
| Jaylen Samuels | PIT | 48/60 (80.0%) | 18 | 104/909 (11.4%) | 37 | 11.7% |
| Stevan Ridley | PIT | 8/60 (13.3%) | 5 | 50/909 (5.5%) | 26 | 8.2% |
| James Conner | PIT | DNP | DNP | 686/849 (80.9%) | 253 | 80.1% |
| Chris Carson | SEA | 35/66 (53.0%) | 22 | 340/851 (39.9%) | 192 | 47.6% |
| Mike Davis | SEA | 18/66 (27.3%) | 4 | 298/851 (35.0%) | 117 | 29.0% |
| Rashaad Penny | SEA | 14/66 (21.2%) | 8 | 177/851 (20.8%) | 90 | 22.3% |
| Alfred Morris | SF | 4/72 (5.6%) | 3 | 206/878 (23.5%) | 102 | 29.1% |
| Jeff Wilson Jr. | SF | 62/72 (86.1%) | 24 | 142/878 (16.2%) | 55 | 15.7% |
| Matt Breida | SF | DNP | DNP | 310/878 (35.3%) | 153 | 43.7% |
| Peyton Barber | TB | 32/70 (45.7%) | 15 | 502/924 (54.3%) | 197 | 67.5% |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | 31/70 (44.3%) | 8 | 297/924 (32.1%) | 57 | 19.5% |
| Ronald Jones | TB | 4/70 (5.7%) | 0 | 85/924 (9.2%) | 29 | 9.9% |
| Dion Lewis | TEN | 38/60 (63.3%) | 15 | 531/811 (65.5%) | 195 | 53.1% |
| Derrick Henry | TEN | 24/60 (40.0%) | 17 | 291/811 (35.9%) | 168 | 45.8% |
| Adrian Peterson | WSH | 19/62 (30.6%) | 11 | 394/845 (46.6%) | 219 | 65.2% |
| Chris Thompson | WSH | 25/62 (40.3%) | 6 | 228/845 (26.9%) | 66 | 19.6% |
Situational Usage
| Running Back | Team | W13 RZ Touches | W13 RZ Targets | W13 Total Targets | Season RZ Touches | Season RZ Targets | Season Total Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tevin Coleman | ATL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 9 | 41 |
| Ito Smith | ATL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 2 | 28 |
| Gus Edwards | BAL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| Kenneth Dixon | BAL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ty Montgomery | BAL | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| Javorius Allen | BAL | DNP | DNP | DNP | 17 | 6 | 43 |
| LeSean McCoy | BUF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 38 |
| Chris Ivory | BUF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 19 |
| Marcus Murphy | BUF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 19 |
| Jordan Howard | CHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 3 | 20 |
| Tarik Cohen | CHI | 2 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 11 | 81 |
| Joe Mixon | CIN | 4 | 0 | 6 | 28 | 6 | 48 |
| Giovani Bernard | CIN | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 39 |
| Nick Chubb | CLE | 2 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 4 | 25 |
| Duke Johnson | CLE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 47 |
| Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 3 | 0 | 7 | 31 | 5 | 39 |
| Royce Freeman | DEN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| Devontae Booker | DEN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 36 |
| LeGarrette Blount | DET | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 10 |
| Theo Riddick | DET | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 10 | 67 |
| Zach Zenner | DET | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Kerryon Johnson | DET | DNP | DNP | DNP | 19 | 6 | 40 |
| Aaron Jones | GB | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 3 | 35 |
| Jamaal Williams | GB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 24 |
| Lamar Miller | HOU | 2 | 0 | 6 | 28 | 2 | 33 |
| Alfred Blue | HOU | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 17 |
| Marlon Mack | IND | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 2 | 20 |
| Nyheim Hines | IND | 1 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 7 | 65 |
| Jordan Wilkins | IND | DNP | DNP | DNP | 9 | 5 | 15 |
| T.J. Yeldon | JAC | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 75 |
| Leonard Fournette | JAC | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 2 | 17 |
| Carlos Hyde | JAC | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Spencer Ware | KC | 1 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 25 |
| Damien Williams | KC | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 10 |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC | 2 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 52 |
| Justin Jackson | LAC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Melvin Gordon | LAC | DNP | DNP | DNP | 28 | 13 | 60 |
| Frank Gore | MIA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 14 |
| Kenyan Drake | MIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 60 |
| Latavius Murray | MIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 24 |
| Dalvin Cook | MIN | 2 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 39 |
| Sony Michel | NE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 11 |
| James White | NE | 1 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 18 | 107 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | NE | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Rex Burkhead | NE | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Alvin Kamara | NO | 3 | 1 | 6 | 63 | 24 | 90 |
| Mark Ingram | NO | 6 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 21 |
| Isaiah Crowell | NYJ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 28 |
| Elijah McGuire | NYJ | 6 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 20 |
| Trent Cannon | NYJ | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Doug Martin | OAK | 7 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 19 |
| Jalen Richard | OAK | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 68 |
| DeAndre Washington | OAK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Corey Clement | PHI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 25 |
| Josh Adams | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| Wendell Smallwood | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 25 |
| Darren Sproles | PHI | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Jaylen Samuels | PIT | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 16 |
| Stevan Ridley | PIT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| James Conner | PIT | DNP | DNP | DNP | 40 | 7 | 68 |
| Chris Carson | SEA | 4 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 17 |
| Mike Davis | SEA | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 32 |
| Rashaad Penny | SEA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 12 |
| Alfred Morris | SF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 13 |
| Jeff Wilson Jr. | SF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| Matt Breida | SF | DNP | DNP | DNP | 25 | 4 | 25 |
| Peyton Barber | TB | 2 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 5 | 23 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 36 |
| Ronald Jones | TB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Dion Lewis | TEN | 4 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 8 | 56 |
| Derrick Henry | TEN | 6 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 15 |
| Adrian Peterson | WSH | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 2 | 21 |
| Chris Thompson | WSH | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 44 |
Mixon Continues To Be Lone Bright Spot For Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals season has basically been over since their Week 9 bye after losing A.J. Green and Andy Dalton to injuries. The team has played some miserable football over the last five weeks, and probably can’t wait for the seasons' end.
One guy who continues to play hard and put up numbers is Joe Mixon. In a game that didn’t mean much against the Los Angeles Chargers, Mixon handled his biggest workload of the year with 31 touches. That was the first time in his young career he topped 30 touches.
Mixon continues to be heavily involved in the pass game as well, he has seen 14 targets and has ran 28 more routes than Giovani Bernard over the Bengals last three games.
The Bengals find themselves as a small home favorite in Week 15 against the Oakland Raiders, where Mixon should continue to find success.
Vikings Try To Get Running Game Going With Cook
It has been a rough year for Dalvin Cook, battling injuries and competition in the backfield. In Week 14, we saw the Minnesota Vikings try to become more balanced and get the run game going, but it was a tough spot for them at Seattle.
Cook’s usage is very encouraging though going forward. He out snapped (49 to 8) and out touched (18 to 3) Latavius Murray. Over the last two weeks, Cook has seen 35 touches to Murray’s 9.
The biggest impact Cook has had recently has been in the pass game. Over the last two weeks, he has lead the Vikings in both targets (17) and receptions (13).
With the Vikings still fighting for the last NFC wildcard spot, look for them to continue to get Cook heavily involved.
McGuire Used As Feature Back After Crowell Leaves With Injury
At this point in the New York Jets season, they are trying to just get as many reps for the young guys as possible. The injury of Isaiah Crowell allowed them to feed Elijah McGuire the ball on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
McGuire played on roughly 75% of the Jets offensive snaps and accounted for 20 touches, which was more than double his previous highest total this season. The biggest thing that stood out from Week 14 was that he handled 6 red zone touches and was able to cash in for a touchdown.
If Crowell misses anymore time, McGuire should step right into this high-volume role for a uninspired Jets team.
Samuels Dominates Steelers Backfield Without Conner
Heading into Week 14, there were some questions around whether Jaylen Samuels would be a feature back or be more involved in a committee. Although he didn’t have a great game, his usage suggests the Pittsburgh Steelers will use him as a feature back if Conner continues to sit.
Samuels played 40 more snaps than Stevan Ridley and out-touched him 18 to 5. Both backs handled two red zone touches, but Ridley was able to find the end zone and Samuels was not.
Where Samuels value lies is with his receiving skills, he had the same number of targets as Antonio Brown in Week 14, and ran more routes than Vance McDonald. Samuels accounted for all the backfield pass game involvement as Ridley did not log one single pass route.
With Conner looking doubtful for Week 15, Samuels should continue to fulfill the Steelers lead back role against the Patriots.