All season long, I’ll be looking back at the week to see how we can best leverage what took place on the field at the running back position to our advantage. This weekly article will hone in on weekly snap shares and highlight a few players who could benefit from their team putting them on the field more in the coming weeks.
Fantasy managers who are stuffing their faces with turkey while reading this will be happy and perhaps surprised to know that Week 12 features a full slate of games with no players on bye, giving us plenty to dive into.
While the quarterback position continues to get ravaged weekly, we’ve been mostly fortunate at the running back position. On top of that, one of the season’s most unexpected bell-cow backs is set to return from injured reserve — more on that later, while another young back has a chance to step into a massive Thanksgiving Day workload.
I highlight these situations and a few more players in this week’s Snap Report.
As always, below are some players whose performances and situations stood out this past week, and at the end of the article is a table of every player to see 20 percent or more of their team’s snaps in Week 11.
Week 12 byes: No teams on bye
NOTE: Snaps and route data courtesy of FantasyPoints.com and PFF.com.
Zach Charbonnet (SEA)
Interestingly, I touched on Zach Charbonnet as a player seeing an emerging role in last week’s article. While nobody could have foreseen what happened in Week 10, it would be malpractice not to circle back on him this week.
An oblique injury forced Kenneth Walker from Week 10’s matchup against the Rams early in the afternoon. Walker has yet to practice when this article was published and is, by all accounts, trending toward missing Thursday night’s tilt with the Rams.
Walker’s absence propelled Charbonnet into an 84.1 percent snap share, setting up lofty expectations for Week 12 against the 49ers. In addition to an elite snap share, Charbonnet also handled a whopping 36 percent of their opportunities. While it wasn’t the most efficient outing for Charbonnet, who totaled 69 yards from scrimmage on 21 touches, the impending volume will be hard to shy away from for fantasy managers needing running back help.
Charbonnet was an interesting prospect entering the draft. The rookie transferred from Michigan to UCLA after a down 2020 season but totaled 2,496 rushing yards and 51 receptions for 581 yards in his two seasons with the Bruins while also punching in 27 touchdowns. Few running backs in the nation were better than Charbonnet was during his time at UCLA.
His receiving profile was always a big calling card for fantasy managers throughout the predraft process. With 75 receptions stretched over four college seasons, he proved more than capable of handling pass-catching duties, which has popped up with the Seahawks in recent weeks. He secured all six of his targets in Week 10 — albeit he managed only 22 yards on those receptions, and has seen 11 targets over the last two weeks. Over the last four weeks, Charbonnet has been in on 115 of 165 passing downs (71 percent) after appearing on just 33.3 percent of passing downs in Weeks 1-7.
Charbonnet’s volume alone should put him in the conversation as a top-24 PPR option in Week 12. His 5.5 targets per game over the last two weeks suggests some easy fantasy points can be had even in the most dire of situations, and the 49ers have allowed the 11th-most receptions and 15th-most receiving yards to running backs over the last two weeks.
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Jaylen Warren (PIT)
The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it was announced Jaylen Warren is expected to benefit more from the switch to new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan.
According to Fowler, Sullivan “knows how to target his top options.” A quick look at Warren’s efficiency metrics, when stacked against Najee Harris’, lets you know who the better running back is — as if it was ever in question.
| Player | YCO/ATT | MTF % | Breakaway Run % | Yards Per Touch |
| Jaylen Warren | 4.44 | 41.3% | 10% | 5.6 |
| Najee Harris | 2.90 | 21.1% | 7% | 4.2 |
Over the last three weeks, Warren has firmly established himself as the better, more explosive back in Pittsburgh’s offense. The former rookie UDFA has totaled 368 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 43 touches (8.6 YPT) over that span and has two straight 100-yard performances on the ground.
Former No. 24 overall pick Najee Harris has yet to rush for more than 82 yards in a game this season and has one game on the year in which he totaled 100-plus yards from scrimmage.
Since entering the league last season, Warren has been a problem for opposing defenses. He was one of my favorite late-round picks in drafts this offseason and now has a chance to earn a more meaningful role with Sullivan at OC. First-round draft capital has long appeared to be the only thing fueling Harris’ run as the team’s RB1, but if Sullivan values production over capital, the long-needed change will soon come to fruition.
Even while playing in a split backfield, Warren has out-scored Harris nearly every week in fantasy.
His 12.3 fantasy points per game are nearly three more points than what Harris is averaging, as Warren’s receiving upside has stabilized his floor even in down weeks. Warren has out-targeted Harris 42-25 this season despite playing on only 49.9 percent of passing down snaps, per FantasyPoints.com. An increase in said passing downs snaps could further elevate his targets over the Steelers’ final seven games of the season, giving fantasy managers a locked-in RB2 the rest of the way.
Warren and the Steelers get a matchup with the down-bad Bengals in a game that should feature a game script ripe for the team’s best back.
Devin Singletary (HOU)
I’m only a year removed from going to war against RotoViz’s Colm Kelly and his love of Devin Singletary. A summer of documented YouTube arguments over Devin Singletary or Tony Pollard in best ball drafts saw me emerge victorious in 2022, but Singletary appears to have saved his best for 2023.
With Dameon Pierce (ankle) sidelined, Singletary has had back-to-back impressive performances for the Texans’, whose rushing attack appeared dead through the first nine weeks of the season.
During that nine-week stretch, Houston’s ground game had the second-highest stuff rate (50.5 percent), the lowest explosive run rate (1.4 percent), and the worst yards before contact per attempt (0.64). Over the last two weeks, those numbers look a bit different.
| Stat | Rank | |
| Stuff Rate | 44.8% | 18th |
| Explosive Run Rate | 6.8% | 8th |
| YBCO/ATT | 2.75 | 1st |
This should be approached with a bit of perspective, as the Texans’ last two games have come against the Bengals and Cardinals — two of the worst run defenses in the league, but Singletary has averaged an impressive 3.37 YCO/ATT over that stretch.
Singletary gets a tough Week 12 matchup against a Jaguars defense that’s among the best run-stopping units in the league, but the volume alone should put him in RB2 territory if Pierce misses another week. However, it’s worth noting the Texans have one of the most generous schedules remaining on the season regarding the defenses they’re facing and the fantasy points they’ve allowed to running backs. The RotoViz Strength of Schedule Streaming App highlights this in a digestible fashion.
Khalil Herbert (CHI)
Khalil Herbert’s stint on injured reserve ended in Week 11 when he suited up for the Bears to take on the Lions. Much like Zach Charbonnet, an injury to Herbert’s backfield running mate, D’Onta Foreman, elevated Herbert into a high-volume week. Foreman suffered a nasty-looking ankle injury in the loss to Detroit, which looked like something that would sideline him for at least a week or two.
In fairness to Herbert, he was running as the team’s starter before going down in Week 5, so a return to the Bears’ RB1 role was always in the cards, but Foreman drew the start in Sunday’s game and was tasked with punching in a one-yard touchdown before he was injured.
In his return to action, Herbert rushed 16 times for 35 yards and hauled in two receptions for six additional yards. It wasn’t a strong outing, but he ran ahead of rookie Roschon Johnson (6-30-0), who also failed to see a target for the second time this season. Those who have followed me for long enough on social media know I’m a “Stan” for Herbert, who has been one of the more efficient backs in the league since entering the league in 2021. The Bears would be wise to go back to featuring him in Week 12 against the Vikings.
Among qualified running backs (min. 10 rush attempts/gm) through the first five weeks of the season, Herbert ranked sixth in YCO/ATT (3.57) and was eighth in yards per carry (5.3). Those numbers fall right in line with the 3.67 YCO/ATT and 5.7 YPC he averaged in 2021 — which were also tops in the league.
The former sixth-round pick has long flown under the radar as one of the better backs in the league since being drafted in 2021. With Foreman likely out for at least a week, Herbert should have a chance to show off against the Vikings defense that’s allowed the 13th-most fantasy points per game (22.3) to opposing running backs over the last five weeks.
It helps that the Bears as a team currently rank seventh in yards before contact per attempt (1.54).
Keaton Mitchell (BAL)
Baltimore’s explosive running back, Keaton Mitchell, saw a season-high 36.7 percent snap share for the Ravens in their 34-20 win over the Bengals. It’s safe to say Justice Hill has taken a back seat to Mitchell, as his 21.7 percent snap share marked his lowest snap share since Mitchell was activated off injured reserve in Week 7.
Despite the growing snap share, things remain very much wait-and-see with Mitchell. I fielded a handful of questions earlier in the week about whether or not fantasy managers should start Mitchell over the likes of Rachaad White, Kenneth Walker, and James Conner — to name a few. Perhaps that comes with the territory of shamelessly touting Mitchell after his breakout Week 9 performance against the Seahawks, but the temptation to slot him in as a fantasy RB2 needs to be held in check.
He managed just 5.1 fantasy points in last week’s win and caught his lone target for a mere eight-yard gain. Despite his big play ability, we can’t ignore that Mitchell has averaged only eight opportunities per game over the last three weeks. Despite my feeble attempts to tweet a more significant role for him into existence, he’s little more than a dart throw.
He also saw Gus Edwards score two short-yardage touchdowns as Edwards led the Ravens with 12-62-2 on the ground. Mitchell, on the other hand, rushed eight times for 33 yards, but that total was buoyed by a 21-yard run.
Mitchell is averaging a blistering 10.5 yards per touch during his hot three-week stretch. But his eight touches per game over that span ranks 48th among all running backs. If Week 11 didn’t teach you anything, allow me to be the bearer of bad news. Mitchell is a true boom-or-bust play in Week 12 against the Chargers and will remain as such until the Ravens lean more into their best running back.
Kyren Williams (LAR)
If you had Kyren Williams emerging into a bell cow role on your fantasy radar in 2023, you’re in the wrong profession. Williams, who isn’t pictured on the table below, unexpectedly stepped into a bell-cow role with the Rams this season, playing on 82 percent of the team’s snaps Weeks 1-6 while drawing a 33 percent opportunity share. To date, only 15 running backs in the league have an opportunity share of 30 percent or higher, while Williams is one of three backs with a snap share of 80 percent or higher and an opportunity share of 30 percent or higher.
The other two guys are Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley. It seems like good company to be in.
An ankle injury has kept Williams on the sideline for the Rams’ last four games, but head coach Sean McVay is already on record saying he expects him to suit up in Week 12 against the Cardinals. In anticipation of this, the Rams have already waived running back Darrell Henderson.
Funny enough, Williams’ last game before injury came against the Rams. He racked up a casual 20-158-1 on his way to 21.8 fantasy points and an RB3 overall finish. Fantasy managers who have spent the last five weeks stashing him shouldn’t hesitate to insert him back into their lineups in what could be a smash spot for one of the league’s volume kings.
Week 11 Snap Share
| Name | Team | Snaps | TM Snaps | Snap % |
| Saquon Barkley | NYG | 49 | 54 | 90.7% |
| Christian McCaffrey | SF | 52 | 59 | 88.1% |
| Devin Singletary | HST | 58 | 67 | 86.6% |
| Zach Charbonnet | SEA | 53 | 63 | 84.1% |
| Rachaad White | TB | 54 | 67 | 80.6% |
| Raheem Mostert | MIA | 53 | 68 | 77.9% |
| Brian Robinson | WAS | 60 | 77 | 77.9% |
| Josh Jacobs | LV | 45 | 59 | 76.3% |
| A.J. Dillon | GB | 51 | 71 | 71.8% |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC | 43 | 62 | 69.4% |
| James Conner | ARZ | 40 | 58 | 69.0% |
| Joe Mixon | CIN | 39 | 59 | 66.1% |
| Derrick Henry | TEN | 25 | 38 | 65.8% |
| Travis Etienne | JAX | 45 | 69 | 65.2% |
| Tony Pollard | DAL | 44 | 68 | 64.7% |
| Alexander Mattison | MIN | 45 | 70 | 64.3% |
| D’Andre Swift | PHI | 34 | 54 | 63.0% |
| Breece Hall | NYJ | 33 | 54 | 61.1% |
| Royce Freeman | LA | 36 | 59 | 61.0% |
| Isiah Pacheco | KC | 45 | 74 | 60.8% |
| Najee Harris | PIT | 33 | 57 | 57.9% |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | 33 | 59 | 55.9% |
| Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 30 | 59 | 50.8% |
| Jerome Ford | CLV | 37 | 73 | 50.7% |
| James Cook | BUF | 32 | 71 | 45.1% |
| Javonte Williams | DEN | 23 | 52 | 44.2% |
| Miles Sanders | CAR | 26 | 59 | 44.1% |
| Jaylen Warren | PIT | 25 | 57 | 43.9% |
| Khalil Herbert | CHI | 31 | 71 | 43.7% |
| Kareem Hunt | CLV | 31 | 73 | 42.5% |
| Tyjae Spears | TEN | 16 | 38 | 42.1% |
| Gus Edwards | BLT | 25 | 60 | 41.7% |
| David Montgomery | DET | 24 | 59 | 40.7% |
| Samaje Perine | DEN | 20 | 52 | 38.5% |
| Darrell Henderson | LA | 22 | 59 | 37.3% |
| Keaton Mitchell | BLT | 22 | 60 | 36.7% |
| Latavius Murray | BUF | 25 | 71 | 35.2% |
| Roschon Johnson | CHI | 23 | 71 | 32.4% |
| Kenneth Gainwell | PHI | 17 | 54 | 31.5% |
| Ty Chandler | MIN | 22 | 70 | 31.4% |
| Joshua Kelley | LAC | 19 | 62 | 30.6% |
| Jerick McKinnon | KC | 22 | 74 | 29.7% |
| Salvon Ahmed | MIA | 20 | 68 | 29.4% |
| Trayveon Williams | CIN | 17 | 59 | 28.8% |
| Rico Dowdle | DAL | 18 | 68 | 26.5% |
| Tony Jones | ARZ | 15 | 58 | 25.9% |
| D’Ernest Johnson | JAX | 17 | 69 | 24.6% |
| D’Onta Foreman | CHI | 17 | 71 | 23.9% |
| Ameer Abdullah | LV | 14 | 59 | 23.7% |
| Dalvin Cook | NYJ | 12 | 54 | 22.2% |
| Justice Hill | BLT | 13 | 60 | 21.7% |
| Aaron Jones | GB | 15 | 71 | 21.1% |
| Chase Edmonds | TB | 14 | 67 | 20.9% |
| Chris Rodriguez | WAS | 16 | 77 | 20.8% |
