• Jahmyr Gibbs will get his shot to personal a backfield: With David Montgomery on injured reserve, Gibbs’ workload is about to blow up. In his final recreation with out Montgomery, Gibbs put up 189 yards on 31 touches.
• The Steelers are simply not that into Najee Harris: Final weekend, Harris obtained simply six carries and performed solely 33% of the group’s offensive snaps. That 33% snap depend is the bottom of his profession in a recreation the place he wasn’t injured.
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Estimated studying time: 6 minutes
With so many cut up backfields in at this time’s NFL, it’s extra vital than ever to determine which gamers are receiving essentially the most worthwhile snaps and touches and which groups make the most of a workhorse again when accidents happen.
Listed below are the newest high operating again takeaways that might majorly influence factors within the fantasy playoffs.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ workload is about to blow up with David Montgomery sidelined
With backfield counterpart David Montgomery sidelined by a knee harm within the second quarter, Jahmyr Gibbs performed a season-high 75% of the Lions’ offensive snaps in Week 15, a bounce from his 52% snap share from Weeks 1-13. Regardless of the elevated taking part in time, Gibbs managed solely eight carries for 31 yards — a season low — however made up for it by scoring two touchdowns and recording a career-high 83 receiving yards on 5 catches. That’s the fantastic thing about a flexible participant like Gibbs: even when he struggles on the bottom, he can nonetheless ship via the air.
Sadly, Montgomery tore his MCL and can endure season-ending knee surgical procedure, organising Gibbs for a big workload the remainder of the season. Whereas backups Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki will contribute, they gained’t see wherever close to Montgomery’s quantity. In Weeks 7 and eight of 2023, when Gibbs performed with out Montgomery, he totaled 315 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 51 touches, scoring 27 or extra fantasy factors in each video games.
Gibbs, who already has 11 speeding touchdowns this season, is now in line to deal with most, if not all, of the goal-line work. He faces two favorable matchups in Weeks 16 and 17 towards the Bears and 49ers, who’ve allowed essentially the most and third-most speeding touchdowns to operating backs in 2024, respectively.
Upcoming matchups: at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings
Packers’ Josh Jacobs has become a workhorse, TD-scoring machine
Josh Jacobs had a strong workload from Weeks 1-9, averaging 19.7 touches per recreation. Nonetheless, his utilization has surged because the Packers’ Week 10 bye, averaging 23.8 touches and 24 fantasy factors per recreation over their final 5 contests. Since Week 11, solely Saquon Barkley has averaged extra touches or fantasy factors per recreation than Jacobs.
Jacobs has been a landing machine, racking up 9 speeding touchdowns since Week 11 — 4 greater than another operating again throughout that span. He has scored in 5 consecutive video games, the longest streak of his profession, surpassing his earlier excessive of three video games whereas with the Raiders.
That streak has a great probability to proceed in Week 16 towards a New Orleans Saints protection that has allowed the third-most speeding touchdowns to operating backs in 2024.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears
Najee Harris is slowly being pale out of the Steelers offense
This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to not choose up Najee Harris’ fifth-year choice, and it seems they’re step by step phasing him out of their offense and future plans. Harris’ taking part in time has steadily declined, dropping to only 42% of snaps since Week 12 — a notable lower from the 56% snap share he noticed from Weeks 1-11. In Week 15, he tied his career-low with simply six carries and performed solely 33% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, his lowest snap share over the past two seasons and the second-lowest of his profession. The one recreation with fewer snaps was in Week 12 of 2022 when he exited early with an stomach harm.
Harris hasn’t rushed for greater than 75 yards in a recreation since Week 8 and has been practically invisible within the passing recreation, seeing only one goal over the previous two video games mixed. Including to his woes, the Steelers face a brutal schedule forward. In Week 16, they play the Ravens, who’ve allowed the fewest yards per carry and the second-fewest speeding yards to operating backs in 2024. In Week 17, they face the Chiefs, who’ve given up the fewest speeding yards and fantasy factors to operating backs this season.
Upcoming matchups: at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals
Jaguars’ Travis Etienne is making a comeback
Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby have mixed for over 125 scrimmage yards in back-to-back weeks, a feat they hadn’t achieved since Week 5. Etienne has posted double-digit fantasy factors in consecutive weeks, one thing he hadn’t completed because the begin of the season (Weeks 1-3). In final Sunday’s recreation, Etienne recorded a season-high 14 carries and 18 touches, and he’s been way more environment friendly not too long ago, averaging 4.7 yards per carry over the past two video games in comparison with simply 3.9 yards per carry from Weeks 1-13. Mac Jones has additionally leaned on Etienne as a security valve, leading to 4 receptions in every of the previous two weeks.
Bigsby has additionally seen elevated involvement, logging 29 carries over the previous two video games. Nonetheless, he has struggled with effectivity, averaging simply 3.3 yards per carry. He has additionally been a non-factor within the passing recreation, with only one goal throughout that span.
Each Etienne and Bigsby are viable fantasy choices shifting ahead, particularly given the Jaguars’ favorable upcoming matchups towards the Raiders, Titans, and Colts. Nonetheless, Etienne affords the upper upside and is the popular Jaguars operating again to begin.
Upcoming matchups: at Raiders, vs. Titans, at Colts
