We’re back for another look at some of the key backfield splits, going over running back fantasy football performances from Week 5. We had some bad football in the early window with a few blowouts but surprisingly got the biggest RB performance of the season (and most exciting game overall) in Carolina with the Panthers shocking the Dolphins.
Below, we’ll look at how RB touches shook out for some key teams and what it means for fantasy football moving forward.
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Carolina Panthers
Down 17-10 at halftime and 24-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Panthers were able to come back and get their second win of the season, 27-24. Carolina was without starting RB Chuba Hubbard due to a calf injury, which meant it was the Rico Dowdle week.
If you were playing Dowdle, our condolences.
He went off against a weak Dolphins defense for the first 200-yard rushing performance of the season. Dowdle finished with 26 touches (three catches) for 206 on the ground and 28 yards through the air. He just edged out Jonathan Taylor for the top RB score in fantasy in the early window with 30.9 points. That score has a good chance of holding up as the RB1 overall.
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Trevor Etienne also got some run with four carries for 22 yards. We also saw rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. involved with four touches. But this was Dowdle’s backfield with Hubbard out. Prior to the injury, Hubbard was getting the bulk of the carries but only turning them into 4.1 yards per attempt. There was also a lack of explosive plays from Hubbard. If Hubbard remains out, Dowdle is a very solid RB2 with RB1 upside in all formats. If Hubbard gets back, you’d expect this to be more of a split after what Dowdle did to Miami.
He knows what it takes to be a lead back from last season in Dallas. Calf injuries are also tricky for the RB position. If Dowdle is still available, run, don’t walk, to grab him off waivers.
Houston Texans
The fantasy gods can be cruel. One week, they seemingly give us a gift with Woody Marks. The next, they take Marks away. In Week 5, the Texans routed a depleted Ravens squad without Lamar Jackson. It was a gross, disgusting game that resulted in C.J. Stroud looking like a fantasy star again with four passing TDs. The backfield, rather than swaying further into Marks’ favor, went back the other way to veteran Nick Chubb.
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The 29-year-old led the backfield this week with 11 carries for 61 yards and a TD while Marks mixed in as the backup with seven carries for just 24 yards. Neither back had a catch and each had one target. Chubb finished with 12.1 fantasy points while Marks had 2.4. We also saw garbage time touches for Dameon Pierce with seven carries, while some few wideouts got carries and even (squints) British Brooks (?) got a few touches.
Sure.
It’s difficult to take much away from a blowout like this, so we won’t go into full panic mode on Marks just yet. But clearly he didn’t overtake Chubb for this backfield like we all thought would happen after last week. The Texans seem OK giving Chubb carries, which makes sense for football reasons despite it being annoying for fantasy. Marks will still have value and is an injury away from getting RB2/FLEX status. For now, both Chubb and Marks are volatile FLEX options. Houston is on bye in Week 6.
New Orleans Saints
Unlike with Marks, this feels like a game where things swung more in Kendre Miller’s favor. He was a trendy pickup after last week, when he had 11 carries for 65 yards and a TD (12.5 fantasy points) vs. the Bills. He was again trusted with double-digit carries, finishing Week 5 vs. the Giants with a 10-41-0 line, plus one catch for eight yards. Veteran Alvin Kamara was less effective on the ground with eight carries for just 27 yards (3.4 ypc). Of course, Kamara still got plenty of passing-game work with four catches on six targets for 28 yards, which was modest.
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Miller looks like the more impactful back running the ball right now. That should lead to more of a split on the ground while Kamara will get his usual usage in the passing game. But Kamara’s age is showing and there’s continued talk about him possibly being dealt at some point before the deadline with the Saints not expected to compete for a playoff spot.
Miller is still just 31% rostered on Yahoo and should be targeted on the waiver wire again this week. New Orleans trusted Miller plenty in a competitive game, which is a good sign. But despite the positives, Miller remains a risky FLEX option in deeper leagues but a backup who appears to have good long-term value.
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