Backfield Breakdowns: Week 15

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

Jeff Bell's Backfield Breakdowns: Week 15 Jeff Bell Published 12/10/2025
As we reach the fantasy football playoffs, Week 14 served as a potent reminder that backfield production can come from unlikely sources. Multiple players set season highs in rushing and fantasy points while some set career marks. How did the league shake out on the whole?
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Running Backs
 

Backfields Worth Noting

Some backfields saw noteworthy movement in Week 14:

  • Jacksonville: Bhayshul Tuten had his least involvement as the Jaguars leaned on Travis Etienne Jr. in a weather game with control of the AFC South at stake. 
  • New Orleans: Devin Neal continued his hold on the Saints running back job with Alvin Kamara out of the lineup, delivering his best game. 
  • Miami: The Dolphins are watching De'Von Achane's ribs. Initial reports indicated he would have been fine to return, but the blowout nature of the game allowed the Dolphins to exercise caution. 
  • Tennessee: Tony Pollard set a career high in rushing yards with 161 as the Titans played the most unexpected shootout of the week against the Browns. 
  • LA Chargers: Omarion Hampton returned from injury, though the result was an equal split with Kimani Vidal.

Bellcow Backfields

Team Back Player Rushes Targets Stat Line Share Snap %
Buffalo RB1 James Cook 18 2 18-80-0 / 2-31-0 80% 75%
RB2 Ty Johnson 2 3 2-25-0 / 2-14-0 20% 25%
RB3 Ray Davis 0 0 0 0% 6%
Dallas RB1 Javonte Williams 17 4 17-67-1 / 2-0-0 88% 79%
RB2 Malik Davis 3 0 3-6-0 13% 10%
RB3 Hunter Luepke 0 0 0 0% 26%
Denver RB1 RJ Harvey 17 6 17-75-1 / 6-25-0 70% 68%
RB2 Jaleel McLaughlin 4 1 4-22-0 / 1-9-0 15% 14%
RB3 Tyler Badie 4 1 4-16-0 / 1-5-0 15% 16%
Detroit RB1 Jahmyr Gibbs 12 7 12-43-3 / 7-77-0 73% 69%
RB2 David Montgomery 6 1 6-60-1 / 1-13-0 27% 31%
RB3 Jacob Saylors 0 0 0 0% 3%
Green Bay RB1 Josh Jacobs 20 2 20-86-1 / 2-6-0 85% 72%
RB2 Emanuel Wilson 3 0 3-10-0 12% 15%
RB3 Chris Brooks 0 1 1-6-0 4% 15%
Houston RB1 Woody Marks 26 3 26-68-0 / 2-8-1 94% 87%
RB2 Nick Chubb 1 0 1-3-0 3% 11%
RB3 Dare Ogunbowale 1 0 1-5-1 3% 1%
Indianapolis RB1 Jonathan Taylor 21 0 21-74-1 88% 74%
RB2 Ameer Abdullah 1 2 1-4-0 / 2-5-0 13% 24%
RB3 Tyler Goodson 0 0 0 0% 1%
Jacksonville RB1 Travis Etienne Jr. 20 1 20-74-2 / 1-8-0 84% 72%
RB2 Bhayshul Tuten 2 0 2-5-0 8% 3%
RB3 LeQuint Allen Jr. 0 2 2-8-0 8% 25%
Las Vegas RB1 Ashton Jeanty 10 4 10-30-0 / 2-8-0 93% 70%
RB2 Raheem Mostert 0 1 1-2-0 7% 30%
RB3 Dylan Laube 0 0 0 0% 0%
New Orleans RB1 Devin Neal 19 1 19-70-1 / 1-14-0 74% 71%
RB2 Audric Estime 3 0 3-11-0 11% 17%
OW Taysom Hill 2 2 2-(1)-0 / 0 15% 41%
NY Jets RB1 Breece Hall 14 1 14-43-0 / 0 88% 76%
RB2 Isaiah Davis 2 0 2-22-0 12% 24%
RB3 Braelon Allen 0 0 0 0% 0%
Philadelphia RB1 Saquon Barkley 20 2 20-122-1 / 0 92% 82%
RB2 Tank Bigsby 1 0 1-4-0 4% 10%
RB3 Will Shipley 0 1 1-3-0 4% 10%
  • With 1,308 rushing yards, Cook has the ninth most in Bills history. He should be able to climb as high as third, where O.J. Simpson had 1,503 in 1976. Simpson has the two highest seasons in Bills history, 2,003 in 1973 and 1,817 in 1975. Cook trails Jonathan Taylor by 48 yards for the NFL rushing crown. No Bills player has led the NFL in rushing yards since Simpson in 1976. Buffalo has one of the toughest Week 15 matchups, facing New England in a game with significant AFC East implications.

  • With 1,150 scrimmage yards, Williams is closing in on significant contract incentives. He needs 100 more yards to unlock $250,000. He has 11 touchdowns; his next touchdown will unlock another $250,000 incentive. He topped 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career and has the 29th highest single-season total in Cowboys history. Dallas faces a Minnesota defense that ranks league average in EPA. 

  • Harvey's 75 yards in Week 14 were a season (and career) high. It was also the third time since Week 1 that he topped 3.0 yards per carry. He's the only back in Broncos history with 350+ rushing yards, 5+ rushing touchdowns, 30+ receptions, 200+ receiving yards, and 4+ receiving touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey and De'Von Achane are the others to hit those numbers in 2025. Denver faces a strong Packers defense. 

  • Gibbs joined Reggie Bush as the only players in NFL history to rush for three touchdowns, catch seven passes, top 70 receiving yards, while staying under 50 rushing yards. Gibbs has topped 10 rushing touchdowns with 50 receptions in each of his three seasons. That is the third most in NFL history. LaDainian Tomlinson had eight of those seasons, Marshall Faulk had four. The Lions have a potential shootout against the Rams, though both defenses have their strengths.  

  • Jacobs' rushing totals have landed between 83 and 93 yards six times in 2025. He has yet to top 100 in any game. Wilson ran for 107 in the one game Jacobs missed. The Packers face a stiff test against Denver's elite defense. 

  • Marks' 26 rush attempts tie multiple players for the fourth most by a Texans rookie in a game. His 554 rushing yards are the fourth most by a Texans rookie. Steve Slaton (1,282), Domanick Williams (1,031), and Dameon Pierce (939) are the Top 3. Houston plays a Cardinals defense that was gashed by the Rams in Week 14. 

  • Taylor's 1,356 rushing yards lead the NFL, as do his 16 rushing touchdowns. He needs two rushing touchdowns to tie his own team's single-season record. No back has rushed for 20 touchdowns in a season since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. His team's 2021 record of 1,811 yards is 455 yards away. The Colts have a brutal matchup against the Seahawks, the top unit in run EPA. 

  • Etienne had his best fantasy game of the season. He needs 83 yards for his third 1,000-yard season. Tuten had his worst game of the season. The game against the Colts was rainy, and the stakes were extremely high, making ball security a priority. The Jaguars face a Jets team that allowed a ridiculous day by the Dolphins' running backs.  

© Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

  • Jeanty's 924 scrimmage yards are the fifth most by a Raiders rookie. Josh Jacobs (1,316), Brock Bowers (1,207), Marcus Allen (1,098), and Amari Cooper (1,067) are ahead. His eight touchdowns tie J.D. Smith for the second most in Raiders history by a rookie, trailing Allen's 14. At 45 receptions, he's fourth on the team's rookie list, needing four catches to tie Hunter Renfrow. Bowers (112) and Cooper (72) are in the top two spots. Jeanty is the ninth rookie in NFL history with 650+ rushing yards, 4+ rushing touchdowns, 40+ receptions, 250+ receiving yards, and 4+ receiving touchdowns. Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, Matt Forte, and Edgerrin James are the others to hit those marks in the last four decades. 

  • Neal has topped 60 scrimmage yards in three straight games. Alvin Kamara hit that mark in only 4 of his 11 games. Neal added his first career touchdown. He is a low-end RB2 option against a Panthers defense that has allowed the ninth most fantasy points to running backs. 

  • No pass game usage and no touchdowns gave Hall a bad fantasy day. He is chipping away at this first 1,000-yard game, needing 123 yards. The Jets face a Jacksonville defense that held Jonathan Taylor down in Week 14. 

  • Barkley had his second-best rushing game of the season. Over the last six games, his 17-game pace is 1,397 rushing yards and 351 receiving yards. Through the first seven games, his pace was 896 rushing and 328 receiving yards. The Eagles play a Raiders defense that just allowed RJ Harvey's best game. 

Committees With a Lead Back

Already a subscriber?

Continue reading this content with a PRO subscription.

Photos provided by Imagn Images
Share This Article

More by Jeff Bell

 

Monday NFL Roundup: Week 15

Jeff Bell

Rounding up all of last week's action in the NFL, including significant stats, spikes, landmines, and deep sleepers.

12/08/25 Read More
 

50 Final Thoughts For 2025 Fantasy Drafts

Jeff Bell

Jeff Bell runs through sleepers, average draft position values, and stats to know before your fantasy football drafts.

08/25/25 Read More
 

NFL Fantasy Fix: Week 14

Jeff Bell

No matter your craving, get your fix here, featuring cries of revenge, player props, DFS stacks, stats, panic meters, and more.

12/06/25 Read More
 

Roundtable: 5 Deep Sleepers for This Season

Jeff Bell

Wood, Hindery, Hicks, Weisse, and Montgomery expose deep sleepers for the rest of this season.

12/05/25 Read More
 

Dynasty Movement: Week 14

Jeff Bell

A panel of Footballguys staffers discusses why certain quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends should be moving up or down your dynasty rankings.

12/05/25 Read More
 

The Targets Report: Week 14

Jeff Bell

An aerial reality check, analyzing every team's target and snap share report, searching out the receivers who are, or who are becoming, true fantasy gold.

12/04/25 Read More