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 occurring away from the end zone makes those touches empty-calorie opportunities. In short, they do not mean much. However, being a starter and a high-volume back generally points to receiving more targets and goal-line chances, which can lead to 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
Chicago Bears
Chicago has been on a HLO heater of late, with their best four weekly finishes in each of the past four weeks. After a disappointing start to the season, they are a respectable 14th overall with their near-term surge, including three times finishing in the top five. D'Andre Swift ended up being active for Week 10 (a question mark mid-week) and was the hot hand for a strong market share of the backfield. Kyle Monangai collected a short-range touchdown, but Swift dominated the rest. Swift has returned to a confident weekly play until future evidence points to Monangai.
Denver Broncos
Denver has not been highlighted much in this HLO article in 2025, but it deserves mention for its consistent weekly floor. The disappointment would be the elite expectations and history of Sean Payton's offenses. Denver is 8th on the season, with only two weeks below 12th in their weekly finish. Another positive is that RJ Harvey is set up for his most glaring opportunity of the season with J.K. Dobbins sustaining a foot injury. Harvey's backfield market share has been lagging all season, but Week 11 projects to be his most significant opportunity of the season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It has been a tale of two seasons for Jacksonville and its HLO support for the running backs in 2025. They have had three elite HLO weeks in their last four outings, following abysmal performances in the opening five weeks (bottom 10 every game). Travis Etienne Jr. has yet to be questioned or challenged for the starting role, and Jacksonville's passing game injuries (Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange) are a significant reason why the running back HLO can sustain, at a minimum, for a few more weeks.