• Jahmyr Gibbs will get his shot to personal a backfield: With David Montgomery on injured reserve, Gibbs’ workload is about to blow up. In his final sport with out Montgomery, Gibbs put up 189 yards on 31 touches.
• The Steelers are simply not that into Najee Harris: Last weekend, Harris acquired simply six carries and performed solely 33% of the workforce’s offensive snaps. That 33% snap rely is the bottom of his profession in a sport the place he wasn’t injured.
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Estimated studying time: 6 minutes
With so many cut up backfields in at this time’s NFL, it’s extra vital than ever to determine which gamers are receiving essentially the most useful snaps and touches and which groups make the most of a workhorse again when accidents happen.
Here are the most recent prime operating again takeaways that would majorly impression factors within the fantasy playoffs.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ workload is about to blow up with David Montgomery sidelined
With backfield counterpart David Montgomery sidelined by a knee damage within the second quarter, Jahmyr Gibbs performed a season-high 75% of the Lions’ offensive snaps in Week 15, a leap from his 52% snap share from Weeks 1-13. Despite the elevated enjoying time, Gibbs managed solely eight carries for 31 yards — a season low — however made up for it by scoring two touchdowns and recording a career-high 83 receiving yards on 5 catches. That’s the fantastic thing about a flexible participant like Gibbs: even when he struggles on the bottom, he can nonetheless ship via the air.
Unfortunately, Montgomery tore his MCL and can endure season-ending knee surgical procedure, organising Gibbs for a major workload the remainder of the season. While backups Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki will contribute, they gained’t see anyplace close to Montgomery’s quantity. In Weeks 7 and eight of 2023, when Gibbs performed with out Montgomery, he totaled 315 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 51 touches, scoring 27 or extra fantasy factors in each video games.
Gibbs, who already has 11 dashing touchdowns this season, is now in line to deal with most, if not all, of the goal-line work. He faces two favorable matchups in Weeks 16 and 17 in opposition to the Bears and 49ers, who’ve allowed essentially the most and third-most dashing touchdowns to operating backs in 2024, respectively.
Upcoming matchups: at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings
Packers’ Josh Jacobs has was a workhorse, TD-scoring machine
Josh Jacobs had a strong workload from Weeks 1-9, averaging 19.7 touches per sport. However, his utilization has surged because the Packers’ Week 10 bye, averaging 23.8 touches and 24 fantasy factors per sport over their final 5 contests. Since Week 11, solely Saquon Barkley has averaged extra touches or fantasy factors per sport than Jacobs.
Jacobs has been a landing machine, racking up 9 dashing touchdowns since Week 11 — 4 greater than some other operating again throughout that span. He has scored in 5 consecutive video games, the longest streak of his profession, surpassing his earlier excessive of three video games whereas with the Raiders.
That streak has a great probability to proceed in Week 16 in opposition to a New Orleans Saints protection that has allowed the third-most dashing touchdowns to operating backs in 2024.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears
Najee Harris is slowly being pale out of the Steelers offense
This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to not choose up Najee Harris’ fifth-year choice, and it seems they’re progressively phasing him out of their offense and future plans. Harris’ enjoying time has steadily declined, dropping to simply 42% of snaps since Week 12 — a notable lower from the 56% snap share he noticed from Weeks 1-11. In Week 15, he tied his career-low with simply six carries and performed solely 33% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, his lowest snap share during the last two seasons and the second-lowest of his profession. The solely sport with fewer snaps was in Week 12 of 2022 when he exited early with an stomach damage.
Harris hasn’t rushed for greater than 75 yards in a sport since Week 8 and has been practically invisible within the passing sport, seeing only one goal over the previous two video games mixed. Adding to his woes, the Steelers face a brutal schedule forward. In Week 16, they play the Ravens, who’ve allowed the fewest yards per carry and the second-fewest dashing yards to operating backs in 2024. In Week 17, they face the Chiefs, who’ve given up the fewest dashing yards and fantasy factors to operating backs this season.
Upcoming matchups: at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals
Jaguars’ Travis Etienne is making a comeback
Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby have mixed for over 125 scrimmage yards in back-to-back weeks, a feat they hadn’t achieved since Week 5. Etienne has posted double-digit fantasy factors in consecutive weeks, one thing he hadn’t executed because the begin of the season (Weeks 1-3). In final Sunday’s sport, Etienne recorded a season-high 14 carries and 18 touches, and he’s been much more environment friendly just lately, averaging 4.7 yards per carry during the last two video games in comparison with simply 3.9 yards per carry from Weeks 1-13. Mac Jones has additionally leaned on Etienne as a security valve, leading to 4 receptions in every of the previous two weeks.
Bigsby has additionally seen elevated involvement, logging 29 carries over the previous two video games. However, he has struggled with effectivity, averaging simply 3.3 yards per carry. He has additionally been a non-factor within the passing sport, with only one goal throughout that span.
Both Etienne and Bigsby are viable fantasy choices transferring ahead, particularly given the Jaguars’ favorable upcoming matchups in opposition to the Raiders, Titans, and Colts. However, Etienne presents the upper upside and is the popular Jaguars operating again to start out.
Upcoming matchups: at Raiders, vs. Titans, at Colts