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 more targets and goal-line chances, which can lead to high-scoring fantasy 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
Dolphins
Miami is up to No. 4 on the season in HLO and posted the top score of Week 11. De'Von Achane has been a Christian McCaffrey-type with his receiving involvement. With another quality week or two, Miami can be second to only San Francisco on the season. In other good news, Ollie Gordon II was firmly affixed as the RB2 in Week 11, a clarified position if Achane misses time down the stretch. Jaylen Wright has shown little, and Gordon looks back to full strength, and the main benefactor behind Achane. Gordon is a vice-grip player in all formats with league-winning potential if Achane misses time in the final weeks.
Raiders
Las Vegas and Ashton Jeanty draw plenty of ire for their dismal offensive output this season. However, they scrapped the run game in general against Dallas in Week 11 for plenty of quick game and targets for Ashton Jeanty. The Raiders were a respectable eighth in HLO score this week and 15th and 9th in the previous two games. The offensive line has eroded any strong upside for the Raiders' offense this season, but Jeanty has avoided catastrophic fantasy outcomes thanks to his receiving-game involvement. Raheem Mostert is one of the least appealing RB2 roles in the NFL.
Commanders
Washington had a rare quality HLO finish (eighth) in Week 11. Another positive is that Chris Rodriguez Jr. has gained momentum over the past two games as the lead back. Rodriguez has a rushing-centric profile and is on a team that is likely to trail consistently down the stretch, tempering his upside. Also, Washington rotates three running backs (Rodriguez, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jeremy McNichols) regularly. This was a quality week, but a reminder that Washington moved up from 32nd to 31st overall this season. This is still an avoid backfield on all fronts for meaningful (and predictable) upside.