Fantasy Football: Recapping running back touches for key backfield splits from Week 14

We’re approaching the fantasy football playoffs in Week 15, meaning every decision goes under a microscope. You’ll want to know which running back you can trust the most going into the postseason — and there are still plenty of question marks in some key backfield committees.

We’re going to break down some of those splits from Week 14 and how to approach roster decisions moving forward.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It was the second week with Bucky Irving back in the lineup and it’s still his backfield. But not so fast! Rachaad White went from five touches last week to 12 this week against the Saints. It feels like the hot-hand approach is still there to some degree with Irving getting up to speed (though he looked great again this week). Irving finished with 81 total yards on 17 touches and a pair of catches, one of those a touchdown.

Like White, Sean Tucker went from being an afterthought to back in the game plan in Week 14 with seven touches (two last week). He had 29 yards and scored on a goal-line carry. This was also a negative script for the Bucs to have 39 carries to 30 passing attempts, trailing at multiple points in the second half. With the passing game shaky under Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay is clearly fine leaning into the run. For this week, it made all three backs viable in fantasy.

Now, how do we handle this moving forward?

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Irving remains an RB2 and quality start throughout the fantasy playoffs with matchups versus the Falcons, Panthers and Dolphins remaining. White and Tucker should still be rostered in deeper formats in case anything happens to Irving. Tucker could vulture touchdowns in the red zone, but it’s tough to trust him (and White) as anything more than risky FLEX options.

Seattle Seahawks

We haven’t talked about the Seahawks in a while, so we’re going to talk about the Seahawks. Kenneth Walker III is almost done completing perhaps one of the most frustrating fantasy seasons ever. We only really got a glimmer of hope in Week 11 when Walker had 19 touches for over 100 total yards and a TD. He hasn’t had a game with under 10 touches all season, yet, here we are, staring down another dud with 3.3 fantasy points in Week 14.

In Walker’s defense, this script was awful for backs. The score was tied 6-6 before Seattle ran away in the second half with two quick scores to go up 20-6. Atlanta turned the ball over a few times and the Seahawks didn’t need to ride Walker (and Zach Charbonnet) much in the second half. Walker still led Seattle RBs in touches with 11 but Charb had nine and looked like the better back on Sunday. We’ve seen this happen before.

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If you have better options than Walker at RB, you may need to go that route in the fantasy playoffs. Otherwise, Walker is really only a TD-dependent FLEX at this point.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins won their fourth straight game and are on the fringes of the AFC playoff picture. This is relevant for fantasy since it should mean we continue to see heavy volume for De’Von Achane, so long as he’s healthy. The Dolphins’ lead back exited in the second quarter due to a rib injury and didn’t return. After the game, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Achane avoided a fracture and would have come back in had the game been competitive.

Achane finished with seven carries for 92 yards and a touchdown, plus a 13-yard catch, so he was still able to get 17 fantasy points for managers despite missing most of the game. In Achane’s stead, Jaylen Wright had 24 carries for 107 yards and a TD. It appears Achane avoided a serious injury, so unless something changes, he will continue to be one of the best plays for the fantasy postseason. However, Achane managers should add Wright this week just in case. Other managers should also consider Wright as a decent stash.

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Pittsburgh Steelers

In another perplexing game script, you’d think the Steelers would have more than 34 rushing yards in a game they won 27-22 in December. Not the case on Sunday in Baltimore. Pittsburgh’s run game was almost non-existent with Jaylen Warren taking eight carries for just 13 yards and Kenneth Gainwell finishing with four carries for 15 yards (and one TD). Warren also added three catches for 49 yards and a TD of his own while Gainwell caught six of seven targets. Clearly, the Ravens were fine stopping the run and letting Aaron Rodgers beat them (which he sort of did).

The Steelers funneled a lot of the passing game through their two backs, mostly due to the lack of quality receiving options behind DK Metcalf. Warren has at least two catches in all but one game all season. He’s also scored in three straight matchups. But the issue is, this is an easy blueprint for beating this offense.

The Steelers have the Lions and Browns on the road in Weeks 16 and 17. Those aren’t the best matchups on the ground for Warren and Gainwell. At least against the Lions, the offense should be pushed and forced to throw, so the PPR bump will help. Warren has a safe floor the rest of the way. Gainwell should still be on rosters and isn’t a bad FLEX.

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Tennessee Titans

It was Week 2 when RB Tony Pollard last had 20+ carries for the Titans. It also feels like we had written off Pollard weeks ago, so of course, he was going to go off in such a monumental spot for fantasy.

The veteran back popped in a big way on Sunday for 25 carries, 161 yards and two scores against what has been as a stout Browns defense. Cleveland entered Week 14 allowing the 10th-fewest rushing yards per game this season. Pollard didn’t care and likely hurt a lot of managers who had cast him aside, finishing with 28.1 fantasy points — the RB2 overall as the afternoon window progresses.

This was the week where most of us thought Tyjae Spears might take over the backfield. That’s the beauty (and pain) of fantasy — you never truly know what the coaches are going to do week-to-week.

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Spears finished with 10 touches for 47 yards — he actually led all Tennessee players in receiving yards in the game with 28. It was all Pollard on offense. It was almost like the Titans saw a path to victory and Pollard’s silhouette showed up in the sky like the Batman signal; just give Pollard the ball. So, he’s back in the RB2/3 conversation and isn’t a bad FLEX. But the lack of a passing-game role hurts and who knows if Tennessee will continue to give him big volume on the ground. Spears should still be rostered but don’t expect him to be reliable in the fantasy postseason. The Titans don’t have an easy schedule (@ SF, vs. KC, vs. NO) the next three weeks.