Backfield Breakdowns: Week 4

A ground-level breakdown of how each team doles out snaps, rushes, and targets to their running backs.

Jeff Bell's Backfield Breakdowns: Week 4 Jeff Bell Published 09/24/2025

© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Running backs

Teams continue to learn about themselves as we learn about them. Multiple teams narrowed their backfields in Week 3, granting glimmers of hope for some messy situations. Meanwhile, the injury roulette continued with veterans James Conner and Najee Harris going down, clearing the way for Trey Benson and Omarion Hampton to take on leading roles. We'll break down the entire league. 

Backfields Worth Noting

Some backfields saw significant developments in Week 3:

Bellcow Backfields

Team Back Player Rushes Targets Stat Line Share Snap %
Atlanta RB1 Bijan Robinson 13 6 13-72-0 / 5-39-0 70% 80%
RB2 Tyler Allgeier 1 0 1-4-0 4% 9%
RB3 Nathan Carter 7 0 7-46-0 26% 11%
Buffalo RB1 James Cook 19 3 19-108-1 / 3-10-0 81% 67%
RB2 Ty Johnson 3 2 3-13-0 / 1-8-0 19% 25%
RB3 Ray Davis 0 0 0 0% 7%
Green Bay RB1 Josh Jacobs 16 9 16-30-0 / 5-44-0 81% 66%
RB2 Emanuel Wilson 6 0 6-25-0 19% 23%
RB3 Chris Brooks 0 0 0 0% 12%
Indianapolis RB1 Jonathan Taylor 17 4 17-102-3 / 3-16-0 88% 79%
RB2 Tyler Goodson 2 0 2-6-0 8% 14%
RB3 DJ Giddens 1 0 1-3-0 4% 7%
LA Chargers RB1 Omarion Hampton 19 7 19-70-1 / 6-59-0 81% 79%
RB2 Najee Harris 6 0 6-28-0 19% 13%
RB3 Hassan Haskins 0 0     7%
LA Rams RB1 Kyren Williams 20 3 20-94-0 / 2-18-1 74% 76%
RB2 Blake Corum 8 0 8-53-0 26% 24%
Miami RB1 De'Von Achane 12 9 12-62-0 / 7-29-0 70% 77%
RB2 Ollie Gordon II 9 0 9-38-1 30% 25%
Minnesota RB1 Jordan Mason 16 0 16-116-2 52% 60%
RB2 Zavier Scott 8 1 8-30-0 / 1-20-0 29% 28%
RB3 Cam Akers 5 1 5-19-0 / 0 19% 12%
New Orleans RB1 Alvin Kamara 18 2 18-42-0 / 1-14-0 69% 74%
RB2 Kendre Miller 7 2 7-27-0 / 2-9-0 31% 27%
RB3 Devin Neal 0 0 0 0% 0%
Philadelphia RB1 Saquon Barkley 18 5 18-46-0 / 4-9-0 100% 94%
RB2 A.J. Dillon 0 0 0 0% 7%
RB3 Tank Bigsby 0 0 0 0% 0%
Pittsburgh RB1 Jaylen Warren 18 6 18-47-0 / 5-34-0 83% 80%
RB2 Kenneth Gainwell 4 1 4-16-1 / 1-10-0 17% 26%
RB3 Kaleb Johnson 0 0 0 0% 0%
San Francisco RB1 Christian McCaffrey 17 15 17-52-0 / 10-88-0 94% 91%
RB2 Brian Robinson Jr. 2 0 2-22-0 / 0 6% 9%
Tampa Bay RB1 Bucky Irving 25 4 25-66-0 / 4-33-0 83% 74%
RB2 Rachaad White 5 1 5-12-0 / 1-2-0 17% 28%
RB3 Sean Tucker 0 0 0 0% 0%
Tennessee RB1 Tony Pollard 16 4 16-45-1 / 2-14-0 91% 91%
RB2 Julius Chestnut 2 0 2-26-0 9% 9%
  • The Falcons fell behind and were unable to get anything going. They leaned on Robinson as the passing back. In these scripts, the backfield will play this way. Allgeier's role is not in question, but some games will leave him sidelined. Robinson and William Andrews are the only Falcons with 200+ rushing yards and 150+ receiving yards in the first three games.  The good: Robinson is on pace for 1,354 rush yards and 929 receiving yards. The bad: one touchdown and the Falcons were just shut out. FYI, Andrews is a heck of a deep dive on Pro Football Reference

  • Cook has ascended to feature back status. Davis has been out of the rotation when the game is close, and Johnson is getting reps on passing downs, but the team is willing to put games on Cook's shoulders in ways it did not previously. 

  • Jacobs faced a tough Cleveland defense and ended his bid for history with a rushing touchdown streak stopped at 11 games. The most significant development is his shift in the passing game with Jayden Reed out of the lineup and Tucker Kraft limited. Brooks was the complementary back in Week 2, seeing pass-down usage. Jacobs took on a larger passing-down role, and Wilson stepped in for relief duty. If Jacobs misses time, there will likely be a role-specific split between Wilson and Brooks. 

  • Daniel Jones gets the headlines, but this Colts' hot start is on Taylor. The parallels to coach Shane Steichen's Eagles are too easy, but Taylor looks to be 2025's answer to Saquon Barkley through three games. Taylor is on pace for 1,915 rush yards and 527 receiving yards. The list of 2,000 rush yard / 500 receiving yard seasons includes only Chris Johnson's 2009 season. 

  • Harris' injury ends a season that looked snake-bitten. Very disappointing to see him work back from the offseason eye injury, look good in Week 2, then go down in a non-contact situation. Hampton will now assume the full role. The Chargers have leaned on the pass game to great success, giving the rookie the chance to be the only back without being overloaded. Hampton looked much better in Week 3 than in the previous two games. He'll be an RB1 moving forward. 

  • Corum rushed the ball more than in Week 2. But he played less. Sean McVay mentioned the ideal was a 70-30 split with Williams, but they clocked in at 75-25. That will keep Williams in Bellcow territory.

  • Gordon had his best showing as the Dolphins were more physical in a rivalry game with the Bills. He vultured a goalline look. Achane still clocked in with heavy usage, though missing the endzone kept his day more modest in non-PPR formats. 

  • Mason received the full Bellcow treatment with Aaron Jones Sr. out of the lineup. The lopsided nature of the game allowed the backups some run, with Scott rotating in first. 

  • Kamara still holds the feature role, but the passing game element that made him so valuable for years has completely disappeared. The Saints were blown out, which may be a habit. Three games with trailing scripts and only one over two targets make Kamara very limited. It may be worth investigating his trade value based upon name alone; otherwise, it's hard to sit this volume.

  • Barkley handled every touch. He's RB14 on the season. There's little reason to believe an explosive game that knocks him in line with ADP is not coming soon, though Tampa Bay and Denver have been strong run defenses in the past. 

  • Now, here is what we expected when Mike Tomlin called Warren the Feature Back. Warren is currently RB17 in half PPR scoring, and Kenneth Gainwell stealing a goal-line touchdown was the only thing lacking from a true breakout game.  If Warren had that touchdown, he would be RB9 on the season. For managers desperate for running back help, he's a great target. 

  • McCaffrey did McCaffrey things. Everyone is relieved. He is RB3 on the season and is seeing some of the heaviest passing volume of his career. 

  • Speaking of relief. Irving managers had to have some level of concern when White looked strong on a Monday Island in Week 2, ultimately getting the game-winning touchdown. Week 3 shifted back toward expectation with Irving grabbing a feature back workload in a tight game against the Jets.

  • Chestnut did get two touches, breaking up Pollard's usual monopoly. Pollard got into the endzone to help boost his score to where his workload indicates. Pollard drafters have to have some disappointment considering the workshare.

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