Week 4 Running Back By Committee Report

With the majority of teams utilizing a committee approach to their running back position, it is vital to pay close attention to the usage and workload each running back earns.

Each week, I will be sharing information to help you understand how coaches are using their running backs -- in what type of capacity and with what size of a workload. Are they getting a ton of snaps but few touches? Is the once-presumed starter now splitting more of the workload with a role player? Does a team have the ability to sustain multiple running backs on a weekly basis? All this and more will be covered on a weekly basis!

At the end of each article, there will also be a table outlining how each backfield split its workload among its primary running backs.

Philadelphia Eagles

Welp, it seems like we're back to square one in the Philadelphia Eagles backfield. After Thursday's monster performance from Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders owners are likely scratching their heads wondering what to do with the situation they've been given. What may be most frustrating is that Sanders easily could have replicated Howard's production had he been given the ball because of how big the gaps that the offensive line was creating.

It's clear, and has been clear from the start, that Doug Pederson wants to make the most of Howard's abilities by employing a running back by committee. Despite what fantasy owners want to believe, Howard has actually been the most efficient Eagles running back by our metrics. Howard currently has both a higher Rushing Net Expected Points (7.51) and Rushing Success Rate (47.5%) than Sanders. Fortunately, both Sanders' Rushing NEP and yards per carry have improved game-to-game in the first four weeks.

While Sanders' usage has been consistent (double-digit carries in every game this season), Howard will continue to limit Sanders' ceiling while he's around. If his efficiency continues to trend in the right direction, he may not need 20+ carries to provide a serviceable week for fantasy owners.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For the first time in his career, Ronald Jones out-snapped Peyton Barber. Slowly but surely, Jones appears to be distancing himself from Barber as the lead back in Tampa. In each of the past two games, Jones has both out-carried and out-rushed Barber.

Ronald Jones was way better Sunday than his 19-70-1 rushing line indicates -- dude had two awesome runs called back by penalty before finally getting a legit chunk play late in the 4th quarter pic.twitter.com/WO62DkDjzA
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 30, 2019

Not only has Jones been the best running back on his team, but he's been one of the best in the league. Surprisingly, PFF currently has Jones as the highest-graded running back. Part of this may be due to the elusiveness he's shown on the field - Jones is currently ranked sixth among running backs in missed tackles forced per touch (0.26).

Finally, despite offensive explosions in the passing game the past two weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the more balanced teams with a 1.26 pass-to-rush ratio. This bodes well for Jones to continue to have success and ride his momentum.

Kansas City Chiefs

Since the start of the year, the Kansas City Chiefs' backfield has been an enigma filled with injuries along with a mix of confusing usage. Despite being replaced by Darrel Williams on the final drive and being out-snapped in the game, LeSean McCoy continues to receive the majority of the carries, but not by much. In the two games that Damien Williams has missed, McCoy has gotten 19 carries compared to 17 for Williams.

Where Williams has impressed, is in the passing game as he has over 40 receiving yards in the past two games. However, the benefit for McCoy owners is that he'll likely still have a role in the offense when Damien returns from his injury, which could be as soon as this week. Additionally, McCoy is the only member of the Chiefs' backfield that boasts a positive Rushing NEP (5.09) on the season.

Andy Reid has typically never been one to employ a running back by committee, which is what makes this usage so perplexing. Since Reid joined the Chiefs in 2013, the leading rusher on the team has averaged under 15 carries per game only once. So far this season, the most carries a single player has had in a game is Damien Williams with 13 in Week 1.

Other Notable Trends

- As expected, Wayne Gallman was the man in New York with Saquon Barkley's absence. Gallman scored two touchdowns in the first half of Sunday's game (one receiving and one rushing) on his way to a top-six running back finish on the week. Don't be distracted by the 10 carries that Jonathan Hilliman saw as he was only on the field for about a third of the teams' snaps.

- Sony Michel went back to being the workhorse in the New England Patriots backfield with 17 of the teams' 20 rushes on Sunday. However, he remains terribly inefficient. His 2.8 yards per carry and -14.4 Rushing NEP both rank among the worst of all running backs. Not to mention, he isn't involved in the passing game at all, receiving only one target so far this year. Finally, the return of James White unsurprisingly cut into Rex Burkhead's workload.

- Upon Ito Smith's return to the field, Devonta Freeman maintained his role as the lead back. But this Atlanta Falcons backfield continues to be a barren wasteland for fantasy production. If not for his usage in the passing game, Freeman could be close to droppable.

- Kerryon Johnson is a full-on workhorse running back - his 26 rushes on Sunday were a new career high for the second-year running back. This was Johnson's best rushing performance by a long shot as it was his first game above 3.5 yards per carry and was his first 100-yard rushing game on the season. That said, this may have created a sell-high opportunity for owners who expect the season to be more like Johnson's first three weeks.

Volume Metrics

Snap data comes from Lineups