The football season often works like a barbell. Early results shape the narrative throughout the season, giving us our first taste of production after an offseason of speculation. The end of the season decides the championships. Through two fantasy playoff weeks, the League Winners are emerging. Ashton Jeanty was the overall RB1 in Week 16. Kenneth Gainwell is the RB7 over the last two weeks. Jaylen Warren is providing two fantasy RB1s in the Steelers offense. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Tony Pollard are coming from obscurity in lost seasons to deliver big performances. Week 17 will add more new names to the mix and decide most championships. We break down the entire league.
Backfields Worth Noting
Some backfields saw noteworthy movement in Week 16:
- Kansas City: The Chiefs are not expected to retain Isiah Pacheco. With their season over, they allowed him to lead the backfield and increase his value heading into free agency.
- New England: TreVeyon Henderson left early with a concussion, pushing Rhamondre Stevenson into a lead role. If Henderson does not clear protocol, it will be another heavy Stevenson week.
- LA Chargers: Kimani Vidal has not returned to practice after suffering an injury late in Week 16. If he is inactive, expense Omarion Hampton to serve in a Bellcow role.
- Cleveland: Quinshon Judkins' season is over with a leg injury. Raheim Sanders should take the lead role with touches, though monitor Dylan Sampson's availability.
Bellcow Backfields
| Team | Back | Player | Rushes | Targets | Stat Line | Share | Snap % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | RB1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | 7 | 13 | 7-2-0 / 10-66-1 | 83% | 86% |
| RB2 | David Montgomery | 4 | 0 | 4-14-0 | 17% | 18% | |
| RB3 | Jacob Saylors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Indianapolis | RB1 | Jonathan Taylor | 16 | 3 | 16-46-1 / 3-33-0 | 83% | 88% |
| RB2 | Ameer Abdullah | 0 | 1 | 1-4-0 | 4% | 7% | |
| RB3 | Tyler Goodson | 3 | 0 | 3-9-0 | 13% | 8% | |
| Jacksonville | RB1 | Travis Etienne Jr. | 16 | 5 | 16-50-0 / 4-16-1 | 84% | 70% |
| RB2 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | 4 | 0 | 4-10-0 | 16% | 30% | |
| RB3 | Bhayshul Tuten | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Kansas City | RB1 | Isiah Pacheco | 8 | 7 | 8-34-0 / 6-41-0 | 79% | 73% |
| RB2 | Kareem Hunt | 3 | 0 | 3-2-0 | 16% | 24% | |
| RB3 | Brashard Smith | 0 | 1 | 1-4-0 | 5% | 18% | |
| Las Vegas | RB1 | Ashton Jeanty | 24 | 2 | 24-128-1 / 1-60-1 | 93% | 93% |
| RB2 | Raheem Mostert | 1 | 1 | 1-6-0 / 1-3-0 | 7% | 7% | |
| RB3 | Dylan Laube | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| New England | RB1 | Rhamondre Stevenson | 8 | 3 | 8-51-1 / 2-27-0 | 65% | 84% |
| RB2 | TreVeyon Henderson | 5 | 1 | 5-3-0 / 1-9-0 | 35% | 19% | |
| RB3 | D'Ernest Johnson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1% | |
| Philadelphia | RB1 | Saquon Barkley | 21 | 2 | 21-132-1 / 0 | 82% | 77% |
| RB2 | Tank Bigsby | 4 | 0 | 4-37-1 | 14% | 11% | |
| RB3 | Will Shipley | 0 | 1 | 1-3-0 | 4% | 11% | |
| San Francisco | RB1 | Christian McCaffrey | 21 | 8 | 21-117-0 / 6-29-2 | 83% | 80% |
| RB2 | Brian Robinson Jr. | 5 | 1 | 5-20-0 / 0 | 17% | 15% | |
| RB3 | Jordan James | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 5% |
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Gibbs, De'Von Achane, and Bijan Robinson have all accomplished roughly the same rare feat with their own twist. Achance as the lead in rushing yards, Robinson has the receiving yards, and Gibbs has the touchdowns. He's the eighth player in history with 1,110+ rushing, 70+ receiving, 400+ yards, and 13+ touchdowns. The Lions face the Vikings and the Bears and have a very specific path to the postseason: win out and have the Packers lose out. Gibbs struggled in his first matchup against Minnesota, clocking one of his lowest yardage totals of the season.
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Taylor has the second-best season of his career, with 1,489 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. His total is the seventh most for a Colts season, and he has a great chance to move into the Top 4, needing 64 yards to catch Edgerrin James' 1999 season. His next rushing touchdown would tie his own franchise record. James Cook had been closing hard on Taylor for the rushing title and finally caught him in Week 16. Cook now leads by 43 yards. The Colts close with two AFC South matchups, against the Jaguars and Texans.
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Etienne crossed the 5,000 career scrimmage yards threshold, joining Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Keenan McCardell as the only Jaguars to cross the mark. He has a new career high with 13 touchdowns, with 32 in his career; he trails Marcedes Lewis by one for fifth on the team's record book. Etienne's future with the team is up in the air, given his free agent status. The contract extension Jakobi Meyers signed has further clouded Etienne's future, given the cap commitment. The Jaguars have a significant matchup against the Colts before closing against the Titans. The Week 18 contest could have little significance depending on Week 17's results.
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The Chiefs are giving Pacheco the lead chance to improve his value in free agency. ESPN's Nate Taylor suggested the team does not expect Pacheco back and is expected to be aggressive in pursuing a top backfield option. Smith is the only back under contract for 2026, though he would need to work to be the primary backup. We should expect the team to step into both free agency and the draft to add talent to a position group that contributed to the disappointing season. If Hunt is done with the team, he will likely end in eighth on the franchise rushing list, with 3,436 (Marcus Allen is next at 3,698), and his 30 touchdowns are in the same position (Ed Podolak next at 34).
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Jeanty set a new career high in scrimmage yards and delivered his first big performance since Week 4. He's the 61st rookie to top 1,100 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in NFL history and the first in Raiders history. The Raiders close with a struggling Giants team and the Chiefs, who showed little fight in Week 16.
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Henderson left early with a concussion, putting his status for Week 17 in doubt. Without his involvement, Stevenson took on a lead-back role, which he should carry into Week 17 against the Jets. The Patriots close with the Dolphins and need to take both games to avoid the Bills stealing the AFC East.
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Barkley crossed the 1,000-yard threshold and sits 155 yards from unlocking a $250,000 contract incentive. His next touchdown will give him four straight double-digit touchdown seasons. Barkley faces a Buffalo defense that has struggled poorly through portions of the season.
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McCaffrey crossed the 1,000 rushing yard threshold. He needs 151 receiving yards to hit 1,000 yards and would become the first player in NFL history with multiple 1,000-1,000 seasons. McCaffrey is closing in on his third 100 catch season, a threshold he has not met since 2019. He is currently the only running back with two 100-catch seasons. Hitting eight receptions would also move him into a tie with LaDainian Tomlinson for the third most running back receptions.
