Backfield Breakdown: Week 5 Recap & Week 6 Sleepers

It hasn't been a bad year in terms of the number of injuries to running backs, but the fantasy impact is really starting to add up, as the guys who have gone down have mostly been big names. Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey have already missed multiple games, with David Montgomery headed for the same and now possibly joined by Saquon Barkley (ankle) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (knee).

Plus, Chris Carson missed Week 5 with a neck injury, while a less-than-100-ercent Joe Mixon (ankle) had his role scaled back. Even Najee Harris, the 2021 RB leader in snap share, started to show some cracks when he missed most of the fourth quarter due to cramping.

There's a lot to digest this week, and a few guys who merit use of waiver priority or aggressive FAAB bids. Fortunately, we've got you covered below, starting with leaderboards and working our way to the team-by-team weekly backfield breakdowns...

Usage Leaderboards

Week 5

Only shows RBs with more than five touches or 30 percent of snaps. Doesn't include MNF. GL Looks = Targets + Carries inside the 5-yard line    

Full Season

• This leaderboard shows full-season stats for most players, but for other guys we want to see their workloads from a select sample of games. Our final 'notes' column shows which weeks are displayed.
  • For example, Saquon Barkley's numbers will only show Weeks 2-4, as he was limited Week 1 in his first game back after surgery, and left early Week 5. His workload from Weeks 2-4 better approximates what to expect once he's healthy again.
  • One player, Alexander Mattison, is displayed twice. We show his two games as a starter separate from his three as a backup
  • Don't forget that the columns are sortable. No need to work too hard.

Week 5 Injury Report

Inactives

Chris Carson (neck) & Rashaad Penny (IR - calf)

Dalvin Cook (ankle)

Christian McCaffrey (hamstring)

Justin Jackson (groin)

David Montgomery (IR - knee)

Tony Jones (IR - ankle)

In-Game Injuries

Saquon Barkley injured his left ankle. He was carted off and then seen using crutches.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered an MCL sprain in the third quarter. He's expected to miss a few weeks.

Damien Harris hurt his chest and then returned, but later left again with a rib injury.

Najee Harris left with cramps in the fourth quarter. He didn't return.

Week 5 Route Report

• Perine took over obvious passing downs for Cincy, in addition to splitting early downs with a banged up Joe Mixon (ankle).
• Fournette tied for the third most routes even Gio Bernard (knee) back in the lineup after a one-week absence. Bernard even had a receiving TD.

Week 5 Red-Zone Report

Inside the 5-Yard Line

• Saquon Barkley would've had a huge day if he hadn't been injured, huh?
• Damien Williams got two of the three carries and converted one for Chicago, while Khalil Herbert went 0-for-1.
• Elliott leads the NFL with 10 goal-line looks, while Tony Pollard has just one.
• RBs with multiple snaps inside the five this weekend, but no touches or targets:
  • Melvin Gordon (four snaps), Javonte Williams (two), Elijah Mitchell (two), Miles Sanders (two).

Red Zone Opportunities (carries + targets)

Week 6 Waivers & Sleepers

Picking from players rostered in half or less of Yahoo Leagues.

Waivers, Pt. 1 — Potential Week  Starters/Streamers

1. Devontae Booker - 7%
2. Darrel Williams - 17%
3. Alex Collins - 37%
4. Rhamondre Stevenson - 7%
5. Khalil Herbert - 19%
6. Brandon Bolden - 9%
7. J.D. McKissic - 45%
8. Kyle Juszczyk - 2%

    
Waivers, Pt. 2 — Bench Stashes & Sleepers

1. Kenneth Gainwell - 41%
2. Jerick McKinnon - 1%
3. Samaje Perine - 27%
4. Ronald Jones - 47%
5. Jeff Wilson - 20%
6. Marlon Mack - 9%
7. Chris Evans - 2%
8. Rashaad Penny - 6%
9. Salvon Ahmed - 1%
10. DeeJay Dallas - 0%
11. Kalen Ballage - 0%
12. Benny Snell - 1%
13. Joshua Kelley - 0%

Week 6 Drops & Benchings

Drop'em

Kenyan Drake

Malcolm Brown

Ty Johnson

Ty Montgomery

Bench'em

Sony Michel

Kenneth Gainwell

Trey Sermon

Week 5 Game-by-Game Breakdowns

Rams (26) at Seahawks (17) 

• Henderson's snap share dropped by 24 percentage points compared to Week 5, in part because he seemed to miss the final drive of the second quarter with a minor injury. Granted, the injuries have become a trend for him, and this may have been an aggravation of the rib issue that held him out Week 3.
  • The aforementioned drive was a 14-play, 63-yarder, accounting for nine of Michel's 11 carries as well as his lone target. However, his other two carries both came in the red zone early in the fourth quarter, including a two-yard TD.
• Henderson scored a five-yard TD midway through the third quarter, following his seven-yard gain on the previous play.
• Henderson played just 31.6% of snaps in the second quarter, but he took 79.2 percent between the other three quarters combined.

• Chris Carson (neck) was listed as questionable and ultimately ruled out in a game-time decision.
  • The day after the game, Pete Carroll called Carson "day-to-day" but also acknowledged uncertainty about the RB's availability for Week 6 at Pittsburgh.
• Rashaad Penny (IR - calf) missed a fourth straight game. Carroll said he could return for Week 6.
• Collins got the start and played 78% of snaps through three quarters. Even in the fourth quarter, with Seattle playing from behind, Collins took 60% of snaps and added two carries and two targets to his totals.
• Homer got just eight snaps, including four of the team's seven plays on 3rd-and-medium/long (Collins took the other two).
• Dallas played all six snaps in the two-minute drill at the end of the first half. He had an interesting sequence on three straight plays, with a 24-yard kick return followed by a 29-yard gain on a wheel route and then a four-yard carry. However, he played just eight snaps all night apart from that two-minute drill.
• Collins got three of the five red-zone snaps, but none of the Seattle RBs got a target or carry inside the 20.
• Collins finished with 15-47-0 on the ground and 2-25-0 receiving. Only two of his carries went for more than four yards, and only one went for more than six (a 13-yarder on the second drive of the game).
  • Collins hasn't fumbled on 32 touches this year, and didn't fumble on 19 last year. Not much of a sample, but it's worth noting given his history. Prior to 2020, Collins had fumbled nine times on 406 career touches.

Jets (20) at Falcons (27) 

• Carter made his third straight start and led the team in carries for a third consecutive game. He's seen exactly three targets in four straight, with no more than 13 carries and no fewer than nine in that stretch. It's a predictable workload, though not an exciting one.
  • His 52% snap share was a new high, though barely up from Weeks 2-4 (45%, 43%, 51%).
• Johnson only got four carries, but three of those were on consecutive plays inside Atlanta's 10-yard line on the opening drive of the first half. The third one went for a one-yard TD, but Carter did score a two-yarder of his own in the fourth quarter.
  • For the season, Johnson has a 3-2 advantage in inside-the-five carries, while both guys have taken five inside the 10.

• Patterson's 59% snap share was easily a season high, up from 42% in Week 3 and 30% in Week 4. He didn't score any TDs this time, but he also had season highs for carries, targets, rushing yards and catches. Plus, he attempted a pass and returned a kickoff.
• Both RBs were busy throughout. Davis played more than half the snaps in each quarter, and had three or more touches in each quarter. Patterson played at least 40 percent of snaps every quarter, and also had three or more touches in each.
• Patterson has been targeted on 39.7% of his routes, the second-highest rate in the league (Kenneth Gainwell is at 40.4%, while Davante Adams leads non-RBs at 38.1%).
  • Apart from the TDs, this is the aspect of Patterson's production that feels somewhat unsustainable. However, he did run a season-high 25 routes in Sunday's win, and while that was partially aided by the Ridley/Gage absences, Patterson is building a strong case to see plenty of snaps and routes regardless of what's going on around him.
• Prior to Sunday, Patterson had taken 64 backfield snaps and just 27 non-backfield snaps (6.8 per game). But with Calvin Ridley (personal) and Russell Gage (knee) both sidelined, Patterson played 23 snaps in the backfield and 21 aligned elsewhere, nearly doubling his season total for the latter. The Falcons used more two-back sets, with Davis and Patterson combining for 113.1% snap share (plus Gallman got 4% and stole one carry).
• Davis is averaging 12.4 carries and 4.8 targets per game on 61% snap share, but with only 3.2 YPC. He does have TDs in back-to-back weeks, and he's finished between 10.2 and 13.3 PPR points in all five games. The workload hints at upside for a little more — perhaps mid-range RB2 rather than low end — but then there's the issue of Patterson creeping.
  • Davis had at least two more carries than Patterson in each of the first four games, with a 49-27 advantage overall, though the latter was obviously far more productive nonetheless. Then, in London, Patterson led the team in carries for the first time all year, even splitting work with Davis in a four-minute drill in the fourth quarter.
• Davis scored a two-yard TD. He's taken two of Atlanta's three carries inside the 5-yard line this year, and six of eight inside the 10 (Patterson does have the other two). So, while C-Patt has been a frequent EZ visitor, Davis is still the favorite for lay-ups.

Patriots (25) at Texans (22) 

• Harris had an interesting day, taking eight carries for 27 yards and a TD in the first half before exiting with a chest injury at some point in the second quarter. He then returned midway through the third quarter, but left again with a rib injury.
• Stevenson got just two carries on four snaps in the first half. He finished with 11 carries for 23 yards but no targets.
• Bolden has three straight games with at least 32% of snaps, four targets and one carry. He's the one they trust for passing downs, though he's no James White (IR - hip).

• The same as ever, with a few more targets for Johnson.

Saints (33) at Washington Football Team (22)

• Ozigbo replaced Tony Jones (IR - ankle),
• Ty Montgomery played 45% of snaps but didn't get any targets or carries. He got 14 of his 25 snaps in the slot, and none in the backfield.
  • Montgomery has taken just two of his 72 snaps (2.8%) in the backfield this year. I wonder if his RB eligibility is in danger.
• This is the stat line you drafted Kamara for. He got 100% of the RB carries, and tied Marquez Callaway for the team lead in targets.

• Gibson scored from five and one yards out. He has four TDs the past three weeks, including a receiving score.
• Gibson has four straight games with exactly two targets. And is averaging only 4.0 YPC. None of the offseason hype panned out, but he's been fine for fantasy thanks to the stable rushing workload and goal-line work.
• McKissic is averaging only 3.6 targets, and hasn't seen more than six in any one game. His snap share is down from 59% last year to 42% this year, and he's also been targeted on a lower share of his routes (23.1% instead of 28.6%).
  • Gibson has also been targeted on a lower share of his routes. Last year, it was 27.5% (but he averaged only 11.4 routes per game). This year, he's been targeted on just 18.3%, erasing his gains from running more routes (14.2 per game... still not great).

Dolphins (17) at Buccaneers (45) 

• Gaskin beat his previous season-high snap share (61%, Week 2) by eight percentage points, one week after sinking to 23% in the loss to Indianapolis. He still only got five carries, but with a 10-74-2 receiving line.
  • He's now averaging 5.2 targets per game, with five or more in four of five contests. Granted, he's averaging only 6.8 carries per game.
• Prior to Sunday, Brown had taken all four of the team's RB goal-line looks this season. Gaskin got both in Week 5, first taking a carry from the 5-yard line (in the first quarter) and later scoring a one-yard receiving TD (in Q3). He also had a 24-yard receiving score in between.
• Brown completely disappeared after season-high 67% snap share the week before. His snap shares by week, starting with the opener: 30, 12, 41, 7, 9%.

• Bernard returned from an MCL sprain after missing one game and scored a 10-yard receiving TD early in the game. It was his second productive outing in a row after the 9-51-1 receiving line fueled by garbage time in Week 3, but we'll caution that Bernard's target share this season is only 9.7%, even if we don't count the week he missed.
• Good sign for Fournette to run so many routes and see five targets even with Bernard back in the lineup. Apart from Week 3, Fournette has 14 or more carries in every game. He's averaging 11.2 carries and 4.8 targets, and it's a clear fluke to have just one TD on 418 total yards in a top-five offense.
  • The goal-line looks were Fournette's first two of the season, but Bernard and Jones have just one apiece, so it's not like Lenny was being intentionally left out before Sunday.
  • Fournette has played 56% of Tampa's snaps inside the 10, and 67% (six of nine) inside the five. He'll get his TDs, and plenty of 'em, if he keeps this role/usage.

Lions (17) at Vikings (19) 

• About the same as Week 4. Swift really turned it on in the fourth quarter, with four catches for 38 yards and a game-tying rushing TD. It's nice that he stays heavily involved in all game scripts.

• Mattison had the terrible fumble, but he's an obvious RB1 anytime Cook is out. Maybe Dalvin can give him the clutch gene; remember Mattison had that awful fourth-down play in Seattle last year?

Packers (25) at Bengals (22) — OT

• Dillon finally got his first inside-the-five touch, after Jones took six over the first four weeks. The second-year pro had carries from Green Bay's six and five-yard lines on consecutive plays in the third quarter, but gained just one yard on each carry. (Dillon's TD actually came on a 12-yard reception early in the game.
• Jones played 75% of third-down snaps, including nine of the 11 passes.
• Dillon played 58.3% of snaps in the fourth quarter, but Jones got all seven snaps in overtime... which actually hurt his fantasy managers because each of his three carries lost yardage (minus-six total).

• Mixon handled less than half his usual snap share, after logging 78%, 84%, 74% and 69% the first four weeks. He was limited by an ankle injury, and salvaged his fantasy day (kind of) with an eight-yard rushing TD. Perine later had a four-yard receiving score, the team's only goal-line look for an RB all day.
• Perine played 86% of third-down snaps, including all nine pass plays on third down.
• Perine played 48% of first-down snaps, with Mixon getting 41% and Evans 11%.
• Perine played 59% of second-down snaps, with Mixon getting 27% and Evans 14%.
• Perine was placed on the COVID list Monday...

Broncos (19) at Steelers (27) 

• The split went slightly more in Gordon's favor this week, though Williams broke off a long, highlight-reel run for the second straight game, eventually dragged down inside the five at the end of a 49-yard dash.
• Gordon has played 49-60% of snaps each week, with 9-18 carries and 2-4 targets.
• Williams has played 41-51%, with 7-14 carries and 1-4 targets. He does have a 3-2 advantage in goal-line looks, though both seem trusted in that area (and everywhere else).

• Harris left with cramps early in the fourth quarter and didn't return.
  • Harris played 74.1% of snaps through three quarters, which also would've been a season low, but that's mostly just because he needed rest. He saw 22 carries and five targets on 40 snaps, getting the look on a ridiculous 68% of his snaps. It's hard to play 90% of snaps when you're being used like that, and fantasy managers obviously won't complain.
  • Snell played all the snaps after Harris left, taking five carries for 20 yards.
• Ballage didn't play in the fourth quarter, but he appeared to be ahead of Snell before that, playing 19% of snaps with four carries and a target through three quarters. Snell had just one target and no carries on 7% share through three quarters, before dominating the end-of-game work. The two shared backup snaps Week 4, fwiw.

Titans (37) at Jaguars (19) 

• This was the other side of the coin for McNichols, who at least had a 25-yard gain on one of his three touches. Henry, of course, feasted on the not-so-big cats.
• Henry has taken 142 carries, which is 48 more than second-place Alvin Kamara. The gap between Henry and Kamara is the same as that between AK and 36th-place Zach Moss.
  • It's helped to face just one team with a winning record, Arizona in Week 1 (when Henry was limited to 17-58-0). The Titans face Buffalo and KC the next two weeks, so they'll likely be in for tougher games, though Henry against the Chiefs defense is an obvious mismatch.
• McNichols has done well on passing downs, but the Titans do have 2020 third-round pick Darrynton Evans (knee) coming back from IR soon. If he does keep his to-date role, McNichols could be a little busier than usual the next two weeks.

• Robinson played 77% of snaps through three quarters, with 16 carries to Hyde's three.
  • Robinson then played only 52% of snaps in the fourth. He did get one carry on the final drive, but Ogunbowale also got garbage-time snaps (after not playing at all through three quarters).
• Hyde returned from a one-game absence, after his last-second shoulder injury allowed Robinson to handle career-high 95% snap share in the Week 4 loss to Cincinnati.
• The Week 4 game without Hyde helps, but Robinson has an upward trend regardless, and he's averaging 12.5 carries and 4.0 targets in the four contests Hyde has played. It increasingly appears Robinson will manage another solid fantasy season on an otherwise helpless team. That's not easy for an RB to do, even if his averages are helped by taking a bunch of carries and dump-offs in comeback mode against defenses that don't mind giving up short gains in the middle of the field.

Eagles (21) at Panthers (18) 

• Of course the Eagles barely used Gainwell after I tried to hype him last week.
  • His snap share was a season low, after 31-39% in each of the first four games. And his production has largely been a product of an unsustainable rate of targets per route. But also, he's been good, and Sanders is nothing special. Still love Gainwell as a bench piece, even if I kinda, sorta regret one or two of my FAAB bids last week. Patience!
•  

• Hubbard dominated ground work for a second straight week, but Freeman did sub in for some touches, while Smith was called up from the practice squad for the extremely obvious passing situations.
• Through two starts, Hubbard's snap share (56%) and target share (11%) haven't been at McCaffrey levels, but the rookie's 69% carry share isn't far from what C-Mac took Weeks 1-2 (75%).

Bears (20) at Raiders (9) 

• Williams played 85% of snaps in the first quarter, with five carries for 27 yards and one catch for 18 yards on two targets.
  • He then added 6-24-1 on the ground and another reception in the second quarter, but while playing only 42% of snaps to Herbert's 58% (and the rookie also had six carries).
• Williams had three inside-the-five carries in the second quarter alone, spanning two drives. He finally punched one in for a four-yard TD, but only after Herbert had taken carries on three straight plays.
• The second half also leaned heavily Herbert, with the rookie playing 68% of snaps and taking 11 carries for 31 yards. Williams, meanwhile, played just 36% of snaps after halftime, adding five carries for 13 yards to his impressive pre-halftime totals.
• Williams wasn't benched. He was still playing to the very end, including a carry on Chicago's final offensive snap with about 1:40 remaining.

• Peyton Barber (toe) was inactive, while Richard (foot) returned from IR for his season debut.
  • Drake played a season-low 18% of snaps, losing a bunch of passing-down work to Richard, while Jacobs actually handled a season-high 69% of snaps.
  • Drake played just 14.3% of the third-down snaps. So he's basically Jacobs' backup and Richards' backup, except that Peyton Barber is actually Jacobs' backup. So what is the point of Kenyan Drake on this team, again? Didn't everyone have this concern in March, even before they knew Josh Jacobs would get injured? Anyway, Drake is droppable in shallow leagues.
• Jacobs has played 63% and 69% of snaps in two games since returning from his ankle injury. He's getting plenty of work, but in Week 4 he managed just 13-40-0 on the ground and 5-17-0 on five targets, then in Week 5 it was 15-48-1 and 4-19-0.
• Jacobs has 62.3% carry share and 10.2% target share in his three games. That's similar to, say, David Montgomery, or to what Chuba Hubbard has taken for Carolina the past two weeks. The biggest problem, arguably, is Jacobs averaging only 3.2 YPC, down even from 3.9 last year. Granted, he's faced the Ravens and Bears in two of his three games (but also stunk it up against the Chargers' vulnerable run defense in Week 4).
• Williams played six of the eight snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.
• Herbert played 54% of first-down snaps and 50% of second-down snaps.
• Justin Fields added only three carries for four yards, and attempted 20 passes.

Browns (42) at Chargers (47) 

• Everybody ate!

• Ok, not Josh Kelley.
• Larry Rountree only played special teams, after taking 11 carries for 31 yards the week before. He played at least 14% of the offensive snaps in the Chargers' first four games.
  • Kelley, meanwhile, was active on gameday for the first time all year.
• Pad level > power at the goal line. Ekeler now has four of the Chargers' five RB looks inside the five this year, and all four are carries.
  • Only seven players have more carries inside the 10. Only six have more carries inside the 5. Only three have more carries inside the 5.

49ers (10) at Cardinals (17) 

• Purely out of curiosity, I wonder if Kyle Shanahan always preferred Mitchell, or if he was on board with Sermon until training camp? I thought Sermon's familiarity with zone-read plays from OSU might help him keep a role with Trey Lance at quarterback, but that ended up being irrelevant compared to Mitchell's return from a two-game absence.
• Sermon played only two snaps, with Mitchell dominating early downs and Juszczyk handling the obvious passing situations.
• Mitchell has played 64.2% of snaps across his three games, with 45 carries (47.9% share) and four targets (4.9% share). He should at least be good for rushing yards if he stays healthy, though catches and TDs will be tougher to come by, especially if Juszczyk stays this involved.

• Edmonds handled his normal snap share despite being questionable with a shoulder injury. However, the six carries were a season low, and the four targets matched a season low.
• Conner scored another one-yard TD, his fifth score inside the 5-yard line within the past three weeks.
  • Goal-line work is a factor, but he's averaging only 3.8 YPC even if we exclude all red-zone work (which is 15 of his 63 carries, 24%).

Giants (20) at Cowboys (44) 

• Barkley injured his ankle early in the game. Most early reports suggest he'll miss time, but not necessarily land on IR (which would require a three-game absence).
• Booker played all the tailback snaps after Barkley's exit, while rookie Gary Brightwell strictly played special teams.
  • In Week 3, the Giants had Brightwell active as Barkley's backup and Booker a healthy scratch. Other than that, Booker has looked to be ahead of the rookie, with more snaps and touches each week. In fact, Brightwell has played just two snaps on offense since Week 1.

• They turned Dak into a game manager!

Bills (38) at Chiefs (20) 

• Moss finished with career highs for snap share (74%) and receiving yards (55), also tying a career high with four targets. He ran 16 routes, fourth most on the team, and 10 more than Singletary (six).
• Moss was inactive Week 1 and played only 28% of snaps Week 2. Since then, Moss has seen at least 56% of snaps and 14 touches in three straight games.
  • Over the past three weeks, Moss has a 38-31 carry advantage, 8-5 target advantage and 3-1 edge in goal-line looks.
• Moss should be a solid RB2 if this workload breakdown holds. Of course, we've said the same about him before, and the same about Singletary multiple times. And each time it ends up being a mess again. Moss definitely has gotten a boost from the repeated blowout wins, however. Even the past three weeks, his carry share (37.6%) shows how both Singletary and Josh Allen still take a big chunk of the ground game. And the Bills eventually will play close games, though perhaps not the next few weeks...
• Singletary has seen either one or two targets in three straight games.
  • He had only 4.7 YPT as a rookie and 5.4 last year. And this year he's at just 1.7 YPT, and isn't getting many looks. He does have two drops this season, but mostly looks okay as a pass catcher. It just hasn't worked out, and Josh Allen is no fan of throwing to RBs anyway.

• Edwards-Helaire injured his knee midway through the third quarter and missed the rest of the game. It didn't look great, as most of you probably noticed.
• Same as the week before, there were signs of workload trouble for Edwards-Helaire even before the injury. He played 50% of snaps in the first quarter, taking three carries and one target. And then only 20% of snaps in the second quarter, with two carries.
  • CEH had consecutive games with 100-plus rushing yards and a receiving TD in Weeks 3-4, but both games also featured new season lows for snap share — 62% in Week 3, then 52% in Week 4. And he was on track for way less than that prior to the injury Sunday night.
• After CEH's exit, Williams played 77% of snaps and got two carries and four targets.
  • McKinnon played 23%, with no carries and one target.
• The Chiefs have RB Derrick Gore on their practice squad. He won't necessarily have a role now, but it is possible. Andy Reid may view the running game as nothing more than a clock-killing tactic if these are his running back.

Colts () at Ravens () 

Coming Tuesday!