*Welcome to "Committee Meetings," the running back portion of our weekly Targets/Touches column! Every Monday we'll recap the week that was among running backs and preview the outlook for the upcoming slate. *
With Week 14 nearly in the books, it's time to dive into some backfield breakdowns. We saw some familiar names among the top running back performers including Le'Veon Bell and DeMarco Murray while guys like Bilal Powell and Tevin Coleman surprisingly cracked the top 10 for the week. Some of the bigger disappointments of the week include Spencer Ware and Devontae Booker, and below we'll try to figure out how to value these running backs going forward. That's enough small talk for now ... more on those backs and every other team's backfield below.
Note: The Opportunity Report is a living document and will be updated with the results of every game until after the Monday night game concludes. If you're looking for backfield touches data on a team and they aren't here yet, check back later.
Arizona Cardinals
That whole thing about David Johnson being good at football? Yeah it still holds up. He continued his streak of recording 100 scrimmage yards in every game this season, though it wasn't easy. For Johnson's standards, it was somewhat of a disappointing game, but you can't expect the guy to get you 100-plus yards and two touchdowns every week. He'll be an RB1 yet again next week with a dream matchup against the Saints.
Atlanta Falcons
With Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu inactive for this game, it was sort of obvious that Tevin Coleman might have a bigger role as a pass-catcher for the Falcons. What we didn't see coming, though, was Devonta Freeman's lack of productivity. Coleman even played two fewer snaps than Freeman but was by far the better fantasy option since he scored twice against the Rams. Maybe the hit by Dominique Easley in the first quarter had something to do with Freeman's approach thereafter, but his low usage was still curious. Thankfully, the Falcons next game is against the 49ers, so Freeman should have no trouble bouncing back. Coleman will also be a flex option in that game.
Buffalo Bills
LeSean McCoy had a horrible game as a runner with just 27 yards on the ground, but made up for it with 81 receiving yards. He added a rushing touchdown too, which you know, helps for fantasy purposes. It was a game in which the Bills were trailing the entire way, so it makes sense that McCoy did more damage as a receiver. Mike Gillislee actually out-rushed McCoy on just two carries the entire game. Next week, McCoy has a shot to put up a huge game as Buffalo welcomes Cleveland into town.
Carolina Panthers
Jonathan Stewart has been one of the most inconsistent running backs in fantasy football this season. After just 3.3 points last week on the heels of a mere 50 yards and a lost fumble, Stewart bounced back against the Chargers. He only averaged 2.6 yards per carry, but logged 24 rush attempts and scored a touchdown. It definitely wasn't pretty, but fantasy owners will take it. He'll be a volume upside play in Week 15 when the Panthers play the Redskins on Monday night.
Chicago Bears
Given that he only had 13 carries, Jordan Howard performed well against the Lions on Sunday. He ripped off runs of 28 and 31 yards and added a 19-yard reception in the fourth quarter. His streak of games with 99-plus scrimmage yards continued, this being Howard's sixth straight. He is the clear-cut workhorse for the Bears and nothing that he's done over the last month and a half should warrant any concern in that aspect. He'll have RB1 upside yet again next week against the Packers.
Cincinnati Bengals
No shock here. Jeremy Hill logged a season-high 25 rush attempts against the Browns lowly defense on Sunday. He recorded 142 yards from scrimmage including the second-most rush yards of the year, 111, and a touchdown. Rex Burkhead worked in as a change-of-pace back and was efficient, but didn't see the volume needed to be a real fantasy asset. Hill's workload has been consistent since Giovani Bernard went out, and he's always a threat to score on a short-yardage play. He now has scored five times in his last seven games. Hill will be a low-end RB1 next week against the Steelers.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns coaching staff predicted that the presence of Robert Griffin III back under center would be a boon to their anemic run game. It's hard to tell if Griffin's presence actually mattered, but Isaiah Crowell had his best outing in months. Crowell only received 10 carries but ripped off gains of 19, 30 and 42 yards to pad his final line. Still, it's difficult to advocate Crowell as a fantasy option in Week 15 given his low-volume workload and the Browns' overall lack of ability to produce on offense. But if you need some reassurance, the Browns play the Bills next week, and Le'Veon Bell just put up 298 yards against them. Unfortunately, Crowell is not Bell.
Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott is still good at football, just in case you were unaware. But he did put up his lowest fantasy point total of the entire season on Sunday night against the Giants, the same team that limited him to 51 yards in Week 1. There is no reason to be concerned though. Zeke is still a fantasy stud and will be an elite RB1 next week against the Buccaneers on Sunday night.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos ran the ball nine times on Sunday. Nine. Newly acquired veteran Justin Forsett led the backfield with his six carries for 17 yards. He played just one fewer snap than Devontae Booker in the game. We sort of saw this coming, since coach Gary Kubiak said that Forsett would be involved immediately. Still, the way Denver has been struggling to run the ball lately neither Forsett or Booker were ideal options this week. And they won't be for the rest of the season, either. The Broncos welcome the Patriots into Mile High stadium in Week 15.
Detroit Lions
Theo Riddick was a surprise inactive on Sunday morning, leaving Dwayne Washington and Zach Zenner to carry the load. Washington was the lead back, logging 16 carries in the game. The Bears boast a decent run defense though, and Washington found it tough to gain big chunks of yardage. He should still be added on waivers for the volume upside ahead of Week 15, but literally nothing about the Lions backfield excites us from a fantasy perspective.
Green Bay Packers
The Ty Montgomery saga continues in Green Bay. The converted wideout played 80 percent of his snaps out of the backfield, led the team in rushing yards and scored the first rushing touchdown of his career. Coach Mike McCarthy finally publicly called Montgomery a running back in a press conference on Monday morning. Whatever, we're over it. In other news, this was Christine Michael's "revenge" game against his old team. He did have more rush attempts than anyone else on the team, but embarrassingly ran the wrong direction on a handoff play in the second quarter. He had just 36 rushing yards on 10 carries, so it wasn't much of a revenge performance. Moving forward, Montgomery seems like the best bet to rack up all-purpose yardage for Green Bay.
The Lamar Miller tilt was very, very real at the start of the game. Especially when Alfred Blue and Jonathan Grimes were taking snaps in the first quarter with Miller mysteriously on the sideline with his helmet off. But Miller did eventually get going, and scored on a short touchdown run at the end of the half. He logged eight touches in the second quarter after seeing just three in the first. Miller padded his stat line in the second half with two 20-yard runs in the fourth quarter and added a 15-yard reception. It was his second-best fantasy game of the season. Not surprisingly, his best game also came against the Colts back in Week 6. Hopefully his usage has put to rest concerns about his health status and potential durability issues. He'll face the Jaguars in Week 14 where he'll be a low-end RB2.
Indianapolis Colts
Frank. Gore. Refuses. To. Go. Away. Seriously, when will this guy break down? Answer: Never. He put up 13.4 fantasy points and scored his first touchdown since Week 9, proving yet again he's one of the most consistent flex plays in fantasy. Robert Turbin had a few touches, but nothing that concerns us about Gore's locked-in primary role. The Colts have a tough game against the Vikings next week, but Gore can still be confidently started as a flex play.
Jacksonville Jaguars
With Chris Ivory out for the second-straight game, T.J. Yeldon shouldered the load out of the Jaguars' backfield. To his credit, despite a lack of scoring and overall excitement, Yeldon has provided a safe floor of about eight to nine points the last two games. He has collected 41 total touches for 172 yards from scrimmage in that span against two great defenses (DEN, MIN). Still, he's a risk as a fantasy option given the Jaguars' lack of identity and struggles on offense overall. Given the volume upside, though, Yeldon could be a sneaky deep sleeper next week if Ivory is out again against the Texans.
Kansas City Chiefs
Spencer Ware received a big workload on Thursday night, but his 56 rushing yards were a sour way to begin your Week 14 fantasy matchup. Charcandrick West played the role of touchdown vulture, but Ware remains the primary back and the player to own for fantasy purposes despite the bad performance. We might have to consider Ware more of a high-end flex play going forward rather than a locked in RB2. The Chiefs play a Titans defense next week that has been tough against running backs.
Los Angeles Rams
There is absolutely no reason you should ever feel confident starting Todd Gurley in fantasy. But if there was ever a week to use him based on the matchup, this was it. And Gurley came through with his fifth touchdown of the season despite just 61 yards on the ground on his 16 rush attempts. With the Rams sporting one of the most anemic offenses in the NFL, there's no way you can trust Gurley in Week 15. The Rams go on the road, on a short week, to face the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle on Thursday night.
Miami Dolphins
Once again, Jay Ajayi struggled to put up respectable fantasy numbers against a tough run defense. He did score a touchdown that was called back on a holding penalty but hey, did it happen? No. Not surprisingly, Ajayi has only had one double-digit fantasy outing in his last five games. Part of it is matchup-based, and part of it remains the fact that Miami's offensive line still isn't 100 percent healthy. But Ryan Tannehill was injured in the game, and it sounds like it could be serious. If that's the case, and Matt Moore is under center for the remainder of the season, the team could simply opt to load up Ajayi with touches going forward. He's got a decent matchup next week against a Jets run defense that has not played well in recent weeks.
Minnesota Vikings
This is exactly why you don't mess with the Vikings' running backs. Jerick McKinnon led the backfield with 20 touches. Matt Asiata led the backfield with 9.10 fantasy points because he vultured a goal-line touchdown. This has been fun for exactly zero people involved. Despite a decent matchup against the Colts next week, Minnesota's backs will remain waiver-wire pieces.
New Orleans Saints
Yeah, so no running back on the Saints had over eight touches, and nobody had over 39 total yards in what was a miserable game for the entire offense. Mark Ingram might not be 100 percent healthy as he deals with a toe injury, but it didn't really matter because the Bucs defense dominated. This backfield will be tough to trust next week when the Saints head to Arizona.
New York Giants
Both Rashad Jennings and Paul Perkins had identical rushing lines against the Cowboys on Sunday night. There's nothing ideal about a 50-50 split. It's an odd development considering the fact that when Jennings is able to get into a rhythm he produces. But the Giants seem intent on keeping him limited, and see what their rookie has to offer for the future. That makes this entire backfield a situation to avoid for fantasy purposes.
New York Jets
The way the Jets season has gone, it was fitting for Matt Forte to leave the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and never return. Of course, that's the risk you inherited in owning the 31-year-old running back in fantasy this year. It's also unfortunate because he was set up for a huge day against the 49ers. Instead, it was Bilal Powell who absorbed an insane 34-touch workload and had a career day in the stat sheets. In addition to scoring a game-winning touchdown on a 19-yard scamper in overtime, Powell racked up 179 total yards on the day (and added another score in the fourth quarter). If Forte has to miss any time going forward, Powell will have RB1 upside given the volume upside and his versatility out of the backfield.
Oakland Raiders
Latavius Murray ran the show out of the Raiders backfield on Thursday night and was the sole bright spot for Oakland's struggling offense. Murray played 68 percent of the snaps, so it seems like the team is intent on using him as the workhorse; at least more so than was the case earlier in the season. Murray will remain in the low-end RB1 conversation for Week 15 when the Raiders take on the Chargers in San Diego.
Philadelphia Eagles
Ryan Mathews' return from a knee injury was not a spectacular one. He did lead the Eagles with 15 carries for 60 yards, providing a spark their run game desperately needed. But it was Darren Sproles who scored on a reception in the red zone before he took a huge hit and went out for the game. If Sproles has to miss time, fantasy owners should expect Mathews' workload to increase. Unfortunately, Mathews faces one of the best run defenses in the league next week in the Baltimore Ravens, so he'll be a risky play.
Pittsburgh Steelers
If you started Le'Veon Bell in Week 14, there's a good chance you won your matchup. If you had Bell going against you, there's not much you could have done to climb out of the 47-point hole he put you in. It was a career day for the Steelers' running back who finished with three rushing touchdowns and nearly 300 yards from scrimmage on a ridiculous 42 touches. He was averaging 146.5 scrimmage yards coming into the game, and posted an additional 298 against the Bills. It was simply an unreal day for Bell and his fantasy owners. He faces the Bengals next week, and will be an elite RB1 once again.
San Diego Chargers
If you're a Melvin Gordon owner aiming for a fantasy playoff win, it's probably because of Gordon's performance this season. He's been a beast in fantasy and was an ideal play against a Luke Kuechly-less Carolina defense. But when Philip Rivers fumbled in the first quarter and Gordon tried to dive on the ball, his leg got caught underneath him and he was carted off to the horror of fantasy owners everywhere. Fortunately, his injury has been reported as a hip, and the Chargers seem optimistic that it's not severe. We won't know the full story until his MRI results come in Monday, but an extended absence would be a big blow to the Chargers' offense and Gordon's fantasy owners. Look for Kenneth Farrow as a waiver add ahead of Week 15. Farrow logged 22 touches after Gordon left the game and would likely be a plug-and-play option against the Raiders next week.
San Francisco 49ers
Carlos Hyde had his best fantasy outing of the season on Sunday, ripping off huge chunks of yardage at every turn. Hyde had runs of 18, 20, 25, 43 and 47 yards in the game in addition to his other gains. He also scored a touchdown on his first touch, a 7-yard touchdown reception. After his 47-yard run in the first quarter that put San Francisco inside the 5-yard line, the 49ers put Shaun Draughn to vulture a short touchdown. It could have been an even bigger day for Hyde had that carry been his. Still, his 26 fantasy points was third to only Le'Veon Bell and Bilal Powell on the day. He'll again be an RB1 against the Falcons Swiss-cheese defense next week.
Seattle Seahawks
Following his 100-plus yards and two scores a week ago, Thomas Rawls came crashing back down to Earth against the Packers on Sunday. The entire Seattle offense struggled, as any team would when the quarterback throws five interceptions. For what it's worth, Rawls was efficient with the limited work he received, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. For some reason, Alex Collins logged 10 touches in the game too, siphoning some opportunities away from Rawls. Either way, Rawls will be tough to trust as anything more than a flex play next week against the Rams.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 14.5 fantasy points Doug Martin posted on Sunday was his highest mark of the entire 2016 season. Once again, he had a big workload but was seemingly inefficient. Fantasy owners don't mind though since he punched in his third touchdown of the season. It was a welcome sight to see Martin log 20-plus touches given Charles Sims' return and the chatter about Jacquizz Rodgers potentially being more involved heading into the week. Martin should be just fine as a high-end RB2 next week when the Bucs play the Cowboys on Sunday night.
Tennessee Titans
Ho hum, DeMarco Murray put up top-10 running back numbers again. He actually logged half of the Titans 42 team rush attempts himself looking spry as ever. There's absolutely no question that he's a must-start RB1 the rest of the way. Derrick Henry saw double-digit carries for the third time this season, so there's a chance that the team is trying to manage Murray's workload a bit. Still, Henry presents nothing more than handcuff value unless his veteran teammate but remains a must-own for that reason. The Titans head to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs next week.
Washington Redskins
Fat Rob wasn't spectacular against the Eagles, but he did enough to finish as the week's RB10 heading into the Sunday night game. Kelley only averaged 3.9 yards per carry but did have some impressive runs (including a 22-yard touchdown run), gaining yards after contact and powering through defenders when given the chance. He's done well in his featured role late this season despite a tough schedule. Coach Jay Gruden said earlier in the week that he wanted to get the rookie back more involved, and his 18 touches in Week 14 bested his totals of 16 and 14 the last two games, respectively. He'll be in the RB2 conversation next week against the Panthers on Monday night.
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Matt Franciscovich is an associate fantasy writer/editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattFranchise
