Fantasy Football Week 8 Workload Watch
The plug-and-play method of replacing top fantasy backs has come with mixed results.
Tevin Coleman has always been more than just a handcuff to Devonta Freeman, so it was easy to assume a huge boost in his value when Freeman was sent to the injured reserve. Even though Coleman has been operating as the lead back for the Atlanta Falcons, the presence of Ito Smith has been annoying. Instead of dominating the snaps and carries, Coleman has kept a slim lead over Smith. The lack of volume has made him touchdown-reliant, which is always dangerous.
The Cleveland Browns knew they had Nick Chubb ready to go when they decided to ship Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Chubb stepped in to a bigger role and gave the Browns similar production to that of Hyde. It's only one week, but it's fair to expect Chubb to stay in that role and produce at a level at least equal to Hyde's if not better.
To learn more about what’s going on in the backfields of the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and Indianapolis Colts, check out the Week 8 B.S. Meter. The Workload Watch covers eight other RB situations that have the most fantasy implications.
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Atlanta Falcons
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
Tevin Coleman: 56.9% snaps, 11 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards, 0 TD
Ito Smith: 43.1% snaps, 7 carries, 16 yards, 0 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards, 0 TD
Devonta Freeman played in just two games before landing on injured reserve, so Coleman has been the Falcons' lead back for the majority of the season. With 83.7 fantasy points (12.0 fantasy points per game), he's the No. 18 running back through seven weeks. That's fine, but it's likely a disappointment to those who thought Coleman could easily be a top-15—if not top-12—back with Freeman out of the picture.
Volume that should be there for Coleman isn't there at all. He hasn't had a game with more than 16 carries, and over the last three weeks, he has a total of 28 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. During that same stretch, Smith has 21 carries for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Smith continues to hold a significant lead in red-zone carries (14-7), which means Coleman is losing out on more chances to score.
Assuming Coleman's lack of volume on the ground is related to a bad Falcons defense, he should be busy as a receiver, right? Coleman has just 15 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets. He has just two games with at least three receptions, and his 32 yards in Week 7 were a season high. Coleman has just one game with more than three targets. Smith isn't far behind with 12 receptions for 95 yards on 13 targets.
That means Coleman is in too close of a split with Smith to get volume as a runner or a receiver, which is severely limiting his ceiling. At the same time, Smith isn't doing enough to have any fantasy value, but he's getting enough touches to hurt Coleman's fantasy value. Coleman is a mid-range RB2 who should be better but is suffering from misuse.
Buffalo Bills
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
LeSean McCoy: 3.6% snaps, 2 carries, 1 yard, 0 TD, 0 targets
Chris Ivory: 64.3% snaps, 16 carries, 81 yards, 0 TD, 6 targets, 3 receptions, 25 yards, 0 TD
Marcus Murphy: 32.1% snaps, 4 carries, 53 yards, 0 TD, 6 targets, 5 receptions, 17 yards, 0 TD
McCoy's season has been a somewhat predictable disappointment, although at just 7.7 fantasy points per game, he doesn't even have reliable value as a flex option. His season got worse in Week 7 when he suffered a concussion. That puts his status in question for Week 8, so now it becomes a question of finding help in this backfield if you're desperate.
Ivory clearly led the way in last week's loss to the Indianapolis Colts, although he and Murphy did a fine job when called upon in McCoy's absence. Ivory has more than doubled Murphy's snaps on the season (162-80), so he should be the preferred option for this weekend's matchup against the New England Patriots.
Unfortunately, Ivory has been limited at practice with a hamstring injury while McCoy is also getting limited work in this week. The Bills don't play until Monday night, so this will be a situation to monitor throughout the weekend. It's hard to consider any of these players to be more than an RB3/flex, which will likely be the case moving forward.
Cleveland Browns
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
Nick Chubb: 66.2% snaps, 18 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 0 receptions
Duke Johnson: 51.5% snaps, 1 carry, -4 yards, 0 TD, 4 targets, 4 receptions, 23 yards, 0 TD
After weeks of talking up a bigger role for Chubb, the Cleveland Browns finally forced that move by trading Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars just two days before facing the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Would Chubb immediately pay off those who kept him stashed for the first six weeks of the season or would he need some time before becoming a reliable fantasy contributor?
Luckily, Chubb saw a Hyde-like workload and came through with 14 fantasy points in his first big opportunity. That was good enough to make him a solid RB2 in Week 7, which meant he provided a big boost to fantasy teams that promoted him right into the starting lineup. Before Week 7, Chubb played a total of 33 snaps. He had 45 snaps in Week 7 and had no noticeable issues handling the uptick in touches and snaps.
Based on the snap counts, Chubb and Johnson were on the field at the same time, which makes sense since the Browns were in desperate need of help in a depleted receiving corps. Unfortunately, Johnson didn't touch the ball enough to have any kind of fantasy value after posting four receptions for 73 yards on five targets in Week 6. He can't be trusted as anything more than a bench player in PPR leagues who can be used as an RB3/flex in a pinch.
Chubb should remain busy and productive enough to be a solid RB2 for the rest of the season. The Browns clearly trust him, and his presence will help take some of the pressure off Baker Mayfield.
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Detroit Lions
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
Kerryon Johnson: 59.4% snaps, 19 carries, 158 yards, 0 TD, 3 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards, 0 TD
LeGarrette Blount: 32.8% snaps, 10 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD, 0 targets
Ameer Abdullah: 10.9% snaps, 1 carry, 1 yards, 0 TD, 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards, 0 TD
Theo Riddick: inactive
With Theo Riddick sidelined and the Lions staring at an attractive matchup against the Miami Dolphins, all signs pointed to a big role and a breakout performance for Johnson. Of course, there was some doubt since the Lions gave Johnson the ball nine times in Week 4 the week after he rushed for 101 yards on 16 carries.
On Detroit's first play from scrimmage, Johnson ripped off a 24-yard run, and from there, he was off to the races. Two drives later, he gashed the Dolphins on a 71-yard scamper. Unfortunately, it was Blount who got the carries in the red zone following Johnson's big run, and the Lions had to settle for a field goal.
During the next drive, Johnson got stuffed on a carry from the 2-yard line only for Blount to score on the very next play. Blount now has three touchdowns over the last two weeks, which means he has three more than Johnson in that stretch. Of course, Johnson is leading every other category, including carries (69-57) and yards (444-167). He also has 15 receptions for 89 yards on 18 targets while Blount has just three receptions for 14 yards.
The red-zone stats are maddening. Blount has more carries inside the 20 (11-9), inside the 10 (7-5) and inside the five (3-1). He's converted all three of his carries inside the five into touchdowns, so it's hard to see the Lions getting away from what works. Losing those scoring opportunities will limit Johnson's ceiling, although his big-play ability can make up for it. As long as the Lions stay committed to Johnson with 15-plus carries each game, he'll be a great RB2.
New Orleans Saints
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
Alvin Kamara: 54.9% snaps, 17 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards, 0 TD
Mark Ingram: 49.3% snaps, 12 carries, 32 yards, 0 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards, 0 TD
Taysom Hill: 36.6% snaps, 6 carries, 35 yards, 0 TD, 0 targets
The second week of the Kamara-Ingram tandem in 2018 saw the Saints take on the Ravens in Baltimore. In what will arguably be the toughest defensive matchup of the season for this backfield, the fantasy production wasn't bountiful, but it did swing back in Kamara's favor after his quiet performance before the Week 6 bye.
If you were worried about Kamara's touches with Ingram's return, his 17 carries marked both his second-highest total of the season and the second-highest total of his career. While he didn't go far with 3.8 yards per carry, he did get the lone touchdown between the two. It was somewhat surprising to see neither Kamara nor Ingram used more as receivers, so that was another cap to fantasy production.
It's hard to put a lot of stock in these first two games with the backfield at full strength. The Saints clearly made a point to get Ingram going in his first contest back from suspension—in what turned into a blowout—and Week 7 was a tough matchup that always looked like it'd be a potential struggle against a good defense.
The wild card of the situation is Hill. The Saints are insistent on keeping him involved. It's not much, but he does have 18 carries for 125 yards and a TD in the last four games, so he's somewhat of a nuisance if you have Ingram or Kamara. We may need a couple of additional games to figure how just how high (or low) to be on this backfield.
Philadelphia Eagles
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
Corey Clement: 37.3% snaps, 8 carries, 6 yards, 0 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards, 0 TD
Wendell Smallwood: 52.2% snaps, 9 carries, 32 yards, 0 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards, 0 TD
Josh Adams: 11.9% snaps, 4 carries, 17 yards, 0 TD, 0 targets
Darren Sproles: Inactive
Hopefully, you didn't take Week 6 as the new standard for fantasy production out of this Philadelphia Eagles backfield. Clement had 14 touches for 69 yards and a score, while Smallwood turned 19 touches into 51 yards. Smallwood also had a major snap lead at 62.0 percent to 36.6 percent.
Week 7 saw another lead for Smallwood in touches and snaps but terrible fantasy production across the board. The Eagles were having lots of success with taking to the air against the Carolina Panthers, but that didn't include the backfield, and the team got away from any consistency in the rushing attack. The Eagles ended up blowing a 17-point lead, so hopefully Philadelphia learned from the mistakes it made with this running back group.
Through seven weeks, Clement is averaging 10.5 fantasy points in five games, while Smallwood is at 8.3. This multi-headed backfield remains frustrating for fantasy owners, and that doesn't appear as though it'll end anytime soon. Clement is still the preferred option because he's the most talented player, but you can't use him or Smallwood as anything more than an RB3/flex.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
Peyton Barber: 36.8% snaps, 11 carries, 30 yards, 0 TD, 2 targets, 0 receptions
Ronald Jones: 30.5% snaps, 6 carries, 13 yards, 1 TD, 1 target, 1 reception, 15 yards, 0 TD
Jacquizz Rodgers: 31.6% snaps, 3 carries, 8 yards, 0 TD, 1 target, 1 receptions, 11 yards, 0 TD
Barber's Week 6 performance seemed to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers justification for sticking with him coming out of the bye instead of turning to Jones. He carried 13 times for 82 yards and added four receptions for 24 yards and a score while leading the way with 62 percent of the snaps. Jones took a back seat with just 18 percent of the snaps and one carry for three yards to go with three receptions for 16 yards on three targets.
The lone bright spot of Week 7 for Tampa was Jones' first career touchdown in an otherwise sloppy effort out of this backfield and the Buccaneers offense as a whole. The three-way split in snaps made it hard for any of these players to stake their claim to the lead role, although part of that was due in part to Barber's ankle injury.
After missing Wednesday's practice, Barber was back to limited work Thursday, so his status is moving in the right direction heading into this week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Neither Barber nor Jones can be used with any confidence if both are active. Jones might have sleeper value if Barber can't go, but he's a deep sleeper at best.
Tennessee Titans
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Week 7 Workload Distribution
Dion Lewis: 63.4% snaps, 13 carries, 91 yards, 0 TD, 6 targets, 6 receptions, 64 yards, 0 TD
Derrick Henry: 33.8% snaps, 12 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards, 0 TD
Did the Tennessee Titans figure this backfield out in Week 7? If they did, Lewis may be back on the fantasy radar.
His 19 touches were the most he'd seen since Week 1 when he carried 16 times for 75 yards and a touchdown in addition to making five catches for 35 yards on eight targets. It also marked just the third time Lewis had at least five targets in a game, which seems baffling for a team that's had so much trouble finding consistency and production in the passing game. This was only the third time Lewis had more carries than Henry.
Henry doesn't have more than 57 rushing yards in any contest, and despite Henry's 84-73 lead in carries, Lewis has more rushing yards (277-273) and the team's top two rushing performances of the season. Henry's touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7 marked his first of the year even though he has a 12-9 edge on Lewis in red-zone carries.
If you're sensing a trend, it's that Lewis is the better, more efficient back and brings more in all aspects. Lewis still ranks second on the team in targets (33) and receptions (29) and is third in receiving yards (199), so it's easy to argue he should be much busier on the ground and through the air.
Will the Titans recognize that coming out of the Week 8 bye? If they do, Lewis is back in the RB2 conversation. Henry continues to have almost no fantasy value.
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