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 not near the end zone makes those touches empty-calorie opportunities. In short, they do not mean much. However, being a starter and high-volume back generally points to receiving more targets and goal-line chances for high fantasy-scoring plays. This weekly feature analyzes all 32 NFL depth charts for underrated and overrated running backs.
- Current RK: Team Ranking in Expected High-Leverage Opportunity PPR Points
- Prev: Overall Ranking from Last Week
- HLO: High-Leverage Opportunity Score Average Per Week
- GL: Rank in Goal-Line Carries (Inside the Five-Yard-Line)
- TGT: Rank in Team Running Back Targets
The Good
Saints
New Orleans has taken over the No.1 overall HLO perch on the season. Chris Olave hopefully returns this week, but Rashid Shaheed is out for a stretch. Ideally, Derek Carr is back to fuel strong targets for Alvin Kamara. The wildcard is Kendre Miller, who returned in Week 7 and is a threat for the clear RB2 role in short order. A string of health for Miller results in a highly intriguing player down the stretch if Kamara were to miss time.
Buccaneers
The No.1 HLO team in Week 7 is poised to stay on that track. An extended absence likely for Mike Evans and a season-ending injury to Chris Godwin has severed the passing game in Tampa Bay. Their HLO is already in the elite zone with five weeks of No.8 or better finishes and their three-headed committee offers a deep pool of talent at the position. The ball will need to funnel through the backfield, considering they lost their WR1 and WR2 within four quarters of play against Baltimore.
The Bad
Colts
The three worst HLO games for the Colts were all games Anthony Richardson started and finished (all bottom half of the NFL for that week). Indianapolis has trouble sustaining offense and providing quality targets for running backs, and Richardson is a rushing factor at the goal line. Jonathan Taylor's imminent return will boost the results, but Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson, in combination with Richardson, have not been a quality tandem this season. The Colts are 30th in running back targets on the season.
Rams
The Rams were horrible in HLO last year and are trending down after a couple of decent weeks early in the season to stake them higher in the rankings. The Rams have not finished higher than 12th since Week 2 and bottomed out in Week 7 as they ranked 29th. They are dead last in the NFL in running back targets, and this is without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua for a string of games. Kupp is likely back in Week 8, and Nacua is not far behind. There is minimal potential for the Rams to improve in the category and exit the bottom tier of season-long HLO.
The Ugly
Packers
Green Bay has not finished higher than 16th in any week since Week 1. Josh Jacobs has mired with empty-calorie touches with the team 28th in targets and only 20th in goal-line carries. Jordan Love's boldness for downfield throws and scoring from distance has directly affected Jacobs' upside.
Chargers
The HLO struggles have been eye-opening this season. Their best weekly finish is 19th, and their No.31 in targets and No.32 in goal-line carries rankings are equally troubling. J.K. Dobbins will have a tough time being anything more than a floor-play RB2. The same applies to Kimani Vidal if Dobbins were to miss time.
The Action Plan
Collect
Fade
Catch up on all of Chad Parsons' articles here at Footballguys.com.
