Targets and goal-line carries are the lifeblood of quality fantasy production for the running back position. The starting role and receiving a high volume of carries are nice, but not near the end zone makes those touches empty-calorie opportunities. In short, they do not mean much. However, being a starter and high-volume back generally points to receiving more targets and goal-line chances for high fantasy-scoring plays. This weekly feature analyzes all 32 NFL depth charts for underrated and overrated running backs.
- Current RK: Team Ranking in Expected High-Leverage Opportunity PPR Points
- Prev: Overall Ranking from Last Week
- HLO: High-Leverage Opportunity Score Average Per Week
- GL: Rank in Goal-Line Carries (Inside the Five-Yard-Line)
- TGT: Rank in Team Running Back Targets
The Good
Broncos
Sean Payton's offenses have been historically good in HLO scores for the backfield. Quietly, Denver has posted elite HLO scores in Week 3 and Week 5 and is now a top-3 HLO backfield. Javonte Williams has gained market share of the backfield where a few weeks ago he felt uncertain about retaining the starting job. Audric Estime should be back from injury soon. Jaleel McLaughlin is the clarified RB2 for now. Plus, Bo Nix is playing better after a rough start to the season (and his career). Expectations are tepid, but there is positive momentum here for the backfield to provide more value than projected a month or two ago.
Bears
D'Andre Swift is in the middle of enjoying a quality schedule stretch, plus strong HLO. Chicago has been in the top half of HLO rankings every week since their horrific Week 1 debut. Swift is RB21 in PPG on the season but has posted 50 points over the past two weeks with the Jaguars in Week 6 and Commanders in Week 8, offering strong matchups to continue his vaulting up the season-long rankings sandwiching Chicago's bye week.
Bengals
The Bengals have been the most consistently good HLO offense in the NFL this season. They have four weekly finishes in the top 12 of the statistic, and Zack Moss' injury status is a key watch point for Week 6 (and beyond). Chase Brown has excelled in the No.2 role but has league-altering upside should Moss miss time. The only two teams in the top 12 of both goal-line and target categories of HLO are the Bengals and the Saints.