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.
In a week that featured no teams on bye, the league gave fantasy managers plenty to feast on as far as running backs are concerned. We saw the Broncos pull off an upset win over the Chiefs, all while feeding Javonte Williams at an elite rate. And the Buccaneers once again funneled targets to Rachaad White in a primetime loss to the Bills.
I touch on these and a few more running back situations in this week’s snap report as we step into Week 9 of the season.
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 30 percent or more of their team’s snaps in Week 8.
Week 9 byes: DEN, DET, JAC, SF
NOTE: Snaps and route data courtesy of FantasyPoints.com and PFF.com.
Javonte Williams (DEN)
It’s been a slow start to the season for Javonte Williams. The third-year back avoided opening the season on injured reserve after returning from a torn ACL, but through his first six games, Williams rushed for 63-272-0 (4.3 YPC) while playing on 41.4 percent of the team’s snaps.
After a Week 7 win over the Packers, Williams emerged to play on a season-high 67.7 percent of snaps in Week 8. His 52.6 percent opportunity share against the Chiefs was well above the 27.6 percent he saw in Weeks 1 through 7.
Everything fantasy managers hoped for when drafting Williams in the sixth and seventh rounds started to come to light in Week 8’s win over the Chiefs. The efficiency still wasn’t there, as he managed just 3.1 YPC while rushing 27 times for 85 yards, but his 30 touches were 12 more than his previous season high of 18, which he saw in Week 7 against the Packers.
We can’t expect the Broncos to run the ball 40 times as they did in Week 8. Sean Payton and company seemingly rode a ground-heavy attack to victory while keeping his 29th-ranked defense off the field as long as possible. However, even in games with a negative game script, Williams could see plenty of work in the passing game after averaging 3.1 targets per game through this point in the season.
The Broncos now head into their bye week, which gives Williams some additional time to rest before returning in Week 10 to take on the Bills on Monday Night Football. Fantasy managers who didn’t give up on Williams after a slow start could soon see a high-end return on their investment.
Rachaad White (TB)
If you haven’t noticed by now, let me be the first to tell you that Rachaad White has been doing his best Alvin Kamara impression over the last two weeks. Like Kamara, White is averaging under four yards per carry this season, and neither has excelled in advanced rushing metrics. But both are dominating opponents through the air. Here’s a quick look at how the two compare on the year in a handful of metrics.
| Player | MTF % | Routes | TRGs | YCO/ATT | YPC | YPRR |
| Alvin Kamara | 8.1% | 126 | 44 | 2.23 | 3.7 | 1.81 |
| Rachaad White | 18.5% | 197 | 30 | 2.34 | 3.3 | 1.18 |
Kamara has been funneled an absurd 44 targets in five games and currently leads all running backs with 39 receptions, but White’s 29 receptions are third behind only Kamara and Christian McCaffrey. White’s 197 routes run are also the third most amongst running backs.
White’s struggles in the running game extend well beyond what he might be as a runner. While he’s far from an elite ball carrier, the Buccaneers’ offense ranks 30th in the league in yards before contact per attempt (0.71) and leads the league in stuff rate at 54.7 percent. Dumping the ball off to White is the closest the Buccaneers have to a quality rushing game, and it’s worked to the advantage of fantasy managers.
White’s 80.6 percent snap share in Week 8 against the Bills while facing a negative game script was his second-highest total on the season. More important, however, was his seven targets. Those seven targets marked a new season-high for White, whose previous season-high of six came in Week 7 against the Falcons.
White’s 5.9 yards per touch over the last two weeks equals what Jonathan Taylor has averaged on the season, which ranks as the third-highest YPT total amongst running backs with at least 50 touches.
A PPR scam appears to be in full effect for White and the Buccaneers, who will look to continue their ways in Week 9 against the Texans. Houston has allowed the sixth-most targets per game (5.6) to opposing running backs over the last five weeks.
Chuba Hubbard (CAR)
Miles Sanders came out of the Panthers’ Week 7 bye healthy. The veteran running back was sidelined in Week 6 with a shoulder injury, but his health mattered little in Week 8, as the veteran played well behind Chuba Hubbard and saw only two more snaps than Raheem Blackshear.
Hubbard struggled in the win over the Texans, rushing 15 times for 28 yards while adding another two receptions for 26 yards, but he was clearly the preferred option after rushing for 19-88-1 before the team’s bye week.
Playing in an offense that’s ranked 25th in points per game (18.1) and 27th in yards per game (284.6), Hubbard is hard to trust. Ideally, our fantasy assets would play on offenses that are moving the ball, but his volume over the last two weeks can’t be ignored. Hubbard has handled 57.8 percent of the Panthers’ running back opportunities over that span, averaging 18.5 opportunities per game.
As a team, the Panthers are middle of the road in early-down pass rate (53 percent) and pass frequency over expected (negative two percent). However, in their first game with offensive coordinator Thomas Brown serving as the play-caller, the Panthers had an early-down pass rate of 67.5 percent and a PFOE of six percent — a night-and-day difference from the conservative play-calling under Frank Reich.
It’s only a one-game sample, but these numbers came in a competitive game, which could signal a more pass-heavy approach for the Panthers and perhaps more targets for Hubbard. As a team, Panthers running backs are averaging 6.4 targets per game — the 11th most of any team in the league. While Sanders has earned 56 percent of those targets, they could be hard to come by if he’s no longer on the field.
Hubbard is an interesting Week 9 option against a Colts defense that’s allowing the 13th-highest EPA per rush attempt (-0.083) and 124 rush yards per game. Over the last five weeks, they’ve allowed the most fantasy points per game (31.6) to opposing running backs. He’ll be hard to trust as anything more than an RB3, but there’s a clear path to fantasy success for Hubbard this weekend.
Pierre Strong (CLE)
I’ve never really been a Jerome Ford guy. On the flip side, I’ve long been a Pierre Strong guy ever since the Patriots drafted him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of South Dakota State.
Whether this was due to the ankle injury Ford suffered in Week 8 or something else entirely, Strong and Kareem Hunt played well ahead of Ford in the first half of last week’s loss to the Seahawks. Hunt led the way with 20 snaps to Strong’s 14 through two quarters, while Ford played on just three snaps. Ford led the way with 20 snaps in the second half, with Strong seeing 10, but Strong’s unexpected playing time and usage caught my attention.
An explosive playmaker boasting 4.37 speed, Strong handled 11 touches against the Seahawks, which he turned into 82 total yards. This was aided by a 41-yard screen pass on what was Strong’s first and only reception of the day/season. He’s only seen 32 touches on the season, but Strong is averaging an impressive 5.8 yards per touch and 4.6 yards per carry.
In true “he can’t keep getting away with it” fashion, Ford is averaging 4.4 YPC on the season but has been very boom-or-bust on a per-touch basis. Among running backs averaging 10-plus rush attempts per game, Ford has seen 46.5 percent of his rushing yards come on — the second-highest total of any running back. It sounds great on the surface until you realize Ford is averaging a mere 2.3 YPC on his non-breakaway runs. His 58.6 percent stuff rate is the third-highest amongst these 40 qualified running backs.
For what it’s worth, Strong is averaging 3.4 yards per carry on his non-breakaway runs.
Ford’s rush attempts tend to be a net negative until he sparks off a big run. He’s frequently setting the offense back, which may have led to Ford’s unexpected first-half looks.
The Browns didn’t fully pivot off Strong in the second half, as he still managed five carries to Ford’s eight. It’s far too early to throw Strong into starting lineups, but I continue to love him as a deep bench stash for teams who can afford to do so.
Roschon Johnson (CHI)
My concern for D’Onta Foreman heading into Week 8 was that despite a solid two-week stretch in which he totaled 187 yards and three touchdowns on 35 touches (5.3 YPT), a hot stretch wouldn’t matter much with Roschon Johnson returning.
In his first game back with the Bears since suffering a concussion in Week 5, Johnson led the backfield with a 36.5 percent snap share and had 10 opportunities to Foreman’s 11. For those who forget, the Bears’ preferred backfield in Weeks 2 through 5 consisted of Johnson, Khalil Herbert, and Travis Homer, with Foreman being a healthy scratch. It wasn’t until injuries took hold that Foreman finally saw the field (outside of Week 1) and had his chance to play.
Johnson is averaging 4.7 YPT and was the preferred passing-down back when healthy. His 14 receptions lead all Bears running backs despite him missing roughly 2.5 games this season.
Foreman finding himself in a near 50-50 split with Johnson despite a hot two weeks probably doesn’t bode well for him going forward. One of my favorite rookie running backs heading into the season, I am once again trying to stash Johnson wherever I can in hopes his role continues to grow.
Week 8 Snap Share
| Player | Team | Snaps | Team Snaps | Snap % |
| Christian McCaffrey | SF | 53 | 56 | 94.6% |
| Saquon Barkley | NYG | 63 | 70 | 90.0% |
| Travis Etienne | JAX | 57 | 65 | 87.7% |
| Rachaad White | TB | 50 | 62 | 80.6% |
| Joe Mixon | CIN | 47 | 62 | 75.8% |
| Josh Jacobs | LV | 34 | 45 | 75.6% |
| Bijan Robinson | ATL | 48 | 66 | 72.7% |
| D’Andre Swift | PHI | 45 | 62 | 72.6% |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC | 45 | 65 | 69.2% |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | 56 | 81 | 69.1% |
| Javonte Williams | DEN | 44 | 65 | 67.7% |
| James Cook | BUF | 45 | 68 | 66.2% |
| Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 40 | 61 | 65.6% |
| Tony Pollard | DAL | 41 | 63 | 65.1% |
| Breece Hall | NYJ | 40 | 62 | 64.5% |
| Derrick Henry | TEN | 43 | 67 | 64.2% |
| Jonathan Taylor | IND | 41 | 67 | 61.2% |
| Alexander Mattison | MIN | 42 | 69 | 60.9% |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | 31 | 51 | 60.8% |
| Alvin Kamara | NO | 38 | 66 | 57.6% |
| Gus Edwards | BLT | 34 | 60 | 56.7% |
| Zach Charbonnet | SEA | 31 | 55 | 56.4% |
| Emari Demercado | ARZ | 40 | 71 | 56.3% |
| Isiah Pacheco | KC | 32 | 57 | 56.1% |
| Raheem Mostert | MIA | 40 | 73 | 54.8% |
| A.J. Dillon | GB | 33 | 62 | 53.2% |
| Royce Freeman | LA | 30 | 58 | 51.7% |
| Jaylen Warren | PIT | 33 | 64 | 51.6% |
| Brian Robinson | WAS | 35 | 69 | 50.7% |
| Najee Harris | PIT | 32 | 64 | 50.0% |
| Antonio Gibson | WAS | 34 | 69 | 49.3% |
| Aaron Jones | GB | 30 | 62 | 48.4% |
| Darrell Henderson | LA | 28 | 58 | 48.3% |
| Kenneth Walker | SEA | 24 | 55 | 43.6% |
| Justice Hill | BLT | 26 | 60 | 43.3% |
| Tyjae Spears | TEN | 29 | 67 | 43.3% |
| Dameon Pierce | HST | 24 | 56 | 42.9% |
| Devin Singletary | HST | 24 | 56 | 42.9% |
| Ezekiel Elliott | NE | 20 | 51 | 39.2% |
| Zack Moss | IND | 26 | 67 | 38.8% |
| Jerick McKinnon | KC | 22 | 57 | 38.6% |
| Keaontay Ingram | ARZ | 26 | 71 | 36.6% |
| Roschon Johnson | CHI | 23 | 63 | 36.5% |
| Kareem Hunt | CLV | 27 | 75 | 36.0% |
| Rico Dowdle | DAL | 22 | 63 | 34.9% |
| Latavius Murray | BUF | 23 | 68 | 33.8% |
| Pierre Strong | CLV | 24 | 75 | 32.0% |
| Salvon Ahmed | MIA | 23 | 73 | 31.5% |
| Jerome Ford | CLV | 23 | 75 | 30.7% |
| D’Onta Foreman | CHI | 19 | 63 | 30.2% |
