Hidden Stat Line: Week 13 Backfield Breakdown

This article is part of our Hidden Stat Line series.

Devontae Booker was the Brian Hill of Week 13, failing to take advantage of his temporary lead role filling in for an injured starter. Fortunately, we got a couple breakout performances elsewhere, with Ty Johnson and Cam Akers both topping 20 carries after Frank Gore and Darrell Henderson were banged up.

Johnson and Akers figure to be the popular waiver targets this week, with the former likely available even in some deep leagues. While there's no shortage of RB injuries to go around, we have seen some big names return from prolonged injury absences in recent weeks, including Austin Ekeler, Chris Carson, Myles Gaskin and David Johnson.

Ekeler, Carson and Gaskin all handled their typical roles this past Sunday, while Johnson shared a bit more work with Duke Johnson in the first game back from a concussion. It appears Ekeler, Carson and Gaskin can be started with confidence in all fantasy formats as we head into the playoffs.

Week 13 RB Leaderboard

(Bold denotes Top 10 in a stat.)

Classify Me, Captain

Three-down Role with 80-plus Percent Snap Share

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - James Robinson
2. Minnesota Vikings - Dalvin Cook
3. Buffalo Bills - Devin Singletary

Three-down Role, But Subbed Out Sometimes

1. Cincinnati Bengals - Giovani Bernard
2. New York Jets - Ty Johnson
3. New Orleans Saints - Alvin Kamara
4. Chicago Bears - David Montgomery
5. Philadelphia Eagles - Miles Sanders
6. Green Bay Packers - Aaron Jones
7. Los Angeles Chargers - Austin Ekeler
8. Dallas Cowboys - Ezekiel Elliott

Clear Lead Back, But Usually Off the Field for Obvious Passing Situations

1. Tennessee Titans - Derrick Henry
2. Miami Dolphins - Myles Gaskin
3. Las Vegas Raiders - Devontae Booker
4. Detroit Lions - Adrian Peterson
5. Los Angeles Rams - Cam Akers
6. New York Giants - Wayne Gallman
7. Seattle Seahawks - Chris Carson
8. New England Patriots - Damien Harris

Two-Man Split

1. Cleveland Browns - Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt
2. Houston Texans - David Johnson & Duke Johnson
3. Arizona Cardinals - Kenyan Drake & Chase Edmonds
4. Denver Broncos - Melvin Gordon & Phillip Lindsay
5. Kansas City Chiefs - Le'Veon Bell  & Darrel Williams
6. San Francisco 49ers - Jeff Wilson & Raheem Mostert
7. Washington FT - J.D. McKissic & Peyton Barber

Not-So-Pretty Committee

1. Atlanta Falcons - Ito Smith, Todd Gurley & Brian Hill
2. Indianapolis Colts - Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines & Jordan Wilkins
3. Baltimore Ravens - J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards & Mark Ingram
4. Pittsburgh Steelers - Benny Snell, Jaylen Samuels & Anthony McFarland

Game-by-Game Breakdowns

(Snap totals, snap shares, carries and targets come from pro-football-reference.com or NFL.com's game books. Data on dropbacks and routes run come from Pro Football Focus.)

Jaguars (24) at Vikings (27) — OT

Jaguars

• Robinson played 97% of snaps the previous week, so this was a small drop, but still his third-largest share of the year.
• Ogunbowale got a carry inside the 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but he was stopped a yard short of the end zone, and Robinson took it in on the next snap.
• Robinson played eight of 11 snaps on third-and-medium/long.
• Robinson has six consecutive games with at least 71 percent snap share and 94 or more total yards, averaging 21.2 carries and 4.5 targets per game in that stretch.

Vikings

• With Alexander Mattison (appendectomy) inactive, Cook handled his second-largest snap share of the season, which amounted to 79 snaps in a game where the Vikings won the possession battle yet ended up in overtime.
• Ameer Abdullah had two carries and a target on four snaps, but both carries were just to run out the clock at the end of the first half. Mike Boone played two snaps but didn't have a carry or target.
• Cook got more than five targets for the first time this year, nearly doubling his previous season high. Kirk Cousins attempted 43 passes, his second most in any game this year, behind only 45 from the week before in the comeback win over Carolina.

Browns (41) at Titans (35)

Browns

• Hunt has played 42%-to-58% of snaps in each of four games since Chubb returned from a knee injury, averaging 14 carries for 52.5 yards and 1.8 catches for 15.5 yards, with only one touchdown.
• Chubb has taken 18-to-20 carries each week since his return, averaging 19.0 for 116 yards (6.1 YPC) and 1.0 catch for 14.5 yards, with three TDs.
• Hunt played 77% of snaps in the fourth quarter Sunday, getting eight of his 14 carries and two of his three targets in the final frame. Over the past four weeks, Hunt has 32 carries to Chubb's 18 in the fourth quarter of games, while Chubb has a 58-24 advantage for Quarters 1-3.
• Chubb played five of six snaps inside the 5-yard line Sunday, while Hunt played only two. Chubb got two of the three carries in that area, including his TD.
• Over the past four weeks, Chubb and Hunt have four carries apiece inside the 5-yard line, but Chubb has a 10-6 snap advantage.

Titans

• The Titans trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter, and were down 38-7 at halftime.
• Prior to the fourth quarter, Henry played 35 of 46 snaps (76%), while McNichols played 11 (24%) and didn't have a carry or target.
• McNichols then played 22 of 24 snaps (92%) in the fourth quarter, including a one-yard TD to make it a 14-point game with 83 seconds remaining.

Bengals (7) at Dolphins (19)

Bengals

• Bernard played five of eight snaps on third-and-medium/long. Perine played three.
• Bernard was in the game for Cincinnati's one and only red-zone snap, which was an interception, naturally.
• This was Bernard's sixth start in a row. He's played at least 54% of snaps in each start, including 64% or more in five of six. As a starter, Bernard is averaging 10.8 carries for 34.8 yards and 3.3 catches for 24.2 yards, with one rushing TD and two receiving TDs in six games.
• Bernard had 36 touches and three TDs through his first two starts, but since then he's seen 12, 13, 10 and 14 touches, failing to find the end zone even once in the past four games.
• Bernard's 3.3 YPC is second worst among qualified rushers, and he's the only qualified rusher without a single carry of more than 15 yards.

Dolphins

• Gaskin returned from an ankle injury to make his first appearance since Week 8, while Salvon Ahmed (shoulder), DeAndre Washington (hamstring) and Matt Breida (reserve/COVID-19) all missed Sunday's game.
• Gaskin lost a fumble at the end of a 26-yard run in the fourth quarter. It was only his second fumble of the year, but the other came in his previous game (Week 8) and also was recovered by the opponent.
• Gaskin had 13 carries for 30 yards through three quarters, before taking eight for 60 in the final frame.
• Gaskin played five of five snaps inside the 5-yard line, including three carries. He finished the afternoon without a touchdown, despite getting one-third of his carries in the red zone.
• Laird played each of the four snaps on third-and-medium/long.
• Lynn Bowden is listed as a RB or RB/WR on a bunch of fantasy sites, but he took just one of his 31 snaps in the backfield Sunday, logging 23 from the slot and seven split out wide, per PFF. It was Bowden's second straight week taking over the slot role from Malcolm Perry (chest), another rookie who played option QB in college. RB eligibility could make Perry or Bowden useful in deep leagues, even if the Miami slot role entails only 3-4 targets per game.

Raiders (31) at Jets (28)

Raiders

• Booker got the start and played 11 of 15 snaps (73%) in the first quarter.
• Richard played 17 of 21 snaps (81%) on the final two drives. Prior to that, Booker had played 30 of 57 snaps (53%) and handled 16 of the 22 catches/targets that went to Vegas RBs.
• Booker took the only snap inside the 5-yard line, a two-yard rushing TD for Derek Carr.
• Richard played seven of 13 snaps on third-and-medium/long, with Riddick taking the other six.
• Riddick blocked on seven of his 10 pass snaps, per PFF. Richard blocked on eight of his 24, and Booker on four of his 16.

Jets

• Frank Gore suffered a concussion on the second snap of the game.
• Johnson played three of five snaps on third-and-medium/long. The Jets used 02 personnel (0 RB, 2 TEs, 3 WRs) on two others.
• Adams played 13 of 32 snaps (41%) on first downs, five of 19 (26%) on second downs, and one of nine (11%) on third downs.
• Johnson played 76% of snaps after halftime, way ahead of Adams for carries (12-3), targets (2-0) and routes (5-1).
• Adams had gains of 25, 18 and 12 yards. He had three carries for 36 yards in a snap of four snaps at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Johnson got the final 11 RB carries, including a one-yard touchdown.
• Johnson played four of seven snaps inside the Raiders' 5-yard line, taking four carries for four yards and the one TD. Adams got three snaps inside the five, including an unsuccessful carry on the opening drive of the game.

Saints (21) at Falcons (16)

Saints

• This was Kamara's best showing yet with Taysom Hill at quarterback, featuring a season-high 88 rushing yards and his second-most carries (15) of the year. Three targets and 62% snap share were the best marks Kamara has posted with Hill so far, but still disappointing relative to his production with Brees in Weeks 1-10.
• Murray followed his best fantasy performance of the year with his worst, but he did reach 40% snap share for a fifth straight week, and he played three of four snaps inside the Atlanta 10-yard line.
• Those four snaps inside the 10 featured two rushes and two dropbacks from Taysom Hill, who has taken five of the 11 inside-the-10 carries over the past three weeks (Murray has four, Kamara only two).
• Kamara scored his TD from 11 yards out.

Falcons

• Gurley (knee) returned from a one-week absence and got the start, but he had just two touches and 24% snap share through three quarters.
• Gurley took 46% of snaps and seven of the 10 carries in the fourth quarter, getting more work at the end of a close game.
• The Falcons didn't ran any plays inside the Saints' 10-yard line. They did have 10 red-zone snaps, with Gurley getting six and the team using a four-WR, zero-RB look for the other four. Gurley took four red-zone carries for minus-eight yards, including a seven-yard loss on a 3rd-and-2 with just under two minutes remaining in the game.
• Gurley played five of 10 snaps on third -and-medium/long. Smith got two, and Hill none.

Lions (34) at Bears (30)

Lions

• D'Andre Swift (concussion) missed a third straight game, so Peterson got another start. The 35-year-old's rushing line was very similar to his 15-55-2 from the previous game, while his 47% snap share was a nice boost from 30% and 27% in Weeks 11 and 12.
• Jonathan Williams played six snaps, without any carries or targets. He had four targets and a carry on 26% snap share the previous week in a loss to Houston.
• Johnson played each of the 11 snaps on third-and-medium/long.

Bears

• Montgomery reached 25 PPR points for a second straight week, after doing so just once in his first 25 NFL games.
• This was Patterson's first time with more than seven carries, nine touches or 24% snap share in a game Montgomery played. Patterson had a five-yard TD in the second quarter, after Montgomery had gains of 10 and four on the previous two plays.
• Patterson's five-yard TD and Montgomery's four-yard TD were the only plays the Bears ran inside the 10-yard line Sunday. They did have 10 red-zone snaps, with Monty taking six and Patterson four.
• Montgomery played 28 of 34 snaps (82%) in the second half, but the Lions limited him to six carries for 10 yards. Montgomery and Patterson combined for 103 rushing yards in the first half, compared to only 28 in the second half.

Colts (26) at Texans (20)

Colts

• Taylor returned from a one-week absence and got the start, but he finished the first quarter with only two carries for 10 yards on six snaps (33%).
• Taylor then played nine of 14 snaps (56%) in the second quarter, with one carry for 11 yards and two catches for 39 yards and a touchdown.
• Taylor then got 51% of snaps and 10 of the 16 RB carries after halftime, while Hines and Wilkins both were limited to three carries and one target in the second half.
• Hines played five of eight snaps on third-and-medium/long. Taylor got two, and Wilkins one.
• Hines played both snaps inside the 10-yard line, scoring a five-yard TD in the first quarter, then later getting stuffed on a 4th-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter.

Texans

• David returned from a three-game absence and got the start, with Houston opening the game in dual-back, double-Johnson formations.
• David played 64% of snaps through the first 26 minutes of game time, but Duke then took each of the seven snaps in Houston's two-minute drill late in the second quarter. The third quarter went back to David playing 10 of 12 snaps, before both played nine of 17 in the final quarter.
• David played the only snap inside the 5-yard line, and two of three snaps inside the 10. His touchdown came from six yards out, and the one snap he missed was in the final two minutes of the game.
• This was only the third time all season David played less than three-quarters of offensive snaps in a game. There was a Week 4 loss similar to this one where the backfield split was close to 50/50 in terms of playing time, and then there was the Week 9 game where DJ suffered a concussion.

Los Angeles Rams (38) at Cardinals (28)

Rams

• Henderson was the starter, and he played seven of 16 snaps (44%) on the first two drives, getting two carries and two targets. Akers also played seven snaps on those two drives, and he then got more playing time after Henderson was bothered by a knee injury.
• Henderson didn't play at all in the second quarter, and took just three of 16 snaps in the third. Akers played 72% of snaps in that stretch, with 12-38-1 rushing and 1-22-0 receiving.
• Akers took 11 of 18 snaps (61%) and six of the team's seven RB carries in the fourth quarter, but Jared Goff scored on a QB sneak and Henderson hit pay dirt from 38 yards out with about 10 minutes remaining. Akers then took the final six carries as the Rams tried to kill clock at the end.
• Akers played each of the 10 snaps inside the 10-yard line, taking seven carries for 21 yards and a TD on those plays.
• Brown played five of 10 snaps on third-and-medium/long. Brown technically got four of those snaps, but two were carries at the end of the game when the Rams were running clock.

Cardinals

• This was Edmonds' largest snap share since Drake returned from an ankle injury, but it's not a huge difference from 49%, 54% and 43% the previous three weeks. Edmonds is averaging 5.5 carries for 31.5 yards and 3.3 catches for 21.5 yards in four games since Drake returned, with one TD.
• Drake has been far more productive over the same four-game stretch, averaging 14.8 carries for 64 yards (4.3 YPC) and 2.5 catches for 16.0 yards, with four TDs. Some of the improvement is simply TD luck, but he's also been getting more targets (3.3 per game) since he returned the injury, despite the smaller snap shares and reduced number of routes.
• Drake played 58% of snaps in the fourth quarter, staying involved even with the Cardinals playing from behind. He had four carries and one target in that final quarter, while Edmonds got the reverse - one carry and four targets.
• Edmonds played each of the 11 snaps on third-and-medium/long.
• Drake played four of six snaps inside the 5-yard line, taking two of the three carries, including a four-yard touchdown. Kyler Murray got the other goal-line carry but failed to score.
• Since his return to the lineup, Drake has played 14 of 20 snaps (70%) inside the 5-yard line and taken nine of the 12 carries (three for Kyler Murray, zero for Edmonds).

Giants (17) at Seahawks (12)

Giants

• Gallman was unable to extend his five-game TD streak, but he made up for it with the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career. The Giants had back-to-back drives in the third quarter where Morris scored short TDs after Gallman had ripped off long gains to bring the team into the red zone.
• Morris played the lone snap inside the 5-yard line, converting for a TD. His four-yard score was the Giants' first inside-the-five snap without Gallman on the field since Week 7. (Gallman was catching his breath on the sideline after his 60-yard run.)
• Morris dropped to four carries and 10% snap share Week 12. Apart from that, he's seen eight or nine carries and 20-28% of snaps in the five-game stretch with Devonta Freeman (ankle) out and Gallman starting.
• Lewis played nine of 11 snaps on third-and-medium/long, but just three snaps in all other situations.
• Gallman is averaging 16.8 carries for 78.8 yards and 1.0 TDs in his five-game run as the starter.

Seahawks

• Carson got the start and took three touches for 27 yards on the opening drive. Hyde got more snaps and carries the previous week, but there was no doubt about Carson being the lead RB in his second game back from injury.
• Carson got 13 of the team's 15 RB carries, and six of the 12 targets (70% of total opportunities).
• Carson had two drops
• The Seahawks didn't run any plays inside the 10-yard line, and had only three in the red zone (all passes, all with Hyde on the field).
• Hyde played six of 10 snaps on third-and-medium/long. Dallas played three. Carson just one.
• Carson was busy and productive, but coach Pete Carroll did say after the game that the running back still feels some soreness in his foot.

Eagles (16) at Packers (30)

Eagles

• Howard made his first appearance for the Eagles this year. Eight of his 11 snaps and each of his four carries came before halftime.
• Sanders played 73% of snaps in the second half, but he was limited to five carries for 14 yards and didn't see a target on 10 routes. Jalen Hurts had the same number of carries (five) and more rushing yards (29) after halftime.
• Sanders played seven of 13 snaps on third-and-medium/long. Scott got the other six.
• The Eagles didn't run any plays in the red zone. They scored on a 52-yard field goal, a 73-yard punt return and a 32-yard pass.

Packers

• Jones played eight of nine snaps in the red zone, including three of three inside the five (all dropbacks for Aaron Rodgers). Despite the red-zone usage, his lone TD required a Herculean effort spanning 77 yards.
• The 66% snap share was Jones' second-largest this season, up from 50% and 54% the previous two weeks.
• Jones played five of nine snaps on third-and-medium/long, but Williams played seven consecutive snaps in the hurry-up offense on Green Bay's final drive of the first half.

Patriots (45) at Chargers (0)

Patriots

• Harris was the starter, picking up 15 yards on a screen pass on the first snap of the game. He finished the first drive with seven touches for 51 yards, setting up Cam Newton for a short rushing TD.
• Harris played 66% of snaps in the first half, taking 12 of the team's 14 RB carries. James White saw each of his four targets in the first half, while Sony Michel got only 16% of snaps and two carries.
• Michel got six of his 10 carries in the fourth quarter of the blowout, while Harris didn't play at all after the third.
• Harris played six of eight snaps inside the 10-yard line, but he and Michel got just one carry apiece in that area, while Cam Newton took four and scored a pair of TDs.
• Newton has taken 70% of New England's inside-the-five carries, the eighth-highest rate for any player in the league. Carson Wentz (43%) and Josh Allen (42%) are the only other QBs who have accounted for more than 40% of their team's inside-the-five carries.
• Newton's 16 carries inside the five are second-most among all players (Cook - 17) and twice as many as any other QB (Allen - 8).

Chargers

• Ekeler played 74% of snaps in the first half and 63% in the third quarter. He then played only 11 of 26 (42%) in the fourth quarter, with Ballage getting more work once the game was out of hand.
• Ekeler ran a route on 13 of Justin Herbert's 21 dropbacks in the first half, drawing the target on seven of those.
• Joshua Kelley played three snaps (4%) and caught two passes for three yards.
• The Chargers never reached the red zone.

Broncos (16) at Chiefs (22)

Broncos

• Gordon and Lindsay took four carries apiece in the first quarter, and five apiece in the second. They rotated in and out all night long, with the Broncos trying to lean on their rushing attack until the very last drive.
• Royce Freeman played four snaps, all on third-and-medium/long. Gordon also played four of eight snaps on third-and-medium/long, plus he had a 65-yard gain on a 3rd-and-3.
• Gordon played each of Denver's three snaps inside the 10-yard line, taking one carry for six yards. The Broncos tried to give him the ball from the 1-yard line on the next play, but an illegal shift penalty pushed them back, and then Drew Lock threw a five-yard TD to Noah Fant.

Chiefs

• Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) was active but didn't play.
• Bell filled in as the starter and played 11 of 11 snaps in the first quarter, taking four carries for 12 yards and two catches for 15 yards. It looked like he could have a big night, but Williams played 69% of snaps in the second half, while Bell got just four carries and one target.
• Williams got five of six carries in the four-minute offense, picking up 28 yards to help set up Harrison Butker's field goal that made it a six-point game with 64 seconds remaining.
• Bell played each of the three snaps inside the 5-yard line, taking two carries for three yards but no touchdown.

Washington Football Team (23) at Steelers (17)

WFT

• Gibson was injured early in the game, leaving Barber and McKissic to share work.

Steelers

• Snell played 71% of snaps the previous week, with 93 total yards on 16 carries and four targets. He split work with McFarland in the first quarter of Monday's loss, then ceded playing time to Samuels in the second half.
• Samuels played 55% of snaps in the second half.
• McFarland got six of 15 snaps and three of the five carries in the first quarter, but he was limited to five snaps and two touches the rest of the evening.

Bills (34) at 49ers (24)

Bills

• Moss played eight of 12 snaps on the opening drive, but he then botched a hand-off exchange with Josh Allen on the Bills' second drive. The 49ers recovered the ball, and Moss played just two more snaps the rest of the game.
• Singletary played 97% of snaps after the first quarter, including each of Buffalo's eight plays inside the 10-yard line.

49ers

• Mostert was the starter for a second straight week, but it was an even split between him and Wilson from the jump. Both had five carries in the first quarter, with Mostert holding an 8-7 snap advantage.
• McKinnon played both his snaps on third downs in the first quarter. After that, Wilson played each of the six snaps on third-and-medium/long.
• Mostert played five of eight snaps inside the 5-yard line, taking two carries. Wilson played two of those snaps, also taking two carries. Neither managed to score a touchdown, nor did Tevin Coleman when he got a carry from the 1-yard line in the fourth quareter.

 Cowboys (17) at Ravens (34)

Cowboys

• Pollard didn't do much on offense but had a long kick return to set up the Cowboys' first touchdown.

Ravens

• Dobbins got both snaps inside the 5-yard line, and three of five snaps inside the 10. He scored his TD from five yards out with just over two minutes remaining in the game. He did okay for most fantasy managers, but the role was disappointing relative to his 15 carries and two targets on 63% of snaps Week 11 against Tennessee. Dobbins, of course, missed Baltimore's Week 12 game while on the COVID list.
• Ingram got the start but played only three of 12 snaps in the first quarter.
• Dobbins, Edwards and Ingram got three carries apiece in the fourth quarter.
• Justice Hill played six snaps, all on third downs. He finished with zero carries and one target.

RB Waiver Targets

This is limited to players who are on less than 50 percent of Yahoo rosters as of Monday afternoon. The list will be updated Wednesday, after all Week 12 games have been played.

1. J.D. McKissic
2. Ty Johnson
3. Jeff Wilson
4. Peyton Barber
5. Kalen Ballage
6. Phillip Lindsay
7. Ito Smith
8. Jeremy McNichols
9. Tony Pollard