We’re just about a month into the 2025 NFL season and there are still plenty of backfields we’re trying to make sense of through four games. We’ve been going over running back committees and backfields in flux each week this season and we’re seeing a lot of the same teams pop up. So, with a larger sample size, we’re going to break down some of these teams and how they’re deploying running backs to determine which players should find the most fantasy success the rest of the season.
Backfields still in flux
New England Patriots
This has to be the most confusing deployment of running backs in the NFL so far this season. We all thought Rhamondre Stevenson was heading for a lesser role, given all his fumble issues. That wasn’t exactly the case in Week 4’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
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It’s worth noting this game got out of hand fast and the Patriots weren’t at any risk of losing if Stevenson put the ball on the ground again. With that said, in the first half, Stevenson still led all New England RBs in snaps with 11, per Nathan Jahnke of PFF. Stevenson was still the only back to get to double-digit touches in the contest, leading RBs with nine carries and 38 yards. But it was rookie TreVeyon Henderson and veteran Antonio Gibson who found the end zone.
It’s clear Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels don’t trust Stevenson in the red zone and on the goal line. But that doesn’t mean the back won’t get any touches and will be banished to the sideline. We also know QB Drake Maye is going to vulture a TD every now and then, plus get some designed runs here and there. With so many mouths to feed in this backfield, it’s going to be very difficult to project each week. Don’t give up on Stevenson just yet.
Henderson still feels like the player with the most upside, but Gibson isn’t really viable unless an injury happens.
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Washington Commanders
Another three-headed monster of a backfield, the Commanders continue to use Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols in a committee approach — and it’s still super confusing. JCM was a bit banged up going into Week 4 vs. the Falcons but was active, rushing seven times for 47 yards. C-Rod led the group with seven carries for 59 yards (most of that on a 48-yard scamper). McNichols was getting more snaps in the first half but only had two carries for three yards and one catch for no gain.
Rodriguez has 18 carries over the past two weeks and could start to take over this backfield. He’s definitely the preferred back between the tackles and in goal-line situations. JCM will be used as the more dynamic back and in the passing game while McNichols just feels like the reliable veteran, a player used in pass protection and to mix things up.
Because of all the preseason hype, Croskey-Merritt isn’t going to be available off the waiver wire. He could have weeks where he’s a viable FLEX in PPR formats but comes with significant risk so long as McNichols and Rodriguez get snaps. C-Rod is becoming intriguing and is a player to target off the wire. He could slowly take over this backfield. McNichols feels very volatile. Washington has some good matchups coming up (Chargers, Bears, Cowboys) but the rest of the schedule is somewhat brutal. Don’t expect to rely on any of these three backs until we get more clarity or another injury.
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Backfields starting to evolve
Houston Texans
I sure do hope you held onto those Woody Marks shares you were banking on going into the season. It took a bit but Marks finally paid off with a huge performance in Week 4 vs. the Titans. You could say it started to happen last week, when Marks was almost in a full snap split with Nick Chubb. This week, despite still being in a split, Marks was the better back, finishing with over 20 touches (four catches) for 119 total yards and two TDs (one catch, one rush). Marks has a shot at finishing as a top-five RB this week.
Maybe we should temper expectations going forward slightly since this performance was against a bad Titans team. But you can’t argue with 20+ touches and significant work on the ground and through the air. It shouldn’t be too difficult for Marks to hold off Chubb for touches the rest of the season. So while it looked like Marks may not be a fantasy asset this season, it’s now looking like he has some RB2 upside the rest of the way. If you can grab him off the wire, Marks has league-winning potential right now.
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Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard entered 2025 as the surefire RB1 for the Panthers. He had just signed a contract extension and looked like a key piece on offense. Carolina brought in Rico Dowdle as a backup and nobody really thought he’d take away from Hubbard’s value.
After four weeks, that sentiment may be starting to change.
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I feel like I’m saying this a lot today, but we need to factor in game script. The Panthers got blown out and didn’t really need Hubbard late in the game. Still, Hubbard continues to lose work to Dowdle and now rookie Trevor Etienne is in the mix. Hubbard led the way with 13 total touches for 69 yards. Dowdle had 10 for 30 and Etienne seven for 33. So while Hubbard lost touches to both backups, he still managed most of the passing-game work.
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This seems more like an outlier performance than what we’ll see moving forward. The Panthers may play in some lopsided games but Hubbard should still maintain lead-back status and be a decent RB2/FLEX in most fantasy formats. The Panthers also have a very friendly schedule coming up (Dolphins, Cowboys, Jets). Better days appear to be on the horizon for Hubbard; managers just need a little bit of patience.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints backfield has belonged to Alvin Kamara for almost a decade now. Are things beginning to shift? Backup Kendre Miller had been slowly cutting into Kamara’s touches but didn’t appear to be any threat to the veteran. In Week 4, we saw Miller have his best game since his rookie campaign in 2023, rushing 11 times for 65 yards and a TD against the Bills’ stout front on Sunday. Kamara still had 19 touches but finished with just 72 yards. We also continue to see QB Spencer Rattler run the ball.
Does Miller’s performance mean this is the end of Kamara? Absolutely not, don’t worry just yet. But we could start to see Miller receive more of the ground work and goal-line carries while Kamara keeps things up in the passing game. It helps that the Saints are playing at a high pace and should be in plenty of positive game scripts for throwing. Kamara’s value in PPR isn’t going anywhere. All this means is we have another potential value in fantasy with Miller emerging. He’s going to be a great add in deeper formats going into Week 5 and becomes one injury to Kamara away from being a solid RB2.
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