Fantasy Football Week 4 RB Rankings: Biggest Risers, Falls & Start/Sit Decisions (Ep. 2230)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
51 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 30, 2026
Published
Wed, September 30, 2026
17
Player insights
12
Players mentioned
Topics
Aaron JonesBraelon AllenJ.K. DobbinsJavonte WilliamsSaquon BarkleyDrake MayeEmmett JohnsonIsaiah DavisJeremiyah LoveKeaton MitchellTravis EtienneTyler Allgeier
Player analysis
Player insights
Aaron Jones
PositiveUsage22:06
Aaron Jones has maintained a massive workload, playing approximately 80% of offensive snaps over the last two weeks. He has averaged 20 carries and 81.5 rushing yards in games without Jordan Mason, and his receiving usage increased significantly last week with five catches for 34 yards.
Insight pagePositiveMatchup23:06
Aaron Jones faces a favorable Week 4 matchup against the Dolphins, who allow a league-high 30.3 fantasy points per game to running backs and have surrendered seven touchdowns to the position in three games.
Insight pageBraelon Allen
PositiveRole19:45
Braylon Allen is viewed as a solid start for Week 4, with the expectation that he will serve as the lead back by a wide margin despite potential minor involvement from Isaiah Davis.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout30:23
Erickson is moderately optimistic about Braelon Allen, noting he has showcased three-down ability, explosiveness, red-zone usage, and receiving skills. He is a solid start against the Bears, though Isaiah Davis may see some involvement.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeBust1:56
Erickson notes that Drake Maye has been poor, stating that the eye test does not pass for him.
Insight pageEmmett Johnson
PositiveValue82:01
Emmitt Johnson is a viable flex option in deep leagues, as the Chiefs may look to limit Kenneth Walker's workload to keep him fresh. Johnson has shown value as both a runner and pass catcher, and if he reaches 10 touches in a high-powered offense against the Raiders, he should provide flex-worthy production.
Insight pageIsaiah Davis
NegativeUsage19:45
Isaiah Davis has played zero offensive snaps through three games, serving only on special teams; however, the source expects his role to change in Week 4, where he will likely play in a support capacity.
Insight pageJ.K. Dobbins
NegativeProjection40:08
J.K. Dobbins has been inefficient, averaging 3.5 yards per carry with -22.6 rushing yards over expected. He also saw four fewer snaps than R.J. Harvey in Week 3, signaling a concerning trend for his fantasy outlook.
Insight pageNegativeProjection66:43
J.K. Dobbins is struggling with efficiency, averaging 3.5 yards per carry and posting -22.6 rushing yards over expected. He has been a non-factor in the passing game with only one reception for four yards all season. Despite five goal-line carries in the last two weeks, he has zero touchdowns, making him a boom-or-bust play with a low ceiling due to his lack of receiving work and potential for negative game scripts.
Insight pageJavonte Williams
NegativeMatchup23:51
Fitz views Javonte Williams as a mid-range RB2 rather than an RB1 due to a difficult matchup against the Texans, who allow the second-fewest fantasy points to RBs (10.3 PPG) and only 3.6 yards per carry.
Insight pagePositiveUsage26:23
Erickson highlights that Javonte Williams is an unquestioned workhorse with 76% snap share and multi-touchdown upside, even in tough matchups, because he dominates red-zone opportunities.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
PositiveUsage5:50
Jeremiah Love has taken over the Cardinals backfield, recording 29 total touches (including penalties) in Week 3 with a 64% snap share. He is being utilized in short-yardage and third-down pass protection, effectively neutralizing Tyler Allgeier.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
PositiveBreakout78:47
Keaton Mitchell is seeing a rising target volume and snap share, reaching 38% in week three. He is being utilized as a weapon against the Seahawks' defense, which is vulnerable to running backs in the passing game. Mitchell forced eight missed tackles on 11 touches last week and is expected to continue outproducing his backfield counterparts.
Insight pageSaquon Barkley
NegativeProjection15:35
Fitz is fading Saquon Barkley slightly (RB14), citing the Eagles' underwhelming offense under Sean Mannion, lack of passing game involvement (one catch per game), and a tough matchup against the Rams, who allow the fifth-fewest fantasy points to RBs.
Insight pagePositiveUsage18:32
Erickson remains optimistic about Saquon Barkley, noting he maintains a 72% snap share and is the Eagles' primary bright spot. Next Gen Stats show Barkley is the second-fastest runner among those with 25+ carries, suggesting he can still produce if the offensive line creates holes.
Insight pageTravis Etienne
NegativeInjury0:03
Travis Etienne is dealing with a hamstring injury, which is part of a wave of running back injuries impacting fantasy rosters.
Insight pageTyler Allgeier
NegativeRole8:14
Tyler Allgeier's role has shrunk in two consecutive games as Jeremiah Love has emerged. Allgeier is currently posting a 29% rushing success rate compared to Love's 44%.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. Learn more at staples.com.
0:03Matt Hall down with a quad injury and Travis Etienne down with a hamstring injury and a wide variety of other running
0:10backs that have just been wildly disappointing. So before we dive into all of that, I did want to give a shout
0:17out to our top accuracy rankers this week. Congratulations to our number one ranker Chris Dell with the Fantasy Edge.
0:23Then at number two we had John Hesterman, Dynasty League Football.
0:26And then Sean Corner with the Action Network. And then special shout out, special Fantasy Pros shout out to Kelly Kirby who
0:33came in at six from Fantasy Pros. And you can find all the expert rankings at FantasyPros.com slash rankings.
0:39Now Fitz and Erickson, long time no see. I feel like I have not seen you guys in forever.
0:44I see Welsh every single week, but I haven't seen you guys since draft season.
0:49So Fitz, how's the how's the early season treating you?
0:52Well, we were commiserating about our Green Bay Packers before the show, Tara.
0:56So that's not going well. And rankings didn't go well either.
0:59So hopefully you're going to change the mojo for us because Erickson and I both tanked last week and we are looking for a rebound.
1:07Good luck. This is where we all bounce back.
1:10And then Erickson, how about you? You don't have our Packers woes, but you do have your own woes, right?
1:16Yes, I have my own Patriot woes. If you guys listen to the tailgate show, talk about how bad Drake May has been.
1:23The eye test also does not pass for Drake Maye.
1:26But I would say in regards to the one positive side about all these running back injuries, there's no concern about which
1:32HN you're starting this week or which HN you're talking about because neither guy's playing, especially with the one HN out for the season.
1:40So there's no question marks about which HN are you talking about?
1:43So that's the one silver lining in another week just devastated by more injuries.
1:47I mean, if you basically my entire our entire team that we drafted fits on their auction league is on IR.
1:54Dude, there's no one left. We had HN. We had Puka.
1:57I mean, all these guys just devastated by injuries.
2:00And yeah, we are staring at oh and three.
2:03And in last week, who do we? I picked up Kobe young thinking that he might be able to help out the squad.
2:10He immediately gets hurt. So again, that team is not looking like it's going to be strong finisher.
2:15Oh, yeah, is nasty one. I've turned to in our in our fantasy pros league.
2:20I turned to Keenan Allen. Hopefully it can make that work on that end because it is thinning out lost Brees Hall, lost Devon HN.
2:27It's just been a complete mess in general. But we are here to get back on track and talk about the guys
2:34that are healthy and active and they're going to give us fantasy points and make everything wonderful for us.
2:40Let's start off here talking about the top 12 in rankings starts off at the top, obviously, with our boy Jameer Gibbs.
2:46We had a great matchup against Carolina. Then we've got B.
2:50John Robinson at New Orleans, Kenneth Walker, Derek Henry.
2:52Good matchup as well. We've got nice, strong, good matchups.
2:55Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor at six. Then there's James Cook, Ashton Gentey going strong.
3:00Jeremiah Love coming up in the rankings there as well.
3:03We'll talk about him here in a second. Kyron Williams, Chase Brown, and then Jalen Warren creeping up in the top 12
3:09after the big week on a short week here at Cleveland.
3:13Perhaps a little low scoring game, but with no Rico Dowdle anticipated.
3:16Yeah, we are looking at another hefty volume week for Jalen Warren.
3:20So I totally get it. But let's talk about one player specifically from this grouping.
3:25I mentioned that it is Jeremiah Love that we didn't want to talk about coming in here at ECR ranking number eight.
3:31And we had our skepticisms this preseason with the injury and then the workload immediately, the split early with Tyler Algier getting worried.
3:38But he is coming in strong. So, Erickson, you are on par here with ECR at RB9.
3:43Fitz, you've got him a little bit lower, but still strong.
3:47Still top 12 at RB12. Erickson, talk to us about Jeremiah Love.
3:50He just completely took over the Arizona Cardinals backfield last week, going for 21 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown, caught
3:57all five of his targets for 19 yards. He scored 64% snap share.
4:01And when you include plays limited by penalties, he actually totaled 23 carries for 94 yards.
4:06So on the day, 29 total touches when you're including plays negated by penalty.
4:10He had 21 of 23 Arizona rushing attempts where Algier was completely neutralized in terms of what his role in his backfield was.
4:17So he did play a lot of snaps, but that was because of third down pass protection.
4:22Love has kind of checked off all the boxes in terms of he's getting short yardage opportunities.
4:27He converted a third one, converted a third and four.
4:30So he has not been necessarily been taking out at the goal line at certain times.
4:35The Algier can still kind of be an annoyance there, but I still think that love has the three down skill set.
4:42So regardless, however, this game goes against the New York Giants on the road, whether they're trailing, whether they're winning, Jeremy Love
4:49is going to be out there and he's going to be the more efficient back compared to Tyler Algier.
4:54Algier's role has shrunk in two straight games. You're seeing his carries go down week by week, whereas Love's is going up by week.
5:02You just look at rushing success rate. Love is at 44%, 3.9 yards per carry.
5:06Tyler Algier is at 29% at 2.9 yards per carry.
5:09And I know they asked the question, this is from the Coach Speak Index, they asked the floor if they expect Love
5:16to kind of continue on this increased workload. And he said, we'll do what we think is necessary each week.
5:22So he did kind of leave the door open to like, well, maybe we can go back to Tyler's year.
5:28But it's like, maybe you don't because like your rookie is really, really good and he's way better than the veteran.
5:34So why don't you continue to feed him, especially in a good match up here against the New York Giants?
5:41So that's why I have my Army nine top 10 running back.
5:44Yeah. And in general, you know, the Cardinals, we knew this was tough sledding coming in because of the schedule.
5:50But overall, you know, just from, you know, visually and statistically as well, they've been competing and they look good.
5:56So perhaps they've got it in their mind that, you know, hey, this doesn't need to be a tank season.
6:02We have options and maybe we want to push forward, get morale going.
6:06And it's been against difficult matchups. Again, we had the L.A.
6:10Chargers in Seattle, San Francisco. So to see this ramp up over a pretty tough defensive stretch and now we get into
6:16an easier little time period here after this, we get the Lions.
6:20So, yeah, this is really positive. How are you feeling in terms of confidence level fits about Jeremiah Love?
6:26Pretty good. Like, I have no real beef with this ranking.
6:29Love is terrific. And it did feel like week three was a full unveiling of him after he played 42.7% and 40%
6:36of the Cardinals offensive snaps the first two games, probably because he was still recovering from that high ankle sprain.
6:42He sustained in Arizona's first preseason game. But, yeah, even in those first two games with the limited work, the Cardinals were
6:49pretty eager to get the ball in his hands.
6:51In those first two games, he got a carry or a target on 52 point just 52% of his snaps.
6:57And then last week with the bigger snap share, 21 carries, 90 yards, five catches.
7:02We love seeing the five catches. So, yeah, I don't think the Giants are quite as juicy a matchup in the running game as they were last year.
7:10They've held two of their first three opponents to 81 or fewer rushing yards.
7:15But in the other game, they did get trampled by the Rams, mostly because their offense couldn't pick up a first down.
7:21But, I mean, Love could absolutely smash this week.
7:24Like, he is the real deal. Very talented. And now he's got the role befitting his talent.
7:29That's true. And great point about the matchup as well.
7:32They are suffering some defensive injuries over there, unfortunately, for the Giants.
7:36So perhaps it'll help let up a little bit moving forward here.
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8:14All right, let's dive into our next grouping. We're going to do running backs 13 through 14.
8:19Leading off at 13, we've got Saquon Barkley against the LA Rams.
8:22Chuba Hubbard against Detroit. DeAndre Swift in the... We'll see.
8:25Is Case Keenum going to keep his job this week after the pretty spectacular Monday night performance here?
8:31And we have the Jets coming up this week.
8:34Then Javante Williams, difficult matchup at Houston. Aaron Jones at Miami.
8:37Bachel Tootin at Cincinnati. Defense came apart last week.
8:40Cam Scadaboo versus Arizona. Bucky Irving and versus the sad Green Bay Packers that Pat and I are just in shambles about.
8:46Then we've got David Montgomery coming in at 21.
8:49Braylon Allen creeping up here in the rankings. Going to be taking over hopefully a hefty workload.
8:54Not the most ideal matchup in the world against Chicago, but they have been vulnerable against the run.
9:00So this could be a very interesting spot. So I like to see him in the top 24 right off the bat from Rinkers.
9:07Then Amari and Hampton at 23 and Quinshawn Judkins holding on strong here at 24.
9:12Getting that priority as a lead back again that Thursday night football game against Pittsburgh.
9:16All right, let's pull out several names. Let's start off right here at the top of this grouping talking about Saquon Barkley.
9:23ECR RB 13 Erickson a little bit higher. Nice with RB 10 and then fits RB 13 fits you're right on par with ECR.
9:30So talk to us about Saquon Barkley. Yeah, I actually moved him back a spot to RB 14.
9:35I moved Aaron Jones ahead of him today like the Eagles offense just it hasn't really looked that much better under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
9:43Then the Eagles offense that struggled so badly with Kevin Patillo as the OC last year.
9:48Eagles are 17th in offensive DVOA 14th in yards per play and they've played the commanders Titans and Bears not exactly a murderers row of defenses.
9:56So although in fairness the commanders run defense has been really good, but Saquon doesn't have a touchdown this season.
10:02Although he did miss a sizable portion of the Titans game with a stinger.
10:06He hasn't been very involved in the passing game one catch in each of his first three games.
10:12His three receptions have netted him six yards and the Eagles offensive line just not the top drawer unit that it was only a couple of years ago.
10:20The Rams not an easy matchup. They've allowed the fifth fewest fantasy points to running backs.
10:25I mean, this is a gentle fade for me being one spot behind ECR.
10:30You're still starting Saquon if you have him, but it's been not that great if you've been a Saquon investor so far.
10:36Yeah, it's funny. You get the worry from people saying, OK, is this the point at which Saquon is cooked?
10:42And quite frankly, he's been over five yards per carry in both of his two full games.
10:47So from his perspective, it's not as if he's underperforming.
10:50But as you mentioned, this Eagles offense, it's just up and down and underwhelming.
10:55They've been prior to that Monday night game. They were winning like just by a thread against subpar competition.
11:00So not shocked that they could not come through against Chicago.
11:04Very interesting to see how they can try to progress in the offense moving forward.
11:08Erickson, you're a little bit higher this week. More optimism in this matchup.
11:12Yeah, because I think and Fitz alluded to this and so did you that it's really more like the environmental factors that are kind of hurting Saquon.
11:21He himself like hasn't looked bad. Like obviously he missed a lot of week two.
11:25So you kind of have to throw that out.
11:28But in his last game against the Bears, like that's when he ripped off the most explosive runs, 15 carries for 82 yards on the day.
11:36And then he got game scripted out, right? We're in the second half.
11:40They really couldn't lean on Saquon, but he gets the full workload.
11:4372% snap share. They don't try. I mean, tank bigs me every single time he touches the ball.
11:49He just makes a mistake. It seems like so.
11:51He fumbled his one target and catch play 4% of the snaps will shiply played 26%.
11:56So there is no. Outstanding effects from the stinger ranger that he suffered in a week two because it seemed like they were going right back to him.
12:05So the past game usage obviously leaves a lot to be desired, but this was something that was interesting from next gen stat.
12:12So Barkley's recorded an average speed of 11 miles per hour and crossing the line of scrimmage of the season.
12:18That's the second fastest mark among 36 running backs with at least 25 carries trailing only Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bayshel Tootin.
12:25So clearly the juice is still a little bit there with Saquon Barkley.
12:29It's just a matter of the offensive line, not necessarily creating enough holes for him.
12:33And if you look at the Rams specifically six lowest stuff rate so far this season, and they've been doing when have
12:40when Saquon Barkley's has ripped off these explosive runs, it's mostly been on outside zone concepts, according to next gen stats.
12:46And I think that's an opportunity where they can potentially take advantage of the Rams defense.
12:51The Rams defense has contacted opposing running backs behind line of scrimmage on just 32% of the carries.
12:56That's the seventh lowest rate in the NFL. So if there is an opportunity for the offensive line to create some more
13:03opportunities for Saquon, he is showing that he can still hit the hole really fast and rip off some big plays.
13:09And I just think when you look at this Eagles offense as a whole, he's like the one thing, the one kind
13:16of bright spot that is kind of working somewhat.
13:19And it's the rest of the team that's kind of letting him down.
13:23So that's why I have him right as a low end fantasy RB one, just because he's going to get a lot of touches.
13:30And if the Eagles can at least keep this game close with the Los Angeles Rams, then he's going to be heavily
13:37involved in eventually he's going to find the end zone, right?
13:40He is too talented, too involved in the Eagles offense overall to go without scoring for so many, so many weeks.
13:47Let's talk about someone who also has potentially another matchup issue.
13:50Devontae Williams, ECR, RB 16. Erickson, you've got him at RB 16 and Fitcher at RB 18.
13:55Matchup against the Houston Texans, a defense who has traditionally been strong against the run and they've had their ups and downs.
14:02But one thing that has not been up and down is the strength that they have had against the running backs.
14:08Running back groups against the Houston Texans have not, unfortunately, exceeded 100 yards total yet.
14:13They're still first in fantasy points, least fantasy points allowed to running backs.
14:17So they're holding strong despite the offense hanging them out to dry, unfortunately there.
14:21So, Fitz, when we look at Devontae Williams, is there is there a little bit of reason to be skeptical about him this week or worried?
14:29I think there is, Tara, and you mentioned it.
14:31It's matchup, first of all. Texans are giving up 10.3 fantasy points per game to running backs, second fewest in the league, only behind the commanders.
14:39They're giving up 3.6 yards per carry to running backs.
14:42And Devontae hasn't been terribly efficient to begin with.
14:45He's averaging 3.9 yards per carry. He's slightly underwater in expected points added per carry.
14:50Negative number there. I mean, we can just lean into the volume.
14:53Devontae has had 17, 15 and 21 touches in his first three games.
14:57And he's 12th in PPR fantasy points per game.
15:009th in expected fantasy points per game. I just don't expect him to be real efficient in this matchup, which is why
15:07I see him as more of a mid-range running back 2 than sort of a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2.
15:13Yeah, safe floor, probably not the best ceiling in the world this week.
15:17Erickson, what are your thoughts around Devontae Williams? Yeah, I was lower on Devontae last week for concerns about his lack of
15:23rushing efficiency through the first two weeks of the season.
15:26And then, of course, the Ravens have Matabuke back.
15:29They have their starting linebacker back. And then, of course, Devontae Williams basically has 100-yard rushing yards for the first time ever.
15:36So go figure. The healthiest Ravens defense doesn't stop juggernaut Devontae Williams.
15:39So agreed the matchup is tough on paper against the Houston Texans.
15:43He's 5th, fewest rushing yards allowed per game this season, 4th, fewest yards per carry.
15:48And we just look at him matched up against these other running backs in this tier that you listed out.
15:54A lot of them are just much better spots, right?
15:57Guys that are projected to be bell cows and just against softer defenses.
16:01So I think by default you just move those guys slightly ahead of Devontae.
16:05But if Devontae scores two touchdowns because the Dallas Cowboys moved the ball against a Texans defense that is really good but
16:12has not been the same unit that it was last year where it was suffocating and winning games on its own.
16:18Well, then you're finding an opportunity where Devontae can still deliver potentially a fantasy RB1 if he finds the end zone twice.
16:25Because he's so clearly their red zone running back.
16:27He had a lot of opportunities even last week.
16:30He got stuff at the one yard line and still ended up scoring a different touchdown.
16:35So he has multi-touchdown upside regardless of whatever matchup he is in.
16:39And just no one else is really threatening his workload.
16:42Like last week, D. McCarley didn't even play. They've been Tyler.
16:45I mean, Tyler Goodson was out. I was like, who's this guy?
16:49Who's Goodson? Like I'm watching the Brazilian game. Like, who is that?
16:52Is that Tyler Goodson? So they're still trying to figure out like who the RB2 is even behind Devontae because he's so clearly the workhorse in this backfield.
17:0176% snap share, 19 carries last week. So it's also ironic too if it's how we were talking about Devontae last week.
17:07He's like, hey man, like, well, the receiving has been like a lot better this year.
17:12And then he goes out, has his best rushing game and then has negative five receiving yards.
17:17That is hilarious. I mean, I think you nailed it really with the fact that Devontae is he's still in.
17:24It's a terrible matchup, but he's still in that range of this is an unquestioned workhorse running back.
17:29And then after that, you know, you get into the guys who have questionable team situations with shaky quarterbacks like a Cam Scadaboo, despite a great matchup.
17:37You know, what's the split there with a basial tootin?
17:40How much are we trusting this next guy that we're going to talk about here, Braylon Allen, who is presumably stepping into
17:47a pretty hefty workload there and in New York.
17:50And it's an interesting matchup we've got against Chicago.
17:52We mentioned that, you know, Saquon Barkley against them was not really dreadful, just didn't get the touchdown.
17:58So I think there's opportunity here. So I was happy to see that we're not being too apprehensive because the people the
18:05people want to know how how comfortable should we be starting Braylon Allen this week?
18:09ECR has him at RB 22 fits your RB 21 Erickson.
18:12You're at RB 23. So we're splitting the difference on that one.
18:16Erickson, I mean, we're right around it. So there's obviously no massive concerns here.
18:20But how much are you trusting Braylon Allen this week?
18:23Moderately optimistic, I say, with Braylon Allen. I think that we're probably going to get more Isaiah Davis than anybody would care to admit.
18:31But that may not matter because I think that what Braylon Allen has done through the first three weeks of the season,
18:37he is showcased to the Jets coaching staff that he could handle a three down workload, because if you look at in
18:44week one, he had an explosive run for a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty.
18:49But still, he showcased, hey, I can create big plays even as a big bruising running back.
18:55I can still be explosive in the run game, especially when it's a favorable matchup like you have here against the Chicago Bears.
19:02Then in week two, it was goal line usage.
19:04So they're also trusting him in the red zone, even when Brees Hall has been active in the lineup.
19:10Braylon Allen is still a player that they lean on a lot in the red zone at times.
19:16And then in week three, I think that he was actually kind of under the radar impressive as a receiver, right?
19:22He's still getting targets. So when you include plays negated by penalties, he actually had four targets last week.
19:28So through three weeks, we've seen explosiveness. We've seen red zone usage and we've seen receiving.
19:33You throw in that he's also 22nd in rushing success rate on the season.
19:37Like we're packaging up together like a really strong RB to play when you consider the fact that it's also the positive matchup against the Chicago Bears.
19:45So the thing is, the only question mark I have is just how more involved Isaiah Davis is going to be.
19:51He hasn't played an offensive snap so far this season.
19:54So that definitely bodes well for railing out. And the fact that Allen has been splitting time with a stud like Brees
20:01Hall again under a new office of coaching staff is also positive for his outlook in 2000 or excuse me in week four.
20:08So yeah, I think that if you picked him up this week, I think that he is a solid start.
20:14And I tell you, if coach speak would meant anything, I mean, we had the entire off season in multiple years of
20:21Aaron Glenn telling us, you know, yeah, Braylon Allen, Braylon Allen.
20:24So now it is time for Braylon Allen to step up and put up.
20:28Pat, how comfortable are you with Braylon Allen this week?
20:31Pretty comfortable. And I think Erickson hit it. The real question is the extent to which the Jets mix in Isaiah Davis.
20:38And we'd even heard some speculation over the summer that possibly Isaiah Davis could pass Braylon Allen on the depth chart to become the number two.
20:46There was talk from Aaron Glenn about how this might be a three headed backfield.
20:51But through three games, no offensive snaps for Isaiah Davis, just a special teamer.
20:55That's going to change this week. He's going to play some sort of role in support, but presumably Allen is going to
21:01be the lead guy and it could be lead guy by a wide margin.
21:06So matchup looks pretty good. Bears haven't been quite the defensive pushover.
21:09I'm sure people expected them to be the hell.
21:12The Eagles to seven points on Monday night. But, you know, people here in Chicago are talking about them like they are
21:19the Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton Bears of the mid 1980s.
21:22Not really. I mean, this is still not a good defense.
21:25The Bears ranked 28th in DVOA against the run.
21:28They're giving up 4.8 yards per carry to running backs.
21:31This is a really nice matchup for Braylon Allen.
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22:06Let's jump back to RB17 and ECR and talk about Aaron Jones.
22:09There's a little separation between you two in rankings.
22:12Fitz, you're a little more in this week on Aaron Jones, our former Packer there at RB14.
22:17And then Erickson, you've got him at RB18. It's interesting because this is yet again is someone who has a massive workload.
22:24We did get the addition of a new running back, but probably not someone that is going to make a big impact.
22:30So this is Aaron Jones' backfield for the time being.
22:33And so we're getting hefty volume and hefty usage.
22:36Fitz, what is making you lean a little bit more into Aaron Jones this week?
22:41Yeah. And I can't wait to hear why Erickson hates him because I actually moved Aaron Jones up to RB13 this morning.
22:47I'm not too worried about the arrival of former Jayhawk Devin Neal, because in the two games that Jordan Mason has missed
22:54while on IR with a fractured thumb, Aaron Jones has averaged 20 carries, 81 and a half rushing yards.
23:00Didn't have a catch in the first two of those games, but last week against the Bucs, five catches for 34 yards.
23:07That was encouraging. I don't know if Jones can continue to survive this kind of workload in his thirties.
23:12He's been an obvious pain a couple of times, but he's played about 80% of the offensive snaps each of the last
23:19two weeks and just getting this huge share of the rushing load.
23:23I guess what I like here most Tara is that the Vikings are 11 and a half point home favorites against the lowly Dolphins.
23:30Miami is giving up a league high 30.3 fantasy points per game to running backs.
23:34They've given up seven TDs to running backs in three games, including four TD catches.
23:39It's just such a good setup for Jones. I mean, maybe he gets a well-deserved rest late in the game if the
23:46Vikings are up big, but if the Vikings are up big, you would imagine that Aaron Jones probably would have shared in the spoils of the big lead.
23:54Yeah, I think that makes complete sense. If we get into the scenario where there is a blowout, we see the other backs.
24:01They are finally forced to put them on the field to actually have carries and not just alleviate and give a little
24:08bit of rest there because Aaron Jones has been playing 80% or more of snaps.
24:12And you mentioned the increase in checkdowns, you know, perhaps the transition to Kyler Murray, perhaps Kyler Murray is a benefit for Aaron Jones.
24:20The checkdowns there makes sense for him and what we have typically seen from him.
24:24So yeah, I can get on board with moving him up in this great matchup.
24:29Now, Erickson, you got to talk to us. You're not believing in Aaron Jones.
24:33I get it. The hefty workload. He is aged.
24:36And he was coming off a season last year where efficiency and every single metric was down, down, down.
24:42Yeah, I think that Fitz hit on this too, where how long can he survive with this type of workload?
24:48So that is something that I am trying to keep in the back of my mind because entering last week, we didn't
24:54even know if Aaron Jones was going to be 100% to play because he suffered a knee injury in his first game
25:01with a massive workload, but then comes back, has another massive workload.
25:05And then we see the uptick in the receiving usage, which was non-existent in Carson Wentz last start against the Chicago Bears.
25:11So I have nothing to push back against that.
25:14I think that it is very possible that you do see his overall touches and snaps reduce just because they don't want
25:21to necessarily destroy Aaron Jones and what he has left for the offense for the rest of the season.
25:26But if that's the case, then I'm definitely going to be too low on Aaron Jones, specifically in this matchup where he
25:33could definitely make his bacon, make his hay with just touchdowns because that's what the Dolphins have really given up because of their defense just being bad overall.
25:42But I will point out like they're giving up the same yards per carry as a Houston Texans defense, which we all
25:48view it as a really tough matchup for opposing running backs.
25:52So they are specifically so much worse through the air than against the ground game.
25:56And I think Kevin O'Connell is going to know that because they're 32nd and pass EPA, 11th and rush EPA allowed this season.
26:03So they're top 12 defense in terms of stopping actual running attempts because teams look at big dude.
26:09Rushy Rice had so much separation last week. There was nobody around like guys are just running absolutely wild against this Miami Dolphins secondary.
26:16And I think if I'm Kevin O'Connell, how do you build the confidence of Kyler Murray?
26:21It's like, dude, just let this guy have a really productive game against a terrible secondary.
26:26And this way you don't need to overload Aaron Jones because we can just beat them with Kyler's arm.
26:31We don't even need Justin Jefferson potentially to just beat this Miami Dolphins defense specifically in the secondary.
26:37So again, this is not painting a picture of Aaron Jones, the terrible start this week.
26:42I'm just looking at it from a different angle in terms of how do the Minnesota Vikings attack this specific defense?
26:48Maybe it doesn't come in the form of a massive Aaron Jones game.
26:52Again, same yards per carry allowed as Houston Texans.
26:55And Jacob Rodriguez, dude, dude's a stud, man. That linebacker, dude, he is so fun to watch.
27:00And he's like, I mean, the Miami Dolphins again, Chris Bell, Jacob Rodriguez.
27:04They got a couple of steals in this draft.
27:07So future outlook for them. Not obviously this year, not great, but 2027 and beyond optimistic for Alfredo Brown and the other Dolphins fans out there.
27:15Third highest stuff right in the NFL Dolphins defense.
27:17Third lowest rushing yards allowed before contact in the NFL.
27:20So that's my only pushback with Aaron Jones. Still a very strong RB two star, in my opinion, but I'm not sure
27:27I'm going to get there with RB one unless he does score multiple touchdowns.
27:31I mean, he's breaking out the sombrero then. Excellent argument, though.
27:35Bringing out the rushing defensive stats there because it's easy to look at Miami and think layup.
27:40But there are parts that they are certainly better at and weaker against.
27:44You mentioned the Rasheed Rice separation when they're when he's separating that that is an indication of just how bad the secondary might be.
27:51Let's go to another running back that you guys are on opposite ends.
27:55But I'm ready to hear the argument on this one because it's a Murray and Hampton.
28:00And as I was doing my rankings and I was just moving him back, back, back.
28:05I was wondering, like, just how far is too far?
28:08Where's the overreaction line from us? Because it has been destitute for the Chargers and getting scary in terms of snap count
28:14and usage for a Murray and Hampton. So we do have to react.
28:18But just how much? And looking at ECR, the vast majority of us are reacting.
28:23He is RB 23. Erickson, you're reacting a little bit more.
28:26I like being a little bit more proactive on this.
28:29You've got him at RB 26. Fitz, you're just right above ECR at RB 23.
28:34So, you know, Erickson, talk to us about the concerns about Murray and Hampton.
28:38This might be the worst matchup that Murray and Hampton could draw in week four among all starting running backs, if he
28:45is even viewed as a starting running back anymore on his team.
28:48The coaching staff on the Chargers has talked a lot about changing things up because it's been so bad through the first three weeks of the season.
28:57And I think we saw a little bit of that in week three when we saw the most of Keaton Mitchell that we've seen all season.
29:04And when you look at the Seattle Seahawks defense, they lead the league this year with a 30% rushing success rate allowed,
29:11which is the best mark in a season since 2017.
29:14Including the playoffs, no running back has hit 60 rushing yards or scored a rushing touchdown against Seattle in their last eight games.
29:21If Ormary and Hampton does not score a touchdown, he's going to be a bust in your lineup because the guy has zero pass game usage whatsoever.
29:29And that is one of the only ways you can actually attack the Seahawks defense is through running backs in the passing game.
29:36Alec Ingold, the fullback for the Chargers, has more targets than Omer and Hampton does this season.
29:41It is so glaring how they're not using Hampton at all as a pass catcher when he was used heavily in that
29:48fashion at the college level and last year as a rookie.
29:51Like he was top 10 in terms of receptions and targets per game among running backs, which is why we were excited
29:58about Romain and Hampton in this Mike McDaniel offense that always featured running backs in the past game.
30:04But that has not been the case nearly whatsoever.
30:06So he's getting carries, got double digit carries, I think all three games, 15 carries, 56 yards last week.
30:12But again, one target, one catch, season low snapshot at 42%.
30:15He is, in my opinion, is like a desperation flex play.
30:19And you're just hoping that he scores a touchdown.
30:21But based on what Seattle's defense has done, especially, I cannot imagine being the offense as to face Seattle after they just lost to the Washington Commanders.
30:30Like on the road, dude, this is a terrible, terrible spot for Hampton.
30:34And honestly, like I'm an RB 26, so he's outside my top 24.
30:38When people ask me like, are you in Hampton or X player?
30:41It's going to probably be X player. Like he's a desperation flex for me.
30:45Yeah, it's tough to make the argument unless we see a miraculous and dramatic turnaround for this offense because you can't argue.
30:52You can make the argument with Anaryon Jones. OK, that's great.
30:55We've got a great matchup. We've got volume. But you just can't make any of those arguments, unfortunately, for Amarion Hampton.
31:02Fitz, you're just one ahead of ECR. But obviously, we've just moved him further back.
31:06So talk to us about Amarion Hampton. I guess your hope is that he has 50 carries and is currently tied for
31:1311th in rushing attempts and has scored a touchdown each of the last two weeks.
31:18But like Erickson said, it probably is touchdown or bust.
31:21Just the usage or non-usage in the passing game has been so disappointing.
31:25Like what, two carries and three targets so far.
31:27And this is a guy who had 32 catches in only nine games as a rookie.
31:32And he was a good pass catcher at the University of North Carolina.
31:36It's just it's disappointing that Hampton has been so one-dimensional thus far.
31:40Because when Mike McDaniel was in Miami, he really unleashed Devon A.
31:43Chan as a pass catching weapon. Certainly, Hampton is not the same type of running back.
31:48Doesn't have the sort of speed that A. Chan brings to the table.
31:52But, man, like you would think he would have some utility as a pass catcher and that would give him multiple outs in fantasy.
32:00So far, he's just a one-trick pony. I would maybe be less concerned if it was just Keaton Mitchell.
32:05And we've got this two-way split. But it feels like because they're struggling offensively, they're trying to throw anything at the wall
32:12and seeing if it's going to stick. The fact that we had Kamani Vidal, who I like, no insult to him, but
32:19we thought of that more as the, okay, that's the direct handcuff.
32:22He's the one that'll come in and be the more of the continuation of the bruising and short yardage and early down.
32:29And we'll have Keaton Mitchell doing the change of pace work still.
32:33But the fact that they were working in Kamani Vidal on third downs as well is just very peculiar in terms of
32:39we can't 100% predict where they are trying to go because it feels like they're trying to do anything to figure out
32:46just how can we make this work. But he is still in that somewhat startable range or in the flex territory.
32:52We're going to move on to the sketchier territory of RB25 through 36, the scary zone.
32:57Starting that off, we have Ja'Kory Krosky-Merritt in a somewhat friendly matchup against an Indianapolis defense that has been struggling.
33:03We're expecting points in this matchup back and forth.
33:06Marcus Berriota holding things down, getting the big win against Seattle.
33:09Then we've got Ramondre Stevenson in the dreadful split followed up by Travion Henderson back-to-back at 26 and 27 at Buffalo.
33:16Then we've got Tony Pollard, J.K. Dobbins at San Francisco, Jadarian Price, R.J.
33:20Harvey, Kyle Menungai. You start to get into this range of the one-two punch, the two guys.
33:25So we've got Kyle Menungai at 32, then Blake Corum, Woody Marks, Oli Gordon creeping in here, and Alvin Kamara.
33:31Of course, you guys already know who we're going to talk about.
33:35Spoiler alert, Oli Gordon will be in here. But before we get to that, let's start off a little bit higher in this range.
33:42And we're going to touch on the dreaded New England backfield with Travion Henderson, who I thought we were turning a corner.
33:49We got the Ramondre Stevenson fumble. We saw Travion Henderson break off the big run.
33:53And I thought, oh, here we go. We can trust it.
33:56And I felt positive heading into week three. And lo and behold, we just got more of the continuation of everything.
34:03So he is sitting at RB27. Fitch, you're on par with ECR at RB27 and Erickson.
34:08You got him a little bit lower at RB31.
34:10Fitch, talk to us about Travion Henderson. We will get a million starts at questions involving Patriot running backs this week.
34:17And people will say, should I start Travion Henderson or Ramondre Stevenson?
34:20And what can we do but throw up our hands in the air because we don't know how the split's going to work out?
34:28Henderson played 60% of the Patriots offensive snaps against the Steelers in week two, quite possibly because Ramondre Stevenson lost a fumble on New England's first drive.
34:36So Henderson played quite a bit after that. Then in week three, Henderson played 36.5% of the offensive snaps against the Jaguars.
34:43It was more of a Ramondre Stevenson day. So the bill's not really a problematic matchup.
34:47Like you can run on the bills, as has been the case for the last couple of years.
34:53But with Ramondre Stevenson around it, it's just a matter of whether you get a big play or two from Travion Henderson.
35:00And if you get it, you're probably going to be happy with the result.
35:04And if he doesn't pop a long one, you probably will not be.
35:08Yeah, yeah. Erickson, how about you? You're a little bit further back here.
35:12I mean, because it's so risky what you're actually going to get out of this Patriots backfield.
35:17Yeah, Henderson feels like a player that you kind of have to just start every single week.
35:22Because if you're trying to pinpoint, oh, well, he's going to have a big game this week or rip off a big
35:29play this week and then not do it the next week.
35:32Like you're just going to be pulling your hair out trying to figure out.
35:36You just got to kind of take the lumps in a similar like Jameson Williams type of fashion where this guy's boom or bust.
35:44We don't know the usage, which is why I have him ranked a little bit lower.
35:48Just because I'm just a little bit less optimistic about the Patriots offense just going on the road here against Buffalo.
35:55But if you're trying to spin the optimistic side for Henderson, well, what if Ramondre does fumble again?
36:00Then sick. Like Henderson is like locked and loaded, like ready to go.
36:04And the Patriots need a spark, man, like offensively.
36:07And Henderson is that guy. So eight carries for 23 yards last week.
36:11He did have one target in the passing game for six yards, no touchdowns.
36:15But you know that he can score from anywhere on the field.
36:19And if the Patriots need to get your egg may some solid completions, maybe you just involve more of your running backs in the passing game.
36:27So I'm talking about Henderson right now being the lowest on him first ECR and fits.
36:32But I'm almost talking myself into just got to plug your nose.
36:35Just put them in your flex spot. I mean him versus O'Meara and Hampton.
36:39Like who actually like what's more like is like scoring touchdowns this week or Henderson ripping off a big play because the
36:46Patriots are down by 21 points and have to throw through our throw.
36:50And Henderson's out there. So that's kind of how I'm looking at Henderson.
36:54It's a boomer bus play. He didn't basically do anything in the second half of that Patriots game.
36:59All of his touches essentially were in the first half.
37:02So even though he was out snapped, a lot of that had to do with Stevenson and pass protection in the second half of the game.
37:10And it is worth noting the last time he faced the Buffalo Bills monster game for Trayvon Henderson.
37:16I don't remember exactly if Stevenson played in that game or not.
37:19But still, there's a proof of concept from this office of staff, although it is a different defense for the Buffalo Bills under Jim Leonard versus Sean McDermott.
37:28But they have it on film. Like when we fed Henderson against the Bills defense, good things happened.
37:33So maybe that is a lean of, OK, how do we get a spark going here?
37:38So, man, I don't I don't like this, guys, that I'm convincing myself that Henderson might be like a decent flex play.
37:45Just like fingers crossed that he rips off a big one.
37:48All right. Well, convince me because I have a dynasty team that starts three running backs, which is disgusting.
37:54Right. And I have to make the choice between Trayvon Henderson and Jadarian Price.
37:58And I currently have Trayvon Henderson in there. And I think I'm sticking with it on the same concept that you were
38:05talking about of like, hey, which one of these guys could pop off and have a boom game?
38:10And maybe there's a Ramondre Stevens and fumble and I'm in bliss.
38:14Should I stick with Trayvon Henderson? Yeah, I think I would do Trayvon Henderson.
38:18Then then Jadarian Price, who I mean, the guy's fumbling every what?
38:22Every 60 pitches or something like pretty, pretty lit.
38:25You think Ramondre's fumble rate is bad? But Jadarian Price is like, hold my beer, dude.
38:30Like, I'm going to put the ball on the ground even more often.
38:34And to another point, too, just as I'm thinking about this, right, we couldn't be so confident last week in Jeremiah Love
38:40because of the splits up to that point. Yeah.
38:43And then what happened? They just decided, hey, you know, we're just going to use more Love more this week.
38:49And then he had a monster performance and he was a ceiling play.
38:53And I was kicking myself because someone was asking me a question about which of these has the highest ceiling between flex players.
39:00And he listed off a bunch of players. Love was one of the options that I was considering.
39:05But ultimately, I went away from it because I was like, well, he's still in a committee with Algier.
39:11So I didn't think he had the highest ceiling.
39:14But what if Henderson does get the work this week?
39:17OK, you could see where he does have a path to absolutely smashing.
39:21So, man, I got to I got to move him up.
39:24Oh, no, this is bad. Yeah, there we go.
39:27We're making changes in rankings live. Perfect. Maybe there will be some changes on this one because you guys are very far apart on this.
39:35And this is a player that I think is oddly enough for as strange as it is.
39:40I mean, it's the Denver team. Right. And they are polarizing when it comes to rankings because of the factor of who
39:46is going to do what on a weekly basis.
39:49So, of course, we are talking about J.K. Dobbins.
39:52You know, what type of upside does he really have?
39:55So at ECR, he is ranked RB 19. Erickson, you were on the positive in at RB 25.
40:00Fitz, you were on the skeptical side at RB 32.
40:03Fitz, talk us out of J.K. Dobbins. A mistake that we don't want to make.
40:08Yeah, I mean, normally the case with J.K. Dobbins is good when healthy.
40:12He's healthy. Has not been good so far. 3.5 yards per carry.
40:16Has 121 rushing yards and minus 22.6 rushing yards over expected.
40:19Dobbins played four fewer snaps than R.J. Harvey last week.
40:22And Tyler Bidet is in the mix, too. And as usual, Dobbins has been a complete zero in the passing game.
40:28Had his first reception of the season last week.
40:31It went for four yards. Yeah, there's not a ton of upside there in terms of you're just looking and hoping.
40:37Can we get the touchdown? And thus far, unfortunately, we're not getting the touchdowns.
40:42Maybe a slightly, you know, typically a difficult matchup against San Francisco.
40:45But, you know, they're dealing with the injuries. So maybe there's some leeway there.
40:50Erickson, why are you a little bit higher on Dobbins then this week?
40:5349ers defensive line is buns. Because it's been completely decimated by injuries.
40:57And that played a big part, I think, in why we saw this Jeremiah Love explosion against San Francisco 49ers.
41:03Because they just don't have any more bodies left on their defensive line.
41:07Like, they've put so many guys on injured reserve.
41:10They couldn't even put Nick Bosa on injured reserve.
41:13Because they haven't enough space to put another player.
41:15So, still, they still have Fred Warner, though. So, like, you can only, like, downgrade their run defense so much.
41:21Because Fred Warner is such, I mean, he's arguably the best linebacker in all of football.
41:26So, I don't think the 49ers are ever viewed as a, oh, this is like a smash spot for an opposing running back.
41:33And, yeah, Dobbins has not been good. If you look at his rushing success rate, he is third worst among qualified rushers.
41:40Really bad at the red zone, too. He has five goal line carries in the last two weeks, but zero touchdowns.
41:46I guess I'm just betting a little bit on some touchdown regression happening.
41:50Where he does actually find the end zone. Because that's ultimately what you need to get out of J.K.
41:56Dobbins. So, as we talked about Henderson as a boomer bus type of pick.
42:00Dobbins also feels pretty boomer bus with not as much excitement about his potential ceiling.
42:05Because he hasn't been good as a rusher. He doesn't get involved in the passing game.
42:10And if the Broncos fall behind, I think that's probably the biggest concern here.
42:14Against a really high-powered 49ers death star offense. Where, you know, Dobbins is totally neutralized from the game script.
42:20At that point, because he doesn't catch any passes.
42:22So, still 17 carries last week with 49 yards.
42:25That's why fringe Irby two play. He's really in a tier where I start to feel uncomfortable with some of these running backs.
42:32But just betting on, okay, I think maybe he can find the end zone this week.
42:37Yeah, at least volume. And you mentioned it, the injuries that they're dealing with.
42:41Unfortunately, the substation remains undefeated. So, hopefully, we do not get any more 49ers injuries this week.
42:46Cross our fingers on that one. We do not need it, people.
42:50All right, we will give one more running back in this range.
42:54Now, we talked about Braylon Allen earlier. So, we're doing Ollie Gordon.
42:57Because, obviously, the people want to know. They added these guys on waiver wires.
43:02They might have blown a little bit more fab than they wanted to.
43:05But they got it. So, what are we actually doing here with Ollie Gordon?
43:10ECR RB35 fits. You're a little higher at RB29.
43:12And then Erickson RB33 fits. What is making you feel a little bit more positive about Ollie Gordon this week?
43:19The prospect of volume. And we don't know if Jalen Wright's going to play this week.
43:23He missed week two with a stinger and a foot injury.
43:27And if Wright doesn't play, Gordon could get a lot of work this week.
43:31I'll be it against a tough Minnesota Rundy that's allowed the sixth fewest rushing yards to running backs.
43:36Has not given up a touchdown to a running back this season.
43:40And the Dolphins are 11.5 point underdogs in a road game.
43:43So, it's a tough spot for Gordon. But if he is getting a huge snap share, huge carry share, maybe that is
43:50enough to move him into viable flex territory for you this week.
43:54Yeah, I think that's what it is with me as well.
43:57I'm a little bit higher than consensus for the exact same reasons.
44:01If we get Jalen Wright, I probably will move him back.
44:04But for right now, we're talking a pure volume perspective.
44:07That's the direction that I'm heading towards. A little bit more trust.
44:11Especially because, you know, same with Braylon Allen. I think sometimes we underestimate how much these bigger guys can actually be somewhat
44:17productive in the pass game as well. Ollie Gordon, yeah, we think of him as, you know, hey, he's the bigger guy.
44:24He's the bruiser. He catches passes. Is he going to do what Devon Ajan does with him?
44:29Absolutely not. But he can do a little bit of something and handle checkdowns.
44:34So, there is just a smidgen of hope. Just a smidgen of hope there.
44:38Erickson, a little less hopeful. But you are still above ECR on this one.
44:42Yeah, same as Fitz when it comes to volume, right?
44:45That's how you find ceiling when it comes to fantasy running backs.
44:49If he's going to see 25 or potentially even 30 touches, like, you got to find a way to kind of get
44:55him into your lineup, regardless of how bad the matchup is against the Minnesota Vikings.
45:00Vikings, fourth fewest rushing yards per game. Lowest EPA allowed per rush.
45:04I mean, the fact that Brian Flores is going up against the Miami Dolphins at all is just one of these things
45:10where, dude, he's going to unload everything that he has in his back pocket for defensive schemes against.
45:16I feel bad for Blake Willis. Like, this guy has no receivers to throw to.
45:20Just lost the best offensive player on his team and has to face the brute of just Brian Flores defense that just
45:27throws everything and more at an opposing quarterback. So, Oli Gordon saddle up.
45:31I mean, this could be one of these games where we look back and be like, dude, Oli Gordon had 25 carries for 25 yards.
45:38Like, just like something, like, absolutely, like, ridiculous. And when you look back on that, you might think, man, I was so dumb.
45:45But it's like, if he's going to get 25 carries, like, you got to play that guy.
45:51Like, regardless of whoever. Like, we played 85 Bears defense.
45:54Like, it doesn't matter. Like, the volume always trumps.
45:56Volume is king in fantasy football, especially at running back.
45:59So, I think, too, like, that's how you have to evaluate him.
46:03Like, there's a floor with him that you may not get with a lot of other receivers or other running backs because you're not really sure, right?
46:11It's like Oli Gordon versus, like, the Patriots running backs, right?
46:15It's like, you have no idea where the touches will be distributed.
46:18Maybe one of the Pats running backs has a higher ceiling.
46:22But Gordon, he's going to have a locked and loaded floor.
46:25And I was encouraged, at least last week, that he did get involved in the passing game a little bit, too.
46:31So, and he actually had one nice catch that I thought was pretty impressive.
46:36So, three-down skill set. They talked about him having a three-down skill set in the offseason.
46:40And he obviously does proof of concept. So, I think the Jalen Wright thing will probably be the only reason I don't
46:47have him as high as Fitz right now. But if we get Jalen Wright, like, limited throughout the week, he's coming off a foot and stinger injury.
46:55If he's not ready to go, then I just think they're going to roll with Oli Gordon and Jarquez Hunter probably as the number two running back.
47:03Yeah, that's a good summary. We love the volume that he can be getting there.
47:08We hate the matchup. Brian Flores, revenge game. He's probably going to take the remember the Titans approach.
47:13If we blitz all night, good Lord, it could get nasty.
47:17Let's talk some deeper plays, though. When Aaron Drew, we kind of already touched on this one a little bit there.
47:23But let's talk about the positive aspect of it out of that Chargers backfield.
47:27Erickson, talk to us about Keaton Mitchell. RB 44 in ECR.
47:31And you have him at RB 36. You attack this Seattle Seahawks defense through running backs in the passing game.
47:37Keaton Mitchell outscored O'Meara and Hampton last week despite less touches and less snaps.
47:41It might be two weeks in a row that we see Keaton Mitchell outproduce O'Meara and Hampton even on fewer volume.
47:47Eight carries last week for 52 yards. Caught all three of his targets for an underwhelming negative five yards, but did catch a receiving touchdown.
47:55Season high in snaps at 38%. The target volume for Keaton Mitchell is rising week over week.
48:00One in week two. Three this past week. So I think that when you look at how you attack the Seahawks defense,
48:07I think it's screening more as, hey, we need to feature Mitchell.
48:11Mitchell was really one of the bright spots at that Chargers offense last week against the Buffalo Bills.
48:16He forced eight missed tackles on his 11 touches.
48:19So we'd heard the rumors that Keaton Mitchell was going to have a certain role in packages throughout the offseason.
48:25That did not come to fruition at the first two weeks of the season.
48:29But in week three, he had a legitimate role in this offense.
48:33And I think that continues based on how he performed.
48:36Played 40% of the third down snaps alongside Kamani Vidal.
48:39And just really bring up the point, like this is how you attack Seattle is running backs in the passing game.
48:45So I honestly would not surprise me if Mitchell outscores Hampton again.
48:49Yeah, I love the inclusion of this one. Everyone's struggling there at running back.
48:53So Keaton Mitchell is a great one that you could potentially turn to for some pop and usage.
48:58Get another one from you, Pat. This one is interesting because, you know, as people were, you know, turning their nose up
49:05and saying, why would you want to add Ollie Gordon or Jalen Wright for the Miami Dolphins?
49:10You know, it's a bad team. I reminded everyone like, hey, there are people out there that are having to start backup
49:17running backs asking like, hey, is it OK to start Emmitt Johnson?
49:21So you tell the people. He's at ECR RB39.
49:23You've got him at ECR 37. Is it OK to start Emmitt Johnson?
49:27Yeah, maybe. He might be the anti Ollie Gordon.
49:30You're not guaranteed any more than about four or five touches, but you're getting them in a fantastic offense in a what
49:37should be a pretty positive matchup against the Raiders with the Chiefs.
49:40Solid road favorites. It's it's just one of those things where you're probably hoping for a lopsided Chiefs victory.
49:46But like Emmitt Johnson has given us two way value as a runner and as a pass catcher.
49:52He's looked really good. And the Chiefs are maybe incentivized to spare Kenneth Walker, who has been so dominant that you do
49:58not want him to run out of gas before we hit the midpoint of the season.
50:03So maybe that means 10 touches this week for Emmitt Johnson.
50:06If he gives you 10 touches, he's probably going to give you flex value.
50:11I completely agree on that one. But that wraps things up for the show.
50:15Before we head out, make sure that you like the video if you're watching on YouTube and make sure that you're also
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50:32We appreciate you joining in for Pat Fitzmaurice and Andrew Erickson.
50:35I'm Tara Roberts. Thanks for tuning in and we will see you next time.
50:39Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football Podcast.
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