Targets and goal-line carries are the lifeblood of quality fantasy production for the running back position. The starting role and receiving a high volume of carries are nice, but not near the end zone makes those touches empty-calorie opportunities. In short, they do not mean much. However, being a starter and high-volume back generally points to receiving more targets and goal-line chances for high fantasy-scoring plays. This weekly feature analyzes all 32 NFL depth charts for underrated and overrated running backs.
Note: See the table of all teams' HLO rankings at the bottom of this article.
The Good
Jaguars
Jacksonville's two best HLO weeks have occurred over the past three games, despite an offense dealing with numerous wide receiver and tight end injuries. Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown were hurt in-game in Week 9, adding to Travis Hunter and Brenton Strange, who were already on injured reserve. Travis Etienne Jr. was effective and showed some of his best interior running of the season in Week 9, and Jacksonville surged to the No.1 HLO finish of the week. The negative here is that Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. have consistently split the RB2 role between rushing (Tuten) and routes (Allen), which could cloud any clarity if Etienne misses time in future weeks.
Bears
One of the most clarified backfields for Week 9 was in Chicago. With D'Andre Swift out, Kyle Monangai was the clear starter and surged to a perfect storm outcome against the maligned Cincinnati defense. Monangai was already rivaling Swift in backfield market share before Swift exited after Week 8 due to a groin injury. Chicago has finished in the top 10 each of the past three games, their only such HLO finishes of the season. Monangai has league-winning, or at least setting the table to earn a bye or secure a playoff berth, potential for fantasy teams if D'Andre Swift misses a few more games down the stretch run of the season.
49ers
This is more of a tribute than a news report as the 49ers continue to dominate every week. San Francisco was No.1 in HLO for Weeks 1-4 as well as Weeks 5-8. This week, they were a pedestrian No.8 by their lofty standards, but they are still lapping the field on the season. Christian McCaffrey has an easy pathway to RB1 overall in fantasy, which is essentially to not get hurt. Brian Robinson Jr is likely a high-RB2 at worst if filling in for a future missed McCaffrey game.