David Montgomery readies for more touchdowns against the Panthers, Devon Achane eyes another matchup-flipping outing vs. the sorry Giants, and Aaron Jones attempts to bounce back from his disastrous Week 4.
Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Updated 10/8 at 12:00 PM ET. Removed Saquon Barkley. Opted to keep Jonathan Taylor in low-end RB2 range.
Week 5 Running Backs
| RK | Player | Opp | Time |
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey | DAL | Sun, 08:20 pm EDT |
| 2 | Bijan Robinson | HOU | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 3 | Derrick Henry | @IND | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 4 | David Montgomery | CAR | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 5 | Tony Pollard | @SF | Sun, 08:20 pm EDT |
| 6 | Travis Etienne | @BUF | Sun, 09:30 am EDT |
| 7 | Josh Jacobs | GB | Mon, 08:15 pm EDT |
| 8 | D’Andre Swift | @LA | Sun, 04:05 pm EDT |
| 9 | De’Von Achane | NYG | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 10 | Aaron Jones | @LV | Mon, 08:15 pm EDT |
| 11 | Alvin Kamara | @NE | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 12 | Brian Robinson | CHI | Thu, 08:15 pm EDT |
| 13 | Kyren Williams | PHI | Sun, 04:05 pm EDT |
| 14 | Joe Mixon | @ARI | Sun, 04:05 pm EDT |
| 15 | James Cook | JAC | Sun, 09:30 am EDT |
| 16 | Isiah Pacheco | @MIN | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 17 | Raheem Mostert | NYG | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 18 | James Conner | CIN | Sun, 04:05 pm EDT |
| 19 | Alexander Mattison | KC | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 20 | Breece Hall | @DEN | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 21 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NO | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 22 | Dameon Pierce | @ATL | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 23 | Khalil Herbert | @WAS | Thu, 08:15 pm EDT |
| 24 | Najee Harris | BAL | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 25 | Jonathan Taylor | TEN | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 26 | Miles Sanders | @DET | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 27 | Gus Edwards | @PIT | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 28 | Jaleel McLaughlin | NYJ | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 29 | Zack Moss | TEN | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 30 | Jaylen Warren | BAL | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 31 | Samaje Perine | NYJ | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 32 | Chuba Hubbard | @DET | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 33 | Tyler Allgeier | HOU | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 34 | Matt Breida | @MIA | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 35 | Cam Akers | KC | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 36 | Ezekiel Elliott | NO | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 37 | Dalvin Cook | @DEN | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 38 | Latavius Murray | JAC | Sun, 09:30 am EDT |
| 39 | Kenneth Gainwell | @LA | Sun, 04:05 pm EDT |
| 40 | Tyjae Spears | @IND | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 41 | Antonio Gibson | CHI | Thu, 08:15 pm EDT |
| 42 | Roschon Johnson | @WAS | Thu, 08:15 pm EDT |
| 43 | Jerick McKinnon | @MIN | Sun, 04:25 pm EDT |
| 44 | Craig Reynolds | CAR | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 45 | AJ Dillon | @LV | Mon, 08:15 pm EDT |
| 46 | Devin Singletary | @ATL | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 47 | Justice Hill | @PIT | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 48 | Tank Bigsby | @BUF | Sun, 09:30 am EDT |
| 49 | Rico Dowdle | @SF | Sun, 08:20 pm EDT |
| 50 | Kendre Miller | @NE | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
| 51 | Gary Brightwell | @MIA | Sun, 01:00 pm EDT |
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RB Notes: Third in rushing yards over expected as he predictably excels as a pass catcher, Bijan Robinson still finds himself in hand-to-hand combat with Tyler Allgeier for touches. That is despite the fact that Allgeier is in the bottom half of the league in rush yards over expected even though he is running behind the same offensive line. Robinson is averaging six yards per carry. Allgeier, 3.4. Any other coach would be pivoting hard. Arthur Smith seems all too likely to quadruple down on his bad idea. … Derrick Henry finally awoke from his early-season slumber in Week 4. Looking like a team that is going to struggle to control game flow as Anthony Richardson learns to pass at an NFL level, the Colts should cede the Week 5 initiative to Henry’s backfield. … Tony Pollard has five more carries inside the 10-yard line than any other runner. There’s a touchdown deluge coming. It is nevertheless unlikely to begin as a four-point road ‘dog vs. the 49ers’ elite defense. … Travis Etienne has handled fewer than 23 touches one time in four games. The Bills have been big-play vulnerable on the ground. We can bet on Etienne in this 48.5-totaled affair.
Josh Jacobs finally scored and caught some passes in Week 4. It was backup QB Aidan O’Connell who kept checking down, but it’s only a matter of time before Jimmy Garoppolo starts doing the same. Week 5 opponent Green Bay is coughing up the fifth most RB fantasy points. … The RB6 by total PPR points since his inexplicable two-touch Week 1, D’Andre Swift has handled at least 17 touches each of his past three games. That’s a number he reached only two times in all of 2022. That’s the exact kind of floor you want to pair with Swift’s ceiling in this offense. … It’s hard to make a living on touchdowns alone: Unless you’re Dan Campbell’s goal-line back. The Lions have also gone surprisingly ground heavy ahead of a home date with the Panthers’ bottom-six run defense. You can chase D-Mont’s Week 4 points. … #SpeakingOf chasing touchdowns … Devon Achane. The young man has now found the end zone twice on the ground in back-to-back games despite wildly different game flows. Coach Mike McDaniel said he abandoned the run too quickly in Week 4. Struggling vs. the run just as they are struggling against everything, 11-point underdog New York (Giants) is a points-chasing smash spot.
Aaron Jones should be more up to conditioning speed after last week’s five-carry fiasco. With AJ Dillon performing so poorly the Packers are working out running backs, expect a return to the 18-20 touches mix for Jones in Las Vegas. … Just how bad is the Bears’ defense? We are about to find out. Although he is the RB12 by average PPR points, Brian Robinson has had just one week inside the top 12. He has yet to reach 20 carries. He has cleared 70 yards rushing once and seven yards receiving once. He is living off touchdowns. Can the Bears make him an RB1? Tune in Thursday night on BezosVision to find out. … So, yeah, Alvin Kamara probably isn’t going to catch 13 passes again. He’s also going to have zero competition for touches again as the Saints wait on Jamaal Williams to return from injured reserve. “High-value touches’ are practically Kamara’s middle name right now. … Kyren Williams also has zero touch competition, but in a far tougher matchup. The Eagles’ defense remains dominant on the ground. Williams will need a touchdown and 3-4 receptions to deliver in PPR leagues.
It has been the leanest of times for Joe Mixon. For Week 5 he’s counting on being a narrow road favorite against the Cardinals. At some point, there are going to be some drives to finish. … James Cook finally got a goal-line carry in Week 4, though his passing-game role remained on the decline. It’s been difficult to get a grip on just how the Bills really want to deploy their talented second-year back. He is still worth betting on with the Bills operating as solid favorites against the Jaguars across the pond. … Saquon Barkley (ankle) is returning. The only question is health/effectiveness. Matt Breida did nothing during Barkley’s absence to earn any standalone work. Barkley is more of an RB2 than RB1 as we wait for this offense to show proof of life. … It certainly seems like Jonathan Taylor will make his 2023 debut against the Titans. It’s a poor matchup, while there is no way Taylor will be entrusted with his typical workload. He also now has stiff goal-line competition in rookie battering ram Anthony Richardson. Taylor’s breakaway ability keeps him in the top 24, but he has more question marks than certainties. Zack Moss is a last-gasp FLEX.
The Jets have claimed they are taking the restrictor plate off Breece Hall, who has been limited to 83 yards on 22 carries (3.7 YPC) since Week 1. Coach Robert Saleh’s comments come just in time for Hall to face the Broncos’ extraordinarily bad run defense. … Rhamondre Stevenson is still dominating snaps in the Patriots’ backfield. It’s just not amounting to much. His pass-catching production is essentially gone. With a total barely reaching 40, Vegas is forecasting a horrific offensive environment vs. the Saints. … There were once again pre-game reports in Week 4 that Roschon Johnson was poised to seize a bigger chunk of the Bears’ backfield pie. Instead the opposite happened. Khalil Herbert’s workload was looking much more RB2 safe headed into a short-week matchup with the Commanders’ soft run D. … Alexander Mattison had a less difficult time holding off Cam Akers than I expected. He should receive plenty of valuable touches in this week’s likely shootout with the Chiefs. … Not particularly close to 100 percent health, Miles Sanders is bleeding usage to untalented backup Chuba Hubbard. Every RB2 indicator light is blinking red for Sanders in this cellar-dwelling offense. … I would expect Jaleel McLaughlin to more or less slide directly into Javonte Williams’ (hip) role against the Jets’ tough defense if Williams can’t go.
