Wow. Just wow. The running back position has taken an awful beating this year. From Le’Veon Bell’s holdout to injuries for Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook to coaches and their committees, it’s been quite the uphill climb trying to stay ahead of everything. With Jay Ajayi tearing his ACL, the Philadelphia backfield is the latest to join the confusion as fantasy owners are freaking out, trying desperately to pick up the right guy. So, who is it? Well, let’s take a look at that and all the other situations that need some clarification here.

Cincinnati Bengals

Let’s start off nice and easy here as the Bengals welcome back Joe Mixon who underwent a procedure to remove a loose body in his knee and repair a slightly torn meniscus. Head coach Marvin Lewis said he was going to ease Mixon back in, but with Giovani Bernard suffering a sprained MCL, Lewis went all out and let Mixon carry the ball 22 times for 93 yards. He also caught three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. Reports following the game were all positive so we move forward. Bernard will be out for another two or three weeks, so Mark Walton will work as the handcuff for now. We don’t expect to see him get a ton of work, but should anything happen to Mixon, he’ll be the next man up.

Cleveland Browns

Carlos Hyde is still the lead back here, but we’re starting to see Hue Jackson mix in Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson a little more. Chubb has been solid in his limited role and will continue to eat into Hyde’s touches the more he performs while Johnson will remain in that third-down, pass-catching role. Chubb should be considered the handcuff here, but don’t worry about the split right now. This is still Hyde’s backfield. We’re not even looking at an even split, so continue to start him without concern.

Denver Broncos

Time for out annoying check-in with the Broncos as the split is still right down the middle. One week Phillip Lindsay sees more work and another time you’ll see Royce Freeman with a slight edge. The snap counts remain about even so it’s just a matter of game flow and what Vance Joseph is feeling. Annoying? Absolutely. It looks like the only way one is really going to break out is if the other gets hurt.

Detroit Lions

This situation couldn’t be more annoying if it tried. Two weeks ago, Kerryon Johnson is breaking out with the Lions’ first 100-yard rusher since 2014, then he sees just nine carries but scores a touchdown and now this past week, LeGarrette Blount is getting all the goal-line touches. Johnson is seeing the advantage in snaps, but let’s face it, if the touches aren’t there, the snaps are going to matter less and less. No one is drafting him for his pass-blocking so if Matt Patricia and Jim Bob Cooter don’t sort this out soon, no one in this backfield is going to be worth using in fantasy. Might as well play Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Moe trying to figure out which guy to start.

Green Bay Packers

The cream usually rises to the top, but what we didn’t account for is head coach Mike McCarthy skimming the cream off and using whatever is left underneath. Aaron Jones may be the best runner in this backfield, but McCarthy held him back this past week and cited his struggles in pass-protection as the reason. If that’s what is going to keep Jamaal Williams in the lineup, then we could be in trouble. Williams is seeing the advantage in snaps again with Ty Montgomery still mixed in while Jones is seeing maybe 25 to 30-percent. That’s not going to work as it is keeping the actual carries and targets pretty close together. Jones is still the better back and we’re hoping he can improve his pass-protection, but with Aaron Rodgers leading the way and the greater concern lying with his knee and overall health, McCarthy is going to play the guy who spares Rodgers the most hits.

Indianapolis Colts

If you look at the Colts’ depth chart, you’ll see they’re still holding out hope that Marlon Mack will somehow make it back from this hamstring injury that has had him out for weeks now. He is continuously listed as questionable, yet he’s done nothing to date with regard to playing or producing. Nyheim Hines is the guy who has really taken a step forward and he appears to be the guy you want to own. He will continue to work as the third-down, pass-catching back, but with Mack still sidelined and Jordan Wilkins failing to produce, Hines is also now seeing the lead in carries out of the backfield. Even if Mack returns, Hines will continue to see a strong share of the work as he and Andrew Luck have developed a nice sense of trust and on-field rapport.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Man, if Leonard Fournette could just stop being such a wuss and make his way back from this hamstring injury, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now. T.J. Yeldon has obviously moved into the lead role, but now that Corey Grant has suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his foot and is out for the season, the Jaguars went and added veteran Jamaal Charles to the mix. The 31-year old hasn’t done much of anything over the last three seasons which is why he was available to the Jaguars at this time and we don’t anticipate him doing much moving forward. Does that mean we won’t see a number of annoying appearances where he poaches carries and potential touchdowns? Of course not. You’ll get your fair share of that and watch as people freak out about it, but right now we’re just trying to stay focused on Fournette’s eventual return. Until then, stick with Yeldon, don’t sweat Charles and move on with your lives.

Miami Dolphins

We’ve grown to accept that head coach Adam Gase hates Kenyan Drake . There’s just no other explanation. But what we have seen over the past two weeks is a potential eye-opener. In recent games, Frank Gore has out-carried Drake 23-9, but it’s Drake who is now seeing the pass-catching work, as evidenced by his 11 targets and seven catches last week against the Bengals. Gase hasn’t said anything yet about a split in duties, but if his recent distribution of responsibilities means anything, it could be a shared backfield with both having some fantasy value – Gore in standard and Drake in PPR. We’ll continue to monitor this situation closely, but for now, neither guy is primed for any sort of a breakout or change in role.

Philadelphia Eagles

So here’s the big one. Jay Ajayi is done for the year with a torn ACL and fantasy owners are dying to know if it will be Corey Clement , Josh Adams or Wendell Smallwood taking over the role. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer, especially while Clement is still a little banged up. It is my belief that Clement will get the first shot and if he fails, Adams will get an opportunity to run. However, neither guy will own this backfield by themselves as Smallwood will always have a complementary role here. He will continue to get his six carries and five targets and will still see work inside the red zone. The battle between Clement and Adams will wage on, but Smallwood is always going to be around. As for Darren Sproles , he’s still dealing with a hamstring issue and at 35-years old and having missed the last four games, I don’t anticipate him having any sort of an impact moving forward. Maybe we get a minor splash of him in a few weeks which will, of course, send panic through the Clement/Adams/Smallwood owners, but he’s never going to be anyone you want in your fantasy lineups.

Seattle Seahawks

If you’ve been listening to me on SiriusXM or if you’ve clicked on the audio link on the home page, you know where I stand on this Seattle backfield right now. For the time being, you can expect a relatively even split between Chris Carson and . Rashaad Penny may see some work here and there, but head coach Pete Carroll has turned back the clock to a time when the Seahawks were a run-first team and a winning one at that. Ever since that Russell Wilson interception at the two-yard line to end Super Bowl, the Seahawks have been a pass-first team and their record has slowly dropped in the wins column. Not huge, but noticeable enough for me to go and analyze the breakdowns. For a little more than two years the team has tried to live off Wilson’s arm and legs. After losses in the first two games, Carroll has realized that his offensive line cannot pass-protect at all. Zone-blocking on a run? Yes, they can. But Wilson has been running for his life on passing downs. Then suddenly a light bulb turned on for Carroll and he started giving his running backs a total of 30-plus carries. And what has happened? How about a 2-1 record which could have been 3-0 had the Rams not escaped with a last-minute win. Look for more from both Carson and Davis, but it’s probably time to let Penny go. If you don’t have to drop him, I wouldn’t just yet, but if you need that roster spot, his workload is going to be relatively non-existent compared to that of the other two.

Washington Redskins

Injuries have hit the Redskins, though not debilitating apparently. An MRI revealed a shoulder strain for Adrian Peterson who is now seeking a second opinion and clearly doesn’t want to admit his age and condition. We’ll continue to await word on his status for Week 6. Chris Thompson suffered a rib injury on Monday and is considered day-to-day. We expect Thompson to be ready to go this weekend, but if Peterson is unable to suit up, maybe we get a splash of Kapri Bibbs and Samaje Perine . Which one gets the most work is a bit of a coin flip, but if Thompson is fine and Peterson is out, Perine may see a few more snaps ass an early-down back. Fantasy-wise, we’re not expecting much out of either.

TeamPrimary RBChange of Pace3rd Down BackHandcuffIR/PUP/Susp.
Arizona CardinalsDavid Johnson   Chase Edmonds  
Atlanta FalconsDevonta Freeman Tevin Coleman  Tevin Coleman  
Baltimore RavensAlex Collins  Javorius Allen Javorius Allen Kenneth Dixon
Buffalo BillsLeSean McCoy Marcus Murphy  Chris Ivory  
Carolina PanthersChristian McCaffrey C.J. Anderson  C.J. Anderson  
Chicago BearsJordan Howard  Tarik Cohen Benny Cunningham  
Cincinnati BengalsJoe Mixon   Mark Walton Giovani Bernard
Cleveland BrownsCarlos Hyde Nick Chubb Duke Johnson Nick Chubb  
Dallas CowboysEzekiel Elliott Rod Smith  Rod Smith  
Denver BroncosRoyce Freeman Devontae Booker Phillip Lindsay Phillip Lindsay  
Detroit LionsKerryon Johnson LeGarrette Blount Theo Riddick Ameer Abdullah  
Green Bay PackersAaron Jones Jamaal Williams Ty Montgomery Jamaal Williams  
Houston TexansLamar Miller   Alfred Blue D'Onta Foreman
Indianapolis ColtsMarlon Mack Jordan Wilkins Nyheim Hines Jordan Wilkins  
Jacksonville JaguarsLeonard Fournette Jamaal Charles  T.J. Yeldon Corey Grant
Kansas City ChiefsKareem Hunt Spencer Ware  Spencer Ware  
Los Angeles ChargersMelvin Gordon   Austin Ekeler  
Los Angeles RamsTodd Gurley   Malcolm Brown  
Miami DolphinsKenyan Drake Frank Gore  Kalen Ballage  
Minnesota VikingsDalvin Cook   Latavius Murray  
New England PatriotsSony Michel  James White James White Jeremy Hill /Rex Burkhead
New Orleans SaintsAlvin Kamara Mark Ingram  Mark Ingram  
New York GiantsSaquon Barkley   Wayne Gallman Jonathan Stewart
New York JetsIsaiah Crowell  Bilal Powell Bilal Powell Elijah McGuire
Oakland RaidersMarshawn Lynch Doug Martin Jalen Richard Doug Martin  
Philadelphia EaglesCorey Clement Wendell Smallwood Darren Sproles Josh Adams Jay Ajayi
Pittsburgh SteelersJames Conner   Jaylen Samuels Le'Veon Bell
San Francisco 49ersMatt Breida Alfred Morris  Alfred Morris Jerick McKinnon
Seattle SeahawksChris Carson Rashaad Penny C.J. Prosise  J.D. McKissic
Tampa Bay BuccaneersPeyton Barber Ronald Jones IIJacquizz Rodgers Ronald Jones II 
Tennessee TitansDion Lewis Derrick Henry  Derrick Henry  
Washington RedskinsAdrian Peterson Kapri Bibbs Chris Thompson Samaje Perine Derrius Guice