Backfield Breakdowns: Week 7

Multiple trends continued in Week 6. Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, and Christian McCaffrey continued rewarding managers who invested high picks. Meanwhile, the Cowboys and Dolphins continued to be defenses worth targeting, with huge games by Rico Dowdle and Kimani Vidal. How did the whole league shake out?

Backfields Worth Noting

Some backfields saw noteworthy movement in Week 6.

• LA Chargers: There was a right answer. Kimani Vidal was the waiver pickup of the week after his massive game. 
• NY Giants: Cam Skattebo remained the lead back despite the return of Tyrone Tracy Jr.
• Kansas City: Isiah Pacheco showed the first signs that a leader might emerge from a backfield that has split opportunities to start 2025. 
• Tennessee: A healthy Tyjae Spears took the lead in snaps, playing the passing downs for an offense that has trailed most of the season. 

Bellcow Backfields

• Robinson has topped 90 scrimmage yards in 11 straight games. Remarkably, that is not even halfway to the longest streak in history. William Andrews had 90 scrimmage yards in 25 consecutive games between early 1980 and late 1981. Marshall Faulk is next at 21 games. Christian McCaffrey had the longest recent streak, with 12, which ended in 2024. 

• Dowdle has posted one of the greatest two-game runs in NFL history. He became the fourth player to post 380 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards over two weeks, joining Saquon Barkley, Walter Payton, and Doug Martin. He had 83 rushing yards after Week 4. Now, his 472 are the third most and trail Javonte Williams by just four. At a minimum, he has earned an equal split with Chuba Hubbard, though it is difficult to see how the Panthers unplug this. 

• Williams had his first bad performance of 2025. There is no real reason for concern yet. Miles Sanders was placed on season-ending IR, and Blue is firmly on the waiver radar. Do not forget about Phil Mafah. Should anything happen to Williams, it is likely the Cowboys will work both rookies in a rotation. Mafah could see early down work and, most importantly, goal-line opportunities if the situation presents. He is eligible to return from IR whenever the Cowboys activate his 21-day practice window. 

• Jacobs has spiked over his last two games, coinciding with Jayden Reed's departure from the lineup.  Since Reed was injured in Week 2, Jacobs has 18 targets in three games, a six per game average. He only saw six targets once in 2024 in 17 Packers games. The passing game involvement opens a different tier of scoring potential, though the spikes against Dallas and Cincinnati require a grain of salt, given the beneficial matchups.

• Taylor is the only back with 600 rushing yards through six games. In 2024, Joe Mixon, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Jordan Mason had hit the mark in their first six games. Taylor is the first Colts back since Edgerrin James in 2005 to exceed that threshold through six games. Abdullah has run ahead of Giddens in the last two weeks, likely because Tyler Goodson has been missing games due to injury. If Taylor were to miss time, a committee approach with Goodson (assuming health) or Abdullah in the passing role and Giddens in early downs is the expectation.

• Jeanty has taken on a significant passing-down role since the switch between Zamir White / Dylan Laube as the other backs to Raheem Mostert. After a slow start in his first two games, he has paced to a 1,457 rushing and 297 receiving yards season over the next four. His efficiency is still a work in progress, but he is showing the involvement to deliver valuable returns on a player many took in the first round of their seasonal drafts. 

• I was wrong on the Chargers' backfield last week, expecting a near equal split between Vidal and Haskins. Haskins is extremely valuable in special teams, a role that likely impedes his offensive impact. The team's willingness to put it all on Vidal is a revelation and positions him as an impact player for the next month or more. After Dowdle and Vidal, the last two weeks, the Dolphins are a defense to target aggressively. Quinshon Judkins gets the next crack and should be a top play in all formats.

• The Rams' offensive production was muted, the Ravens' offense did not threaten, the weather was a factor, and both Puka Nacua and Corum were injured in the first half. Corum returned, but Nacua's availability for Week 7 is uncertain, which will likely continue to push Williams into the larger pass volume role he has seen the last two weeks. 

• Achane had his best game of the season, rebounding from a low scrimmage yards day. He is on pace for 1,100 rushing, 550 receiving, and 17 touchdowns. There is involvement, offensive need, and talent to project him into a Top 5 fantasy role as the season continues.

• Hall continued the feature back role he assumed when Braelon Allen went down with an injury. The Broncos humiliated the Jets' offense, which posed no threat all game, losing Garrett Wilson in the process. Without Wilson or the threat of a passing game, defenses are free to key on Hall. You will get volume, but at present, his upside looks very capped unless something changes. 

• Tracy returned after missing multiple weeks, but had little impact on Skattebo's grip of the top job. Since Week 2, Skattebo has been on a 1,159 rushing, 17 touchdown, 486 receiving pace.  He is RB5 during those five games. He looks worth buying high, as the entire team has been galvanized around Skattebo and fellow rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. 

• Barkley not taking advantage of the revenge matchup against the Giants, on the same day his Amazon documentary detailing his departure from the team debuts, is the most enormous narrative red flag we could ever get. Over the first four games, he got the volume we want, but his efficiency was horrible. The efficiency has bounced back over the last two, but the volume has dropped out. There hasn't been a significant injury, and the talent is still there, so it is safe to keep believing it should flip at some point. It's just frustrating not to have had one spike game yet. 

• McCaffrey extended his streak with 50+ receiving yards to six games. It was already the longest streak for 50+ receiving yards by a running back to start a season. It ties James White for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history. McCaffrey and Lydell Mitchell had streaks of seven games, with McCaffrey's coming in 2019. Herschel Walker has the record, with ten straight in 1987. 

• An RB10 finish with 86 scrimmage yards, what more could we want? Bucky Irving has already been announced out for Week 7. The Buccaneers are decimated by injury, and knowing they can plug White in and get strong production is a life preserver at this point. White is a free agent following 2025 and should be in consideration for a starting job elsewhere, making him a target in Dynasty leagues. 

Committees With a Lead Back