Week 16 Fantasy Football Backfield Report
Happy Holidays, everyone! We have officially made it to the end of the fantasy season and what a fun ride it was! Congratulations to all of the fantasy owners out there who were luckily enough to take home the title this season. With only one week left in the regular season, this will be the last backfield report of the season. This information will be helpful for those still grinding DFS.
Teams have started to pack it in for the year and get the youngsters more opportunities, and others have relied on backups as major key contributors are trying to get healthy before the playoffs. For this upcoming week, it is important to understand all of the playoff scenarios and know which teams have the motivation to play to win and which teams are playing for nothing.
Week 16 brought us a few changes to the data tables below. The Green Bay Packers have been removed since Jamaal Williams handled each and every one of the running back touches and played 95% of the snaps with Aaron Jones now on IR. Also, with Todd Gurley injured, the Los Angeles Rams have been added to the mix.
As a reminder, this weekly piece is here to help all fantasy players sort through the NFL backfields to understand how teams are using their backs. The data only breaks down the teams that do not heavily favor one back as a bell-cow.
Let's dive into the Week 16 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 | W16 Snap % | W16 Touches | Season Snap % | Season Touches | Season RB Touch Share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tevin Coleman | ATL | 31/48 (64.5%) | 10 | 555/980 (56.6%) | 190 | 56.2% |
| Brian Hill | ATL | 14/48 (29.2%) | 8 | 34/980 (3.5%) | 12 | 3.6% |
| Gus Edwards | BAL | 23/62 (37.1%) | 15 | 250/1113 (22.5%) | 127 | 30.9% |
| Kenneth Dixon | BAL | 29/62 (46.8%) | 10 | 131/1113 (11.8%) | 53 | 12.9% |
| Ty Montgomery | BAL | 11/62 (17.7%) | 0 | 94/1113 (8.4%) | 22 | 5.4% |
| Javorius Allen | BAL | DNP | DNP | 310/1113 (27.9%) | 76 | 18.5% |
| LeSean McCoy | BUF | 31/61 (50.8%) | 9 | 459/995 (46.1%) | 183 | 47.8% |
| Keith Ford | BUF | 30/61 (49.2%) | 9 | 71/995 (7.1%) | 24 | 6.3% |
| Chris Ivory | BUF | DNP | DNP | 269/934 (28.8%) | 113 | 29.5% |
| Marcus Murphy | BUF | DNP | DNP | 196/934 (20.9%) | 63 | 16.4% |
| Jordan Howard | CHI | 40/64 (62.5%) | 15 | 583/1007 (57.9%) | 248 | 57.1% |
| Tarik Cohen | CHI | 32/64 (50.0%) | 7 | 475/1007(47.2%) | 163 | 37.6% |
| Joe Mixon | CIN | 38/47 (80.9%) | 19 | 563/945 (59.6%) | 266 | 71.7% |
| Giovani Bernard | CIN | 14/47 (29.8%) | 2 | 310/945 (32.8%) | 86 | 23.2% |
| Nick Chubb | CLE | 39/69 (56.5%) | 21 | 373/1032 (36.1%) | 201 | 49.9% |
| Duke Johnson | CLE | 32/69 (46.4%) | 8 | 422/1032 (40.9%) | 82 | 20.3% |
| Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 21/67 (31.3%) | 12 | 453/994 (45.6%) | 227 | 55.6% |
| Royce Freeman | DEN | 25/67 (37.3%) | 7 | 264/994 (26.6%) | 119 | 29.2% |
| Devontae Booker | DEN | 24/67 (35.8%) | 6 | 281/994 (28.3%) | 62 | 15.2% |
| LeGarrette Blount | DET | 22/75 (29.3%) | 13 | 263/1002 (26.2%) | 153 | 34.5% |
| Theo Riddick | DET | 33/75 (44.0%) | 7 | 396/1002 (39.5%) | 97 | 21.9% |
| Zach Zenner | DET | 27/75 (36.0%) | 10 | 81/1002 (8.1%) | 40 | 9.0% |
| Kerryon Johnson | DET | DNP | DNP | 346/1002 (34.5%) | 150 | 33.9% |
| Alfred Blue | HOU | 34/65 (52.3%) | 8 | 442/1017 (43.5%) | 165 | 41.8% |
| D'Onta Foreman | HOU | 31/65 (47.7%) | 9 | 31/1017 (3.0%) | 9 | 2.4% |
| Lamar Miller | HOU | DNP | DNP | 555/1017 (54.1%) | 216 | 57.4% |
| Marlon Mack | IND | 43/67 (64.2%) | 13 | 391/1057 (36.9%) | 184 | 45.5% |
| Nyheim Hines | IND | 23/67 (34.3%) | 6 | 485/1057 (45.9%) | 144 | 35.6% |
| Jordan Wilkins | IND | DNP | DNP | 185/1057 (17.5%) | 72 | 17.8% |
| Leonard Fournette | JAC | 49/67 (73.1%) | 21 | 281/936 (30.0%) | 155 | 38.2% |
| Carlos Hyde | JAC | 16/67 (23.9%) | 8 | 105/936 (11.2%) | 50 | 12.3% |
| David Williams | JAC | 2/67 (2.9%) | 0 | 16/936 (1.7%) | 6 | 1.5% |
| T.J. Yeldon | JAC | DNP | DNP | 506/936 (54.1%) | 159 | 39.2% |
| Damien Williams | KC | 39/61 (63.9%) | 20 | 179/991 (18.1%) | 61 | 17.6% |
| Darrel Williams | KC | 3/61 (4.9%) | 0 | 23/991 (2.3%) | 5 | 1.4% |
| Charcandrick West | KC | 19/61 (31.1%) | 3 | 20/991 (2.0%) | 3 | 0.9% |
| Spencer Ware | KC | DNP | DNP | 247/930 (26.6%) | 71 | 20.5% |
| Melvin Gordon | LAC | 42/63 (66.7%) | 15 | 492/936 (52.6%) | 212 | 50.4% |
| Justin Jackson | LAC | 21/63 (33.3%) | 8 | 137/936 (14.6%) | 59 | 14.0% |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC | DNP | DNP | 333/936 (35.6%) | 137 | 32.5% |
| C.J. Anderson | LAR | 51/68 (75.0%) | 21 | 51/1027 (4.9%) | 21 | 5.3% |
| John Kelly | LAR | 17/68 (25.0%) | 11 | 24/1027 (2.3%) | 13 | 3.3% |
| Todd Gurley | LAR | DNP | DNP | 825/1027 (80.3%) | 315 | 79.3% |
| Kenyan Drake | MIA | 39/46 (84.8%) | 10 | 503/859 (58.6%) | 157 | 42.8% |
| Kalen Ballage | MIA | 14/46 (30.4%) | 6 | 66/859 (7.7%) | 32 | 8.7% |
| Brandon Bolden | MIA | 8/46 (17.4%) | 5 | 18/859 (2.1%) | 10 | 2.7% |
| Latavius Murray | MIN | 15/61 (24.6%) | 11 | 457/994 (45.9%) | 160 | 46.8% |
| Dalvin Cook | MIN | 46/61 (75.4%) | 19 | 438/994 (44.1%) | 158 | 46.2% |
| Sony Michel | NE | 23/75 (30.7%) | 18 | 296/1051 (28.2%) | 202 | 44.0% |
| James White | NE | 29/75 (38.7%) | 10 | 572/1051 (54.4%) | 173 | 37.8% |
| Rex Burkhead | NE | 25/75 (33.3%) | 17 | 134/1051 (12.7%) | 65 | 14.2% |
| Alvin Kamara | NO | 40/66 (60.6%) | 11 | 657/998 (65.8%) | 275 | 59.3% |
| Mark Ingram | NO | 32/66 (48.5%) | 12 | 331/998 (33.2%) | 152 | 32.8% |
| Elijah McGuire | NYJ | 51/60 (85.0%) | 17 | 275/945 (29.1%) | 90 | 22.6% |
| Trent Cannon | NYJ | 18/60 (30.0%) | 3 | 165/945 (17.5%) | 53 | 13.3% |
| Doug Martin | OAK | 34/62 (54.8%) | 22 | 316/976 (32.4%) | 168 | 40.2% |
| Jalen Richard | OAK | 23/62 (37.1%) | 8 | 397/976 (40.7%) | 118 | 28.2% |
| Josh Adams | PHI | 25/82 (30.5%) | 11 | 234/1016 (23.0%) | 113 | 29.2% |
| Wendell Smallwood | PHI | 16/82 (19.5%) | 5 | 298/1016 (29.3%) | 99 | 25.6% |
| Darren Sproles | PHI | 38/82 (46.3%) | 12 | 119/1016 (11.7%) | 35 | 9.0% |
| Jaylen Samuels | PIT | 53/75 (70.7%) | 15 | 196/1048 (18.7%) | 73 | 20.4% |
| Stevan Ridley | PIT | 5/75 (6.7%) | 3 | 61/1048 (5.8%) | 32 | 8.9% |
| James Conner | PIT | DNP | DNP | 686/1048 (65.5%) | 253 | 70.7% |
| Chris Carson | SEA | 43/80 (53.8%) | 27 | 422/1006 (41.9%) | 248 | 51.9% |
| Mike Davis | SEA | 36/80 (45.0%) | 7 | 367/1006 (36.5%) | 136 | 28.5% |
| Rashaad Penny | SEA | DNP | DNP | 177/1006 (17.6%) | 90 | 18.8% |
| Matt Breida | SF | 9/55 (16.4%) | 5 | 364/995 (36.6%) | 180 | 45.3% |
| Jeff Wilson Jr. | SF | 38/55 (69.1%) | 13 | 191/995 (19.2%) | 75 | 18.9% |
| Peyton Barber | TB | 47/80 (58.8%) | 20 | 581/1054 (55.1%) | 238 | 69.2% |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | 32/80 (40.0%) | 9 | 342/1054 (32.4%) | 67 | 19.5% |
| Ronald Jones | TB | DNP | DNP | 89/1054 (8.4%) | 30 | 8.7% |
| Derrick Henry | TEN | 35/56 (62.5%) | 22 | 375/937 (40.0%) | 213 | 49.8% |
| Dion Lewis | TEN | 22/56 (39.3%) | 6 | 576/937 (61.5%) | 211 | 49.3% |
| Adrian Peterson | WSH | 39/62 (62.9%) | 27 | 470/975 (48.2%) | 267 | 67.4% |
| Chris Thompson | WSH | 22/62 (35.5%) | 5 | 279/975 (28.6%) | 77 | 19.5% |
Situational Usage
| Running Back | Team | W16 RZ Touches | W16 RZ Targets | W16 Total Targets | Season RZ Touches | Season RZ Targets | Season Total Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tevin Coleman | ATL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 10 | 43 |
| Brian Hill | ATL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Gus Edwards | BAL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| Kenneth Dixon | BAL | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Ty Montgomery | BAL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| Javorius Allen | BAL | DNP | DNP | DNP | 17 | 6 | 43 |
| LeSean McCoy | BUF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 43 |
| Keith Ford | BUF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Chris Ivory | BUF | DNP | DNP | DNP | 9 | 0 | 20 |
| Marcus Murphy | BUF | DNP | DNP | DNP | 10 | 2 | 19 |
| Jordan Howard | CHI | 2 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 3 | 24 |
| Tarik Cohen | CHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 14 | 88 |
| Joe Mixon | CIN | 1 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 8 | 54 |
| Giovani Bernard | CIN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 43 |
| Nick Chubb | CLE | 4 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 4 | 26 |
| Duke Johnson | CLE | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 58 |
| Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 1 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 5 | 47 |
| Royce Freeman | DEN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
| Devontae Booker | DEN | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 44 |
| LeGarrette Blount | DET | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 15 |
| Theo Riddick | DET | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 10 | 74 |
| Zach Zenner | DET | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Kerryon Johnson | DET | DNP | DNP | DNP | 19 | 6 | 40 |
| Alfred Blue | HOU | 0 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 24 |
| D'Onta Foreman | HOU | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Lamar Miller | HOU | DNP | DNP | DNP | 30 | 2 | 33 |
| Marlon Mack | IND | 4 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 2 | 23 |
| Nyheim Hines | IND | 3 | 2 | 5 | 30 | 9 | 76 |
| Jordan Wilkins | IND | DNP | DNP | DNP | 9 | 5 | 16 |
| Leonard Fournette | JAC | 4 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 3 | 26 |
| Carlos Hyde | JAC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| David Williams | JAC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Yeldon | JAC | DNP | DNP | DNP | 15 | 5 | 78 |
| Damien Williams | KC | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 5 | 23 |
| Darrel Williams | KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Charcandick West | KC | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Spencer Ware | KC | DNP | DNP | DNP | 13 | 2 | 25 |
| Melvin Gordon | LAC | 3 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 13 | 63 |
| Justin Jackson | LAC | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 19 |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC | DNP | DNP | DNP | 19 | 5 | 52 |
| C.J. Anderson | LAR | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| John Kelly | LAR | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Todd Gurley | LAR | DNP | DNP | DNP | 73 | 19 | 81 |
| Kenyan Drake | MIA | 0 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 68 |
| Kalen Ballage | MIA | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Brandon Bolden | MIA | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Latavius Murray | MIN | 3 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 26 |
| Dalvin Cook | MIN | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 44 |
| Sony Michel | NE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 11 |
| James White | NE | 3 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 20 | 118 |
| Rex Burkhead | NE | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 18 |
| Alvin Kamara | NO | 3 | 1 | 6 | 71 | 26 | 105 |
| Mark Ingram | NO | 4 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 1 | 25 |
| Elijiah McGuire | NYJ | 3 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 29 |
| Trent Cannon | NYJ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 24 |
| Doug Martin | OAK | 5 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 2 | 22 |
| Jalen Richard | OAK | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 79 |
| Josh Adams | PHI | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
| Wendell Smallwood | PHI | 1 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 5 | 31 |
| Darren Sproles | PHI | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 20 |
| Jaylen Samuels | PIT | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 21 |
| Stevan Ridley | PIT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| James Conner | PIT | DNP | DNP | DNP | 40 | 7 | 68 |
| Chris Carson | SEA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 | 23 |
| Mike Davis | SEA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 39 |
| Rashaad Penny | SEA | DNP | DNP | DNP | 10 | 1 | 12 |
| Matt Breida | SF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 4 | 31 |
| Jeff WIlson Jr. | SF | 6 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 15 |
| Peyton Barber | TB | 1 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 5 | 28 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | 2 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 44 |
| Ronald Jones | TB | DNP | DNP | DNP | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| Derrick Henry | TEN | 5 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 2 | 17 |
| Dion Lewis | TEN | 1 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 8 | 63 |
| Adrian Peterson | WSH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 33 | 3 | 23 |
| Chris Thompson | WSH | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 45 |
Houston Gets Foreman Back Into The Mix
With Lamar Miller out in Week 16, the Houston Texans were able to activate D'Onta Foreman for the first time of the year against the Philadelphia Eagles. Houston had no problems throwing Foreman right back into the mix, as he led all running backs in touches with nine. Of the 31 offensive snaps that he played, Foreman ran a pass route on 20 of them. His usage in the red zone was what stood out in Week 16, handling all of the Texans' red zone opportunities, including a receiving touchdown.
With Houston being locked into a playoff spot, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Foreman's role expand in Week 17.
From Free Agent to Featured Back
Heading into Week 16, there was a ton of uncertainty surrounding Gurley's playing status. The Rams decided to play it safe and keep him out because of a sore knee. In his absence, Los Angeles turned to newly acquired C.J. Anderson, and boy, did he look fresh. He handled 21 touches, including 4 within the red zone, and parlayed them in 162 total yards and a touchdown. Anderson was very efficient with his touches, too, averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
Anderson ran for over 1,000 yards in 2017 yet had a hard time finding a home in 2018. It now looks like the Rams have found a legitimate backup for Gurley in the absence of Malcolm Brown. The Rams could easily keep Gurley out of Week 17 to get him right for the playoffs, so Anderson could be in line for another heavy workload against the San Francisco 49ers.
Martin Continues His Comeback Season
While the Oakland Raiders have been an absolute dumpster fire this season, Doug Martin has quietly had a solid bounce-back season. Over the last five weeks, he has averaged 16.2 touches and has scored four times. In Week 16, Martin handled his highest touch count of the season and eclipsed the century mark for the first time.
Jon Gruden is not using Martin in the pass game but has continued to lean on him on the ground ever since the loss of Marshawn Lynch. On pace for his best season since 2015, Martin will look to finish the season strong against the Kansas City Chiefs.
