Backfield Breakdowns: Week 6

NFL Radio's Solomon Wilcots made a great point on The Opening Drive, noting NFL teams spend much of the first four weeks getting up to speed. Week 5 is full go. We have a good idea where usage stands. Injuries have shaken up some backfields, and they will continue to do so. Where does the current landscape sit?

Backfields Worth Noting

Some backfields saw significant developments in Week 5:

• Carolina: Rico Dowdle was the breakout back of the week with Chuba Hubbard sidelined, topping 200 rush yards. Dowdle gets a revenge game against the Cowboys in Week 6. Any shift in this backfield will continue to be monitored. 
• NY Jets: Braelon Allen was placed on IR, with the expectation of missing 8 to 12 weeks. Allen and Breece Hall were trending toward an even split before the injury. Without Allen, Hall shifted to a Bellcow role with Isaiah Davis as the backup.
• Tampa Bay: Bucky Irving missed the Seattle game, making Rachaad White the Bellcow. Sean Tucker is a depth piece, but presently needs both Irving and White out. White is more capable of handling Bellcow duties than most backups, but there is little reason to think Irving will not step right back into the primary role. 
• Tennessee: Tyjae Spears returned from IR to serve as the complementary back. His role should continue to grow. Tony Pollard was hardly a weekly start when he was getting the full workload. Unless the Titans improve offensively, both backs may be flex level at best. 
• Arizona: Michael Carter was the primary back with Trey Benson out, while both Bam Knight and Emari Demercado got reps. Carter is the piece we want. 
• Washington: Weeks of speculation finally resulted in Jacory Croskey-Merritt taking on more of a lead role. He should continue growing in that opportunity. 
• LA Chargers: Omarion Hampton was this week's injury victim, landing on IR. The current expectation has a true committee role between Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins. 

Bellcow Backfields

• The Patriots focused on the run game and were able to play much of the second half with a lead, effectively removing Cook from their game plan. Cook ended an eight-game rushing touchdown streak, the longest streak in Bills history.

• Per Dave Kluge, Dowdle's 234 scrimmage yards are the most by a player in 2025. Dowdle is the first player in Carolina history with 200+ rush yards and 25+ receiving yards in a game. McCaffrey came closest, with 176 rushing yards in a game in which he posted 61 receiving yards. Dowdle opens up an interesting conversation when Chuba Hubbard returns. Indeed, he played well enough to earn a larger opportunity as he averaged just 8.5 touches in his first four games with the Panthers. Etienne's opportunities all came very late in the game. 

• One game down, and Blue has not taken Williams' job. Williams joined Ezekiel Elliott as the only Dallas running backs to top 125 rushing yards with a rushing and receiving touchdown. Elliott achieved this feat twice in his Dallas career, in 2017 and 2018. Williams is on pace for over 1,500 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. The receiving touchdown was his first in 30 games. 

• Taylor recorded his fourth three-touchdown rushing game of his career, tying eight other players for the 17th most in NFL history. Edgerrin James has the Colts' team record, with five games of three rushing touchdowns. He has 12 rushing touchdowns in his last eight games, extending through the end of 2024, at a 17-game pace of 25.5. 

• Corum fumbled early and was banished to the shadow realm. Williams tied a career high with 10 targets. Williams also fumbled, which was more costly than Corum's, happening inside the one-yard line. Sean McVay could not bench everyone. It will be interesting to see if Jarquez Hunter pushes Corum for opportunities. 

• Jeanty's most significant threat to fantasy production might be the Raiders' competitive level. Geno Smith leads the NFL with 9 interceptions, the most through five games since Zach Wilson in 2021. Jeanty is seeing more usage in the pass game, but Peter Carroll seems at a loss, and the turnovers and resulting deficit forced the team to abandon the run. 

• The Panthers have a league-average run defense, making the Dolphins' inability to run the ball despite building an early lead more concerning. With Tyreek Hill's season over, Achane shifts back to a heavier pass game usage. A touchdown there saved his day. The Dolphins' offense looked lost before they lost their best player; a resulting adjustment period should not be surprising. 

• The Browns have the best EPA/RUSH rate in the league by a significant margin. Adding that consideration makes Mason's day successful. We have seen three games without Aaron Jones Sr.: a blowout over Cincinnati with 2 Mason touchdowns, a comeback effort against Pittsburgh that forced the team to abandon the run, and this game against the stout Browns. Mason presents a potential buy-low opportunity, all things considered. 

• Braelon Allen is on IR and expected to miss 8-12 games. With him out, Hall shifted back to a Bellcow role. The Jets fell behind 30-3 and took the run game out of play. Still, this is an encouraging outing for Hall, even when considering a porous Dallas defense.

• No one knows what is going on in Philadelphia, including the Eagles. Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Barkley held a multiple-hour meeting on Monday following the first loss of the season. The good: Barkley had 88 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. The bad: he touched the ball nine times, and the team lost. 

• McCaffrey is on pace for 958 rushing yards, 132 receptions, 1,315 receiving yards, and 10 receiving touchdowns. McCaffrey is the only player to have had a 900+ rushing yard, 100+ reception, and 1,000+ receiving yard season, accomplishing this feat in 2019 with the Carolina Panthers. He is on pace to do it again. McCaffrey needs 147 receiving yards to become the fifth player in NFL history with 5,000+ career rushing and 5,000+ receiving yards.

• White served as the Bellcow in a wild shootout. That should not have been a surprise, as Bucky Irving should be a short absence, and White is up to speed on the offense. Irving will plug back in when he returns.

• Spears returned, and the Titans won. Expect the usage split to continue to even out as Spears gets comfortable. Pollard was hardly a fantasy RB2 with the full usage; unless the offense dramatically improves, it will be difficult to see either back hold fantasy utility.

Committees With a Lead Back