Anything is in play as the season winds to a close. Multiple players have been working through injuries, and Week 15 saw the playoff elimination of multiple high-profile teams. Jawhar Jordan, appearing from the mist to deliver the Texans' first 100-yard rushing game of the season, illustrates how this back quarter usually closes. We break down every backfield, so you know who to target in the shifting landscape.
Backfields Worth Noting
Some backfields saw noteworthy movement in Week 15:
- Arizona: Bam Knight's season is over. The backfield shifts to Michael Carter and Emari Demercado. The two have represented the passing-down complement of a split backfield, though past usage indicates Carter should lead in rushing attempts.
- Carolina: Just when it looked like Chuba Hubbard had pulled even with Rico Dowdle, the Panthers shifted back to Dowdle in a lead role. They have operated with that split more often than not in the second half of the season, and we should assume it for Week 16.
- Jacksonville: Bhayshul Tuten had surgery on his finger and will not play again until the playoffs. Travis Etienne Jr. is the Bellcow, with Lequint Allen gaining significant value.
- Houston: Jawhar Jordan was the week's surprise breakout star with Nick Chubb out and Woody Marks' day ending early. Chubb has struggled through most of the season, and Jordan's performance could cause reevaluation of the backfield rotation, though Marks is expected to return to a Bellcow role in Week 16.
- New Orleans: Devin Neal is the latest injury in a backfield that has already lost Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller. There is initial optimism that Kamara will be available soon, though currently Audric Estime and Evan Hull are the next players up.
Bellcow Backfields
| Team | Back | Player | Rushes | Targets | Stat Line | Share | Snap % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | RB1 | Michael Carter | 14 | 4 | 14-56-0 / 4-38-0 | 75% | 80% |
| RB2 | Emari Demercado | 1 | 3 | 1-1-0 / 2-0-0 | 17% | 11% | |
| RB3 | Corey Kiner | 2 | 0 | 2-11-0 | 8% | 8% | |
| Atlanta | RB1 | Bijan Robinson | 19 | 11 | 19-93-1 / 8-82-0 | 94% | 90% |
| RB2 | Tyler Allgeier | 2 | 0 | 2-18-0 | 6% | 17% | |
| RB3 | Nathan Carter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Denver | RB1 | RJ Harvey | 19 | 1 | 19-65-1 / 0 | 87% | 68% |
| RB2 | Jaleel McLaughlin | 2 | 0 | 2-4-0 | 9% | 13% | |
| RB3 | Tyler Badie | 0 | 1 | 1-1-0 | 4% | 10% | |
| Detroit | RB1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | 13 | 7 | 13-38-0 / 4-20-0 | 71% | 81% |
| RB2 | David Montgomery | 7 | 1 | 7-32-1 / 0 | 29% | 28% | |
| RB3 | Jacob Saylors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Indianapolis | RB1 | Jonathan Taylor | 25 | 4 | 25-87-0 / 3-14-0 | 76% | 85% |
| RB2 | Ameer Abdullah | 4 | 5 | 4-15-0 / 5-32-0 | 24% | 23% | |
| RB3 | Tyler Goodson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Las Vegas | RB1 | Ashton Jeanty | 9 | 6 | 9-35-0 / 4-7-0 | 83% | 71% |
| RB2 | Raheem Mostert | 0 | 1 | 1-2-0 | 6% | 24% | |
| RB3 | Dylan Laube | 2 | 0 | 2-4-0 | 11% | 5% | |
| Miami | RB1 | De'Von Achane | 12 | 6 | 12-60-0 / 6-67-0 | 82% | 80% |
| RB2 | Ollie Gordon II | 2 | 0 | 2-0-0 | 9% | 12% | |
| RB3 | Jaylen Wright | 1 | 1 | 1-2-0 / 1-9-0 | 9% | 8% | |
| NY Giants | RB1 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | 15 | 3 | 15-70-1 / 3-27-1 | 75% | 76% |
| RB2 | Devin Singletary | 5 | 1 | 5-13-0 / 1-1-0 | 25% | 24% | |
| RB3 | Eric Gray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| San Francisco | RB1 | Christian McCaffrey | 22 | 1 | 22-73-1 / 1-14-0 | 72% | 84% |
| RB2 | Brian Robinson Jr. | 9 | 0 | 9-21-0 | 28% | 16% |
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Noted Arizona Bellcow backfield. The Cardinals have run one of the most dedicated committee backfields in the NFL. Bam Knight suffered a sprained ankle on his first carry, and the team gave the game to Carter. Emari Demercado returned after missing a month. Without Knight, Carter likely shifts to the volume early down role, while Demercado should take the passing downs. That said, anything is in play, including Carter handling heavy volume to close the season. That role would create meaningful value. Knight is RB28 at 9.1 PPG from Week 5 to 14. Carter is at 6.7 PPG over the same stretch. Combining the two would make the RB7. The Cardinals play Atlanta and Cincinnati to close the season, two teams worth targeting.
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Robinson is up to 1,174 rushing yards, 64 receptions, and 684 receiving yards. He is the 17th player with 1,100+ rushing, 60+ receptions, and 650+ receiving yards. His 1,858 scrimmage yards lead the NFL. He needs 142 yards to become the 75th player in NFL history with 2,000 scrimmage yards. William Andrews and Jamaal Anderson are the Falcons who have topped 2,000 yards. Andrews holds the team record with 2,176. His eight receptions in Week 15 tie his career high, previously set in Week 9. He became the first player since Breece Hall in Week 16 in 2023 to top 90+ rushing, 80+ receiving, and catch 8+ passes. There have been 39 of those games in NFL history. Allgeier's eight rushing touchdowns tie multiple players for the 18th most in a Falcons season. Allgeier is an unrestricted free agent, though the team has been outspoken about how much they value him. The Falcons face a Cardinals defense that has struggled to close out the season before a difficult matchup against the Rams.
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Harvey suffered an injury to his ribs late in the Broncos' win. The injury is not expected to be a significant concern, though the team added running back Cody Schrader off waivers. Harvey has nine touchdowns in his last eight games. He tied Phillip Lindsay and Jon Keyworth for the third most touchdowns by a Broncos rookie with 10. Clinton Portis has the team record of 1,7 while Mike Anderson is second at 15. Harvey has topped 50 scrimmage yards in six of his last seven games. Denver has a potentially problematic close to the season, playing Jacksonville and Kansas City. Kansas City's mindset will be worth watching in that game.
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Montgomery needs two more rushing touchdowns to reach three straight seasons of double-digit touchdowns for him and Gibbs. In 2024, the Lions became the first team in NFL history to have consecutive seasons of double-digit rushing touchdowns by teammates. Buffalo joined them in 2025, with Josh Allen and James Cook posting double digits in 2024 and 2025. Gibbs' 1,100 rushing yards, 62 receptions, 494 receiving yards stat line puts him in similar company as Bijan Robinson. Robinson has him by nearly 200 receiving yards, though Gibbs has doubled Robinson's touchdowns. The usage shift between Gibbs and Montgomery has remained constant through most of the season, and Montgomery is a touchdown-dependent flex option at best. The Lions close with two strong defenses against Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Minnesota shut down Gibbs earlier in the season, while the Steelers held down Jonathan Taylor in their meeting.
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Taylor's 1,443 yards exceeded his 2024 total of 1,431 and is the second-highest mark of his career. He needs 368 yards to set a new career high, surpassing his team record of 1,811. His 2025 total is the seventh most in Colts history. 267 yards would move past Edgerrin James' 2000 season of 1.709 for the second most in team history. His 16 touchdowns are two from his previous high of 18; he has the top two touchdown seasons for the team. The Colts play the 49ers, fresh off allowing a 100-yard day to Tony Pollard.
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I have been preaching Jeanty's trend toward an extremely rare stat line for a rookie running back. He is one of eight rookies with 700+ rushing yards, 4+ rushing touchdowns, 49+ receptions, 250+ receiving yards, and 4+ receiving touchdowns. In most instances, I think lamenting a player accomplishing something that only a handful of players have done is a bit ridiculous. In Jeanty's case, it may be warranted, as he has only given six fantasy weeks we feel good about. He is RB16 this season, but we need the Raiders to do whatever it takes to let him succeed in 2026. It does not look like it will get better soon, with the Raiders facing the elite Texans defense in Week 16.
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It was good to see Achane return after his Week 14 ended early. The similarity in stat lines for Robinson, Gibbs, and Achane is crazy. No back has had 1,100 rushing, 60+ receiving, and 450+ receiving yards through the first 14 games of a season since Christian McCaffrey. All three are between 1,100 and 1,186 rushing, 61 to 64 receptions, and 450 to 684 receiving yards. The Dolphins face a Bengals team that has struggled badly against running backs.
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Cam Skattebo went down in Week 8. Weeks 9 and 10 were an adjustment, but since Week 11, Tracey is the RB12 in PPG, delivering his best game of the season in Week 15. Week 16 is rough as the Vikings' defense has locked in over the second half of the season.
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McCaffrey and Marshall Faulk are the only players with three seasons of 900+ rushing yards, 80+ receptions, and 800+ receiving yards. Six other players have done it once. No other player has done it more than once. McCaffrey needs 78 rushing yards for his fifth 1,000-yard season. McCaffrey and Faulk are the only running backs with five seasons of 80+ receptions. Alvin Kamara and Larry Centers did it four times. No other player did it more than twice. McCaffrey popped up on the Saturday injury report, though he handled his usual workload. The Colts are next, and they are running on fumes as injuries mount.
