Backfield Breakdown: Week 6 Recap & Week 7 Sleepers

I had an issue with a stat provider this week, so our leaderboards and game-by-game breakdowns look a little different from usual. Apart from that, it's the same deal as ever, including recommendations for adds, drops and sleepers. Week 7 should be messy, to say the least, with four top running backs now on injured reserve and six teams going on bye.

Usage Leaderboards

Week 6

Doesn't include MNF. Looks = Targets + Carries

Full Season

Doesn't include MNF.

Week 6 Injury Report

Inactives

Nick Chubb (calf)

David Montgomery (IR/knee) + Damien Williams (reserve/COVID-19)

Saquon Barkley (ankle)

Samaje Perine (reserve/COVID-19)

Christian McCaffrey (IR/calf)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (IR/knee)

Chris Carson (IR/neck) + Rashaad Penny (IR/calf)

In-Game Injuries

Latavius Murray injured his ankle in the third quarter and didn't return.

Antonio Gibson injured his calf. He was scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

Kareem Hunt (calf) was carted to the locker room in the fourth quarter.

Alex Collins suffered a hip/glute injury in the fourth quarter.

Week 6 Red-Zone Report

Inside the 5-Yard Line

• Joe Mixon was the only RB this week with multiple snaps inside the five but no touches.

Red Zone Looks (carries + targets)

• Random fact: Six teams have two RBs with double-digit RZ looks this year.
  • Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Arizona, Atlanta, Cleveland. No surprises.

Week 7 Waivers & Sleepers

Picking from players rostered in half or less of Yahoo Leagues.

Waivers, Pt. 1 —Top Adds & Streamers

1. D'Ernest Johnson - 3% rostered
2. J.D. McKissic  - 42%
3. Devonta Freeman - 2%
4. Le'Veon Bell - 7%
5. DeeJay Dallas - 2%
6. Demetric Felton - 9%
7. Jaret Patterson - 1%
8. Mark Ingram - 32%
9. Jerick McKinnon - 19%
10. Rashaad Penny - 8%

• Note: McKissic is also a great add if Gibson is expected to miss time, but I'm guessing most Backfield Breakdown readers aren't playing a lot of leagues where McKissic is available. Also, it's not clear how badly Gibson is injured, or if he's even expected to miss time at all.
  • Before waivers, keep an eye on injury news regarding Nick Chubb, Latavius Murray and Antonio Gibson (and maybe Alex Collins and Rashaad Penny). The order above is a Monday afternoon guess.

Waivers, Pt. 2 — Bench Stashes & Sleepers

1. Rhamondre Stevenson - 11%
2. Samaje Perine - 15%
3. Jeff Wilson - 19%
4. DeeJay Dallas - 2%
5. Salvon Ahmed - 1%
6. Chris Evans - 4%
7. Kalen Ballage - 0%
8. Joshua Kelley - 0%

Week 7 Drops & Benchings

Drop'em

Giovani Bernard

Ty'Son Williams

Gary Brightwell

Bench'em

Myles Gaskin

Nyheim Hines

Jamaal Williams

Alexander Mattison

Kenyan Drake

Jerick McKinnon

Week 6 Game-by-Game Breakdowns

Buccaneers (28) at Eagles (22) 

• This was Fournette's third straight game with at least 12 carries, five targets and 62% of snaps.
  • That does include Week 4, which Bernard missed with a knee sprain, but in the two weeks since Gio returned, Fournette has 44 touches for 237 yards and three TDs, playing 62% and 63% of snaps.
• Fournette got four looks inside the five, most among all RBs in Week 6. He had just two prior to Thursday, with Bernard and Jones at one apiece. So, overall, Fournette has 75%, but heavily based on one game.
• Bernard played seven of eight snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, but Fournette took four of five on 3rd-and-short (two yards or less to go).

• The most interesting part of this game? Sarcastic cheers from Philly Phans after every Miles Sanders carry.
  • Sanders got four of his carries on the Eagles' final drive and five total in the fourth quarter. (The Eagles made it a six-point game with six minutes left but never saw the ball again.)
• Gainwell's two targets were a season low, and he's now gone four games in a row without taking more than three carries.
  • Gainwell's snap share has also dropped: 24% and 23% the past two weeks, after 31-39% each of the first four games.
• Sanders, meanwhile, had a season high in snap share for a second straight week, hitting 83% after 75% in the Week 5 win over Carolina. There's still upside if Philadelphia ever runs the ball.

Dolphins (20) at Jaguars (23) 

• Gaskin came crashing back to Earth after his 10-catch, two-TD game the previous week, and even his snap share dropped from 69% to 36%. (Plus, he caught just two of the six targets.)
  • Gaskin played 65% of snaps in the first quarter, but just 24% in the second, 55% in the third and 6% in the fourth.
• Ahmed got 72% of the fourth-quarter snaps. Jacksonville led 17-13 at the start of the quarter, but Miami scored a TD before the Jags kicked game-tying and game-winning field goals.
  • Ahmed took two of the four carries on Miami's last drive, with the game tied. Brown took the other two, including the unsuccessful fourth-down attempt that set up Jacksonville's game-winning FG.
• Ahmed was considered the pass-catching back pre-season, and that's mostly the role he handled early on, but it's no longer the case. He didn't get a single third-down snap Week 6, while Brown took 11 and Gaskin got five. It's a really confusing backfield, and not a talented or productive one (you probably noticed, Gaskin's Week 5 explosion aside).
• Brown reclaimed a role after zero touches and 9% of snaps the week before. He's been awful in short-yardage situations, which are the only consistent aspect of his involvement in the offense.

• The snap share was easily Robinson's largest of the season in a game Hyde also played
  • Robinson got 95% in Week 4 with Hyde out, but otherwise hadn't topped 73% before Sunday.
• Robinson has four straight games with at least 19 touches, 78 total yards and a TD. He took only five carries Week 1, but since then has actually been nearly as busy (15.8 carries per game) as his rookie year (17.1 per game).
  • Robinson is up to 5.5 YPC, after 4.5 last year.
  • His 73% snap share for the season is third among RBs, behind Najee Harris (87%) and Alvin Kamara (83%) and slightly ahead of Ezekiel Elliott (73%), Derrick Henry (70%), Miles Sanders (69%) and D'Andre Swift (69%).
• Robinson has been targeted on only 16.9% of his routes, down from 24.0% last year.
  • Last year, he averaged 17.9 routes and 4.3 targets per game.
  • This year, he's averaging 21.7 routes and 3.7 targets.

Texans (3) at Colts (31) 

• Ingram is averaging 14.3 carries per game overall, but this was the first time he got more than six in a blowout loss. He got just six carries in Week 3 (15-point loss) and six in Week 4 (40-point loss). Apart from that, he got 26 carries in a win, 14 in a 10-point loss and 16 in a three-point loss.
• Johnson took 83% of snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long. He's 17th among RBs with 96 routes this season, but he hasn't been targeted at a high rate (18.8% of routes) and never gets more than five or six carries.

• Taylor played 54% of snaps in the first half but saw just two carries and two targets.
  • In the second half, he played 18 of 24 snaps (75%) and took a carry on 12 of those, including touchdowns from four and 11 yards out.
• Taylor got five of the eight snaps (63%) on 3rd-and-medium/long. The week before, he and Hines each got three (43%).
  • Hines isn't necessarily the "third-down back", but he does get more work in other passing situations (catch-up mode, two-minute drill, etc.).
• Taylor got three more looks inside the 5-yard line and now has all 11 of Indy's RB looks inside the 5 this season. Only Zeke (12) has more, and nobody besides Taylor and Zeke has more than seven (five-way tied for third place between Najee Harris, Damien Harris, James Conner, Darrell Henderson, Derrick Henry (pending MNF))
• This was a strange game where Houston dominated possession despite getting crushed. The Colts ran only 48 plays - 26 rush attempts, 20 pass attempts, two sacks.
  • Mack got three of his five carries on Indy's final three snaps, after Taylor scored a TD to make it a 28-point game with five minutes remaining.

Chargers (6) at Ravens (34) 

• Kelley was the No. 2 back for a second straight week, after not playing at all Weeks 1-4.
• Larry Rountree was a healthy scratch, after only playing special teams the week before. It looked like he was the second RB a couple times this year, but the Chargers first went back to Jackson and now to Kelley.
  • It'll almost definitely be a committee if Ekeler misses time this year. Kelley seems to be the favorite right now, but that could change at any moment, and his backup role doesn't necessarily mean he'd be the top ballcarrier sans Ekeler.
• The Chargers pulled Ekeler and WR Mike Williams from the game before other starters.
  • Ekeler played 27 of 36 snaps (75%) through three quarters.

• Ty'Son Williams was a healthy scratch (for a second time in the past three weeks).
• Murray played 54% of snaps in the first half but then injured his ankle in the third quarter. He didn't return after leaving the game.
• Bell didn't play at all in the first quarter but got 42% of snaps thereafter. He had the only inside-the-five RB carry, scoring a TD, but Freeman and Murray also had red-zone TDs. Each back scored once, and all had similar numbers for snap share, carries and routes. Granted, Murray left early and was ahead of the others beforehand.

Chiefs (31) at Washington Football Team (13) 

• With Clyde Edwards-Helaire (IR/knee) out for the first of at least three games, Williams got his first regular-season start and nearly doubled his previous career high of 11 carries.
  • Williams' played 73% of snaps, which would've been a season high for Edwards-Helaire. The second-year back played 72% of snaps in Week 1, but then dropped to 65%, 62% and 52% in Weeks 2-4 before injuring his knee Week 5 (26%).
• Williams got 79% of snaps through three quarters before dropping to 54% in the fourth.
• McKinnon played 56% of snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with Williams getting 38%.
• Williams got both RB goal-line looks, and converted both for touchdowns (a two-yard run and a three-yard run).
• Williams' Week 6 ranks among RBs, minus MNF:
  • 10th in snap share (73%)
  • T-4th in carries (21)
  • T-10th in targets (4)
  • T-2nd in routes (2).
  • In other words, he may be more valuable than a healthy CEH. Partly because Andy Reid doesn't really seem to want Jerick McKinnon or No. 3 back Derrick Gore (zero offensive snaps) on the field.

• Gibson has been playing through a stress fracture in his shin for at least three games now, and while a couple weeks back he said it hadn't been bothering him much, he did miss parts of Sunday's loss.
  • The 40% snap share is 15 percentage points below his previous season low. Gibson had logged 55-65 percent in each of Washington's first five games, with no fewer than 12 carries (he had only 10 Sunday).
• Coach Ron Rivera acknowledged that GIbson was removed late in the game because of his calf injury.
  • And now he'll get an MRI...

Bengals (23) at Lions (11) 

• Samaje Perine was on the reserve/COVID-19 list after sharing work with a banged-up Mixon in Week 5.
  • Williams was brought up from the practice squad as the No. 3 back but didn't get much work until the end of the blowout win.
• Mixon avoided an injury designation last week and returned to his usual workload. Apart from two weeks ago when the ankle injury limited him, he's taken 16 or more carries for 67 or more rushing yards each week this year.
• Prior to Sunday, Mixon was averaging 2.0 targets and 14.6 routes per game. He didn't necessarily have a larger role than usual but did have more of an impact in the passing game, namely his 40-yard TD early in the third quarter.

• Williams was at the low end of his usual snap range but finished with just five touches, his first game with fewer than 10 all year.
• Swift got nine more carries than Williams, the first time all year with Swift having an advantage of more than two there.
  • Williams actually had a 55-52 carry advantage overall before Sunday's game.
• Williams got nine targets Week 1 and has nine total in six subsequent games. Even with all the injuries and bye weeks coming, he looks more RB3 than RB2.
• Swift played all 25 snaps (100%) in the fourth quarter, after getting 62% through three quarters (Williams got 51%)
  • In other words, this wasn't as bad for Williams as it looks at first glance, nor as good for Swift. But the general trend for Williams was already worrisome, and his early production never figured to continue without a Swift injury.

Vikings (34) at Panthers (28) - OT 

• Cook returned to his usual role after missing Weeks 3 and 5 and playing only 49% of snaps Week 4. He was busy through OT, while Mattison saw his smallest snap share since Week 1.
• The Vikings ran 10 snaps in 01 personnel (4 WRs, 1 TE). That's why Cook and Mattison don't come close to adding up to 100% snap share.
  • The Vikings have used 01 personnel on 36 snaps, 6.0 per game.

• Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) was placed on IR on Saturday, ruling him out through Week 8. He missed practice Thursday and Friday, after previously being a limited participant (both Wednesday and throughout the previous week).
• Hubbard and Freeman were the only active RBs for Carolina. Spencer Brown was elevated from the practice squad but made a healthy scratch.
• Hubbard played 78% of first-down snaps and 75% of second-down snaps.
  • Freeman played 60% of third downs, including nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, while Hubbard got three of those.
• Hubbard dropped two of his three targets. He's lucky Robby Anderson and DJ Moore (three drops apiece) stole the spotlight.

Rams (38) at Giants (11) 

• Henderson played 87% of snaps before the fourth quarter.
• Michel played just six snaps before Q4, and got five of his nine carries on a single garbage-time drive.
  • The previous week, in a Thursday game at Seattle, Michel got 34% of snaps and 11 carries, but with nine of his carries on a 14-play drive in the second quarter when Henderson left to be evaluated for an injury. Henderson played 79% of non-Q2 snaps in that game, returning after one missed drive and reclaiming his three-down role.
• Henderson has 13 or more carries for 53 or more yards each week this year, and he's averaging 3.2 targets per game.
  • He's still been targeted on just 14.3% of routes, the seventh-lowest rate among RBs with 50-plus routes and the second-lowest rate among RBs with 100-plus routes (Melvin Gordon - 14.2%). The Rams obviously haven't needed to throw too many dump-offs, mostly pummeling defenses with their talented wideouts.

• With Saquon Barkley (ankle) inactive, Booker got the start and played 84% of snaps through three quarters.
  • Penny played 6% of snaps through three quarters, then 48% in the fourth.
• Booker got 78% of the snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long before the fourth quarter.
• Gary Brightwell was active but strictly played special teams. He's played just two snaps on offense since Week 1, while he's played at least 11 snaps on special teams each week, recording six tackles in the process.

Packers (24) at Bears (14) 

• Jones played 62% of snaps through three quarters and 50% in the fourth. He finished with his smallest snap share since the Week 1 blowout loss at New Orleans, though it wasn't too far from his usual range (63-73% in Weeks 2-5).
• Dillon took the final four carries. So at one point Jones had a 13-7 advantage, plus a 4-0 advantage in targets. Not that anyone was panicking after 110 total yards and a TD on 17 touches...

• With David Montgomery (IR/knee) out and Damien Williams landing on the COVID list, Herbert took on a near-every-down role, subbed out for breathers only a couple times all afternoon.
• Herbert was the Week 6 leader in RB snap share.
  • (The route data here looks incorrect, imo, though it's not unusual to see discrepancies between sites/sources. For what it's worth, PFF has Herbert with 30 routes on 33 pass snaps... but their data also includes plays wiped out by penalties.

Cardinals (37) at Browns (14) 

• Edmonds played 59% of snaps in the first half, then 12% (four snaps) after halftime.
  • He was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury, and while his role was normal in the first half, Arizona was quick to scale him back after grabbing a multi-score lead.
• Conner played 42% in the first half and 71% in the second half.
• Ward took all seven of his snaps in the fourth quarter.
• Prior to Sunday, Edmonds had played 60-65% of snaps each week, and Conner had taken 38-48%. It's been a predictable committee, though Conner's reliance on goal-line TDs may make his scoring unpredictable throughout the year.

• Nick Chubb (calf) didn't play, but coach Kevin Stefanksi said Monday that he hasn't ruled out the possibility of Chubb returning for Thursday Night Football against Denver this week.
• PFF charted Demetric Felton with eight snaps in the slot, three out wide, one in-line... and zero in the backfield. He did play 20% of snaps, and caught both his targets for 14 yards. But he wasn't used as a running back, and hasn't been this season, with just two of his 36 snaps coming in the backfield.
• Johnson was Hunt's backup, then finished out the game after Hunt injured his calf. Hunt is expected to land on IR, leaving Johnson (and Felton, kind of) as the only healthy RBs on the roster. The Browns do have John Kelly on their practice squad.

Cowboys (35) at Patriots (29) - OT

• The snap share was Elliott's largest since Week 1, though really not much different from his recent range (72, 69, 73, 62 percent in Weeks 2-5).
• Pollard reached double-digit carries for a fifth straight game. Eagles fans will be happy to know that he has more carries (10.2 per game) than Miles Sanders, who has played 106 more snaps (242 to 136).

• Harris got the start, after being listed as questionable with a rib injury that impacted his workload the week before.
  • He finished with 18-101-1, with his third TD and second 100-yard game of the season.
• Stevenson was involved throughout, including four of seven snaps (57%) in the first quarter. After that, each of the three RBs played multiple snaps in each quarter until overtime (Harris got four of the five OT snaps, with Bolden taking one).
• Bolden got 78% of third-down snaps.
• Harris got 62% of first-down snaps and 47% of second-down snaps.
• Harris got two of three snaps inside the five, with Stevenson taking the other.
  • Harris scored a four-yard TD on New England's first drive, two snaps after he had a 21-yard gain.
  • Stevenson scored a one-yard TD in the fourth quarter, but only after Harris took carries from the 10-yard line and 4-yard line on the previous two snaps. Harris was preferred at the goal line, but Stevenson was at least trusted to sub in when the starter was tired.
• Stevenson finished with 5-23-1 and 3-39-0 on three targets, after 11-23-0 and zero targets on 34% of snaps in the Week 5 win over Houston.
  • The rookie's increased workload Week 5 was definitely related to Harris' rib injury. It's less clear to what extent that was the case for Week 6.

Raiders (34) at Broncos (24) 

• Drake scored two TDs on six touches. He had four touches total in the previous two games, now splitting passing-down work with Richard. It looks like the pricey offseason addition is just a handcuff for Jacobs, who now has rushing lines of 10-34-2, 13-40-0, 15-48-1, 16-53-1.
  • James Conner Jr?

• The Broncos should spend more time trying to win games and less time making sure the backfield workload split is exactly 50/50 each week. The losing has been bad for Williams' numbers, but it might help him take on a larger role if it continues. Not that Gordon is the problem in Denver; he's still adequate.

Seahawks (20) at Steelers (23) 

• Collins got a second straight start, with he and Dallas essentially the only thing that worked for Seattle's Geno Smith-led offense.
• Chris Carson (neck) was placed on IR on Friday, ruling him out until at least Week 10 (Seattle has a Week 9 bye)
  • That means at least two more games of Collins and Dallas, though Pete Carroll did say Rashaad Penny (IR/calf) is expected back for the Monday night matchup with New Orleans in Week 7.
• Collins finished with 20-101-1 and is now up to 4.7 YPC on 48 carries this year. He also hasn't fumbled, which was a problem earlier in his career.
• Collins suffered a hip/glute injury late in the game, allowing Dallas to see some extra work. Coach Pete Carroll said Collins could return for Week 7 against New Orleans.

• For the season, Harris leads all RBs in snaps (327), snap share (87%), routes (173) and targets (46).
• Benny Snell played zero snaps on offense and 25 on special teams. He got five carries on 13 snaps (20%) the week before against Denver, with Ballage taking four carries on 10 snaps (15%).
  • Ballage was the No. 2 RB on Sunday night.

Bills (31) at Titans (34) 

• It was back to 50/50, more or less, after Moss had gained ground in recent weeks.
  • Then again, Moss only had one game (Week 5) with more than 56% snap share.

• McNichols left with an ankle injury after one snap, and FB Khari Blasingame played nine snaps.
  • McNichols was listed as questionable with an ankle injury heading into the game.
  • Darrynton Evans (IR/knee) practiced last week but was kept on IR.