Welcome to the weekly Fantasy Notebook, the must-stop spot for keeping your finger on the pulse of Fantasy Nation. NFL news and developments drive fantasy values. The Notebook is here to keep you in the loop on all of it throughout the season -- and into the offseason.
The NFL is a Fickle Friend
Well. As fantastic as Week 1 was, Week 2 came at us like a slap in the face.
Overall scoring dipped across the league, marked by a noticeable shortage of touchdowns for wide receivers and tight ends in the early games and unexpected offensive stagnation from hyped units like the Chargers and Bears.
At the same time, Week 2 provided important lessons about early-season variance versus true panic as sudden slumps, low-scoring upsets, and injuries leave us all chasing as much consistency as possible.
That's not easy to find in a game built on volatility, variance, and unexpected outcomes. Personnel issues -- like ambiguous backfields -- add to that.
Committees Have Formed
Last week, I focused on the return of the feature back with a number of high-volume options fantasy managers can count on. And while the number of workhorses seems to be rising, many of us are forced to deal with backfield committees -- perhaps the trickiest of situations we deal with each season.
At some point, we have to start the process of . . .
Sorting Them Out
Getting a handle on these unpredictable situations is as important as it is challenging. But that's the task at hand, and even though it's early in the season, it's never too soon to start assessing the possibilities of these ever-shifting situations.
The Committee That Isn't
As Yahoo! Sports senior editor Ben Zweiman put it, "Sometimes a player is just injured."
This year, that player is Jonathon Brooks.
He was also injured last year. And the year before.
This year, Chuba Hubbard is making the most of the opportunity and looking very much like the Hubbard we saw in 2024.
Granted, he's coming off what SI.com characterized as "a rocky 2025 season" that saw him lose his job to Rico Dowdle, but Hubbard was RB13 overall in 2024, which made him an every-week RB2.
Heading That Way Again
Hubbard scored his third TD of the season and got to double-digit fantasy points again in Week 2, thanks to a positive game script in a blowout win over the Falcons.
Brooks came in off the bench but didn't get a chance to flash his explosiveness much in this one.
He also aggravated a groin injury in the fourth quarter that will require surgery. He was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday and isn't eligible to return for four weeks, although reports suggest it will be more like six.
He still appeared in both contests this season, totaling 30 rushing yards on nine carries and 43 receiving yards on two catches.
But this was never the committee we expected heading into the season.
And It's Not Going to Be
Hubbard has held down the primary role since the first snap of the season. And as much as Brooks' investors might have wished it were different, the veteran definitely hasn't been placeholding here.
As Footballguy Jeff Bell noted in his Week 3 Backfield Breakdown, Hubbard has two receiving touchdowns through two weeks. He had three in 2025. He is the only running back with multiple receiving touchdowns for the Panthers since 2020. Christian McCaffrey is the only running back in franchise history with more than three in a season, recording seasons of six, five, and four.
The results have our attention.
Through two games in 2026, Hubbard has carried the ball 22 times for 102 yards and one score, and added five catches for 49 yards with the aforementioned two touchdowns, which amounts to RB8 overall production.
Setting Expectations
With Brooks out, Hubbard could challenge for RB1 status most weeks but is a very, very safe RB2 option for all fantasy formats. Meanwhile, as Zweiman summed up, Hubbard is "looking like he'll be a Zero-RB hero this season so long as Carolina's offense continues to click."
The Panthers play the Browns in Cleveland this week and the Lions at home on Sunday Night Football in Week 4.
Fifty-Fifty: The New Normal in LA?
The backfield split between Kyren Williams and Blake Corum was a classic "1A and 1B" dynamic last season.
Mostly.
While Williams remained the primary starter and a heavy red-zone weapon, Corum maintained a highly active, consistent role that turned this into a true committee by the end of the year, with big performances in Weeks 13 and 14.
While the big weeks caught our attention, the Rams aimed for a 65-35 split between the two last season.
And that's exactly how the season played out, with Williams getting 259 carries to Corum's 145.
Is the Shift On?
So far this season, Corum is cutting further into Williams' workload. Against the Giants in Week 2, Williams only played six more snaps than Corum and finished the game with the same number of carries (12). It's as close to a shared backfield as it gets.
Worth noting: Williams fumbled the ball during the Rams' 28-6 win on Monday night, marking the 10th fumble of his career as a Ram.
Corum, by contrast, has been fumble-free in his time with the team. He did lose control of the ball for the first time on Monday against the Giants, but he was able to recover it himself.
Through two games this season, the 26-year-old Williams has rushed for 126 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries. Last season, he ran for more than 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns, cementing himself as the clear lead back entering his fifth year with the Rams.
Corum, 25, has been quietly productive in a smaller role, totaling 133 yards on just 22 carries this season -- more yards on fewer attempts than Williams.
One thing that doesn't seem to be changing, however, is the receiving roles. Last year, Williams was trusted with 84.8 percent of the running back receptions (39 catches), completely freezing Corum out of the aerial attack for most of the year, as Corum caught just seven passes.
This year, granted with a very small sample size, the receiving split is persisting.
Williams has five receptions on five targets. Corum has caught his lone target this year.
What's Our Plan?
As The Big Lead's Matt Larter suggested, with Williams' fumbling issues resurfacing and Corum making the most of his limited opportunities, fantasy managers may want to keep a close eye on how the coaching staff distributes carries moving forward.
For now, Williams investors should expect RB2-level production while Corum managers have a flex-level play. But if the 50-50 split persists, we'll need to revisit those expectations.
The Rams will hit the road to face the Denver Broncos Sunday night in Week 3.
A Reversal?
TreVeyon Henderson stole the show for the Patriots in the team's Week 2 win over the Steelers.
A 39-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was Henderson's fifth carry of 30-plus yards since the start of last season, which leads the NFL.
Henderson missed the season opener with an ankle injury. In his absence, Rhamondre Stevenson played 84.5 percent of snaps last week, including 100 percent on third downs, in the two-minute drill, in short yardage and at the goal line.
Still, head coach Mike Vrabel said the team would welcome Henderson's ability to create explosive plays, which showed up quickly Sunday.
Stevenson started and took all four snaps on the first drive, but ended up losing a fumble on a reception.
This led Henderson to play 21 of 25 snaps over the next five drives while Stevenson played six. According to Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, the split was a little more balanced in the following four series, with Henderson taking 12 snaps to nine by Stevenson.
The fumble likely impacted both backs' playing time against the Steelers.
As Jahnke suggested, if the plan were to have Henderson as the lead back, he likely would have played on the first drive.
How Should We Proceed?
While some of this will depend on Vrabel's tolerance for Stevenson's ball insecurity -- the Patriots have now lost all four of his fumbles dating back to last year -- it's also possible that Henderson played well enough to take a lead going forward.
Worth noting: Stevenson remained the primary third-down back even after his fumble, so Jahnke believes heading into this week, the safest bet is that he keeps that role.
But we all know talent hasn't been the question with Henderson -- it's whether he can handle everything the coaching staff asks of him -- especially pass protection.
For now, treating this as if both will deliver at levels closer to their final Average Draft Positions -- Henderson was RB25 and Stevenson RB26 -- is a reasonable approach.
In fact, their Week 3 Footballguys projections -- Henderson is RB27 and Stevenson is RB33 -- are realistic as they face a tough matchup against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.