Week 2 Fantasy Football: Running back touches for key backfield splits

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/week-2-fantasy-football-running-back-touches-for-key-backfield-splits-213355723.html

The running back landscape in fantasy football is always changing and shifting and causing us to panic or celebrate. For instance, just last week, most of the fantasy community was writing off Kenneth Walker III as a huge bust after believing he would bounce back in 2025 under new OC Klint Kubiak.

Walker was outsnapped 30-21 by backup RB Zach Charbonnet in Week 1. Walker had 24 yards total on 13 touches while Charbonnet had 12 carries for 47 yards and a TD against the Niners. With those results, we all figured the two backs would be in more of a straight split or “hot hand” situation.

Well, it seems the Seahawks will ride the hot hand … and Walker might as well have been the Human Torch in Week 2 against the Steelers.

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Despite being in another near-split in terms of touches (Charbonnet 15, Walker 14), Walker was by far the better back, finishing with 118 total yards and a touchdown for 18.3 fantasy points in a win over Pittsburgh. We should still try to remain levelheaded when it comes to this backfield split but clearly Walker is still a very talented back who will have more weeks like this (and still some that resemble Week 1).

Let’s look at some more RB touches for key backfield splits in Week 2.

New York Giants

We sort of chalked Week 1 up as a wash since the Giants offense was pretty stagnant against a tough Commanders front. Tyrone Tracy Jr. entered as the RB1 for New York and had 12 touches for 34 total yards. Nothing special. Rookie RB Cam Skattebo had four touches for nine yards in his NFL debut. Devin Singletary also mixed in with three touches in Week 1. It also didn’t help QB Russell Wilson led the running attack with eight carries for 44 yards.

Shifting to Week 2, we’re still going to struggle to figure out this backfield. The Giants offense bounced back against a bad Cowboys defense with 37 points. Most of the production was through the air; Wilson finished with 450 passing yards and Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson ate. The run game wasn’t very good and was put on the back burner. Skattebo had more touches than Tracy (13-9) and had more carries with 11 for 45 yards and a TD. Tracy was the better pass-catcher with four receptions for 36 yards.

There’s not much to glean from Week 2 for this backfield. It feels like both Tracy and Skattebo will get work in a pure split while OC Mike Kafka could ride a hot hand week-to-week. If we had to put any stock into a player, Skattebo probably has a bit more upside. Tracy may continue to lose carries if Skattebo is more physical.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We broke down this situation last week because it was the most polarizing in terms of where players were drafted in fantasy. A lot has happened since before Week 1. Travis Etienne Jr. reclaimed his spot as the no-doubt RB1 for Jacksonville with a big performance in Week 1. Tank Bigsby was traded to Philly as a result of the Jaguars liking their depth. Onto Week 2 we went.

In Week 2 against the Bengals, we saw Etienne continue to perform well with 16 total touches for 89 yards and a receiving touchdown (15.9 fantasy points). Rookie Bhayshul Tuten was more involved after having just three touches in Week 1. He finished with 10 total touches for 74 yards and an eight-yard receiving TD (14.4 FPTS). Even LeQuint Allen Jr. got a few carries. But it appears Etienne and Tuten will be the primary backs for Jacksonville moving forward.

Etienne is in must-start territory at this point. He should see double-digit touches each week moving forward and his big-play ability appears to be back after the down year in 2024. Tuten will be in FLEX consideration in deeper formats and will benefit from good matchups where he can be utilized as a pass-catcher. Tuten is worth adding in most leagues.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns got rookie Quinshon Judkins into the mix for Week 2 vs. the Ravens. Many believed he would be eased into work and the team said he’d be on something of a pitch count. That didn’t stop him from leading Cleveland in rushing yards with 10 carries for 61 yards while also adding three catches for 10 yards. Judkins showed some explosiveness with a 31-yard rush.

Oddly enough, Week 1’s dud for Jerome Ford must have lit a fire under the veteran. He was much more active with 11 touches (5 catches) for 53 total yards. Of course, that left other rookie Dylan Sampson, who was the talk of some waiver-wire articles after he had eight catches for 64 yards in Week 1. Sampson was the least active and effective of the trio with seven total touches (three catches). But Sampson was the only one to find the end zone.

None of these backs got to double-digit fantasy points and that may have something to do with the game script and matchup. The Browns were trailing the entire game. It is encouraging to see Cleveland using each back in the passing game. The problem is, who will it be week-to-week? That will be difficult to gather. Judkins has the most value since he should take over the ground work. Sampson and Ford could both be involved in the passing game. Sampson has a bit more upside as the younger player. Ford may be the easiest to grab off the waiver wire or via a trade if you think he can slowly build back value.

Chicago Bears

The Bears got waxed by the Lions in a 52-21 blowout with head coach Ben Johnson facing his former team. Chicago’s backfield got a bit interesting after Week 1 was all D’Andre Swift. He wasn’t very good last season and wasn’t efficient in Week 1 with 65 total yards on 20 touches. In Week 2, Swift was better but we saw rookie Kyle Monangai get involved more, which is something Johnson alluded to during practices this week. Swift also lost a fumble, giving him 12 lost fumbles over his six-year NFL career so far.

Swift finished with a better showing, though it’s hard to gather anything positive when you’re getting beat this bad. He had 15 total touches (three catches) for 69 yards and a TD. Monangai had eight touches (one catch) for 36 total yards.

The fumble is key. If Swift can’t help establish the run and the fumbles continue to happen, Monangai should have a role and could slowly overtake Swift for the backfield. Roschon Johnson was also healthy but didn’t get any touches in Week 2. Next week, the Bears face a weak Cowboys defense, though that may be better for the passing game.

For now, Monangai is a good add off the waiver wire, especially if you have Swift on your roster. Roschon Johnson isn’t a bad stash in case he gets added to the mix if Swift continues to underperform.

New England Patriots

It’s been a bit but the Patriots offense may be on the rise. Or the Dolphins defense is still just bad. Either way, New England went into the season expecting to use both Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson. That was the case in a good matchup in Week 2, though we saw why Stevenson shouldn’t have gone so overlooked in fantasy drafts.

The veteran finished with 16 touches to Henderson’s five, while QB Drake Maye also added 10 carries for 31 yards and a TD. Stevenson was very impressive with multiple big plays — one a 55-yard catch and another a 21-yard rush. He finished with 142 total yards, though wasn’t able to find the end zone. Those totals were still good for 18.7 fantasy points, among the top RBs so far in Week 2. Henderson had 40 total yards while we also saw Antonio Gibson back in the mix with six touches.

It feels like Stevenson regained the backfield a bit with this game. Not to say Henderson won’t have his weeks but it’s clear who should get the most touches at this point. Gibson’s presence as a reliable veteran also may not help Henderson get more snaps/touches. Week 3 will be telling when the Pats face the Steelers, a defense that was supposed to be good but has surrendered 63 points over two games.

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/week-2-fantasy-football-running-back-touches-for-key-backfield-splits-213355723.html