Hidden Stat Line: Week 11 Backfield Breakdown

This article is part of our Hidden Stat Line series.

It was a tough weekend for veteran running backs, with Baltimore's Mark Ingram barely seeing the field and Atlanta's Todd Gurley playing fewer snaps than teammate Brian Hill. There were also signs of trouble for a few other familiar faces, with Samaje Perine cutting into Giovani Bernard's workload, while Adrian Peterson was unable to capitalize on D'Andre Swift (concussion) missing a game.

We'll cover all that and more in our game-by-game breakdowns below, but first let's check out the leaderboard and get a broad overview of what happened in each backfield throughout the league. J.K. Dobbins is the big story from a fantasy standpoint, and a few other young guns also had big weeks.

Week 11 RB Leaderboard

(Bold denotes Top 10 in a stat.)

Classify Me, Captain

(Italics denote a significant change from the team's previous game)

Three-down Role with 80-plus Percent Snap Share

1. Minnesota Vikings - Dalvin Cook

Three-down Role, But Subbed Out Sometimes

1. Seattle Seahawks - Carlos Hyde
2. Baltimore Ravens - J.K. Dobbins
3. Houston Texans - Duke Johnson
4. Pittsburgh Steelers - James Conner
5. Philadelphia Eagles - Miles Sanders
6. Carolina Panthers - Mike Davis
7. Las Vegas Raiders - Josh Jacobs
8. Green Bay Packers - Aaron Jones
9. Dallas Cowboys - Ezekiel Elliott
10. Los Angeles Chargers - Kalen Ballage

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

1. Tennessee Titans - Derrick Henry
2. Jacksonville Jaguars - James Robinson
3. Miami Dolphins - Salvon Ahmed
4. Kansas City Chiefs - Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Two-Man Split

1. Arizona Cardinals - Kenyan Drake & Chase Edmonds
2. New England Patriots - Damien Harris &  James White
3. Washington FT - Antonio Gibson & J.D. McKissic
4. Cincinnati Bengals - Giovani Bernard & Samaje Perine
5. Atlanta Falcons - Todd Gurley & Brian Hill
6. New Orleans Saints - Alvin Kamara & Latavius Murray
7. Cleveland Browns - Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt
8. Denver Broncos - Melvin Gordon & Phillip Lindsay
9. Detroit Lions - Adrian Peterson & Kerryon Johnson
10. Indianapolis Colts - Jonathan Taylor & Nyheim Hines
11. New York Jets - Frank Gore & La'Mical Perine / Ty Johnson

Not-So-Pretty Committee

   None  :(

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.)

Cardinals (21) at Seahawks (28)

Cardinals

• The snap breakdown was right around 50/50 for a second straight game, after Drake had a 52-49 advantage in the Week 10 win over Buffalo.
• Drake had season highs for catches, receiving yards and targets, with Thursday marking the first time all year he's seen more targets than Edmonds. However, it's clear the Cardinals still prefer Edmonds on pass plays, as he ran 45 routes to Drake's 22 the past two weeks. Edmonds also played each of the seven snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long Thursday night.
• At the end of the third quarter, Drake had played 56% of snaps to Edmonds' 48%, but Edmonds then had a 12-5 advantage in the fourth quarter with the Cardinals playing from behind.
• Drake played three of five snaps inside the 5-yard line, taking two carries for two yards and a TD. Edmonds played two snaps inside the five, including a three-yard TD reception on a third down.

Seahawks

• Chris Carson (foot) missed a fourth straight game, while Hyde (hamstring) returned from a three-week absence. With passing-down specialist Travis Homer (knee) also inactive, Scarbrough was called up from the practice squad — rather than Alex Collins — and was used to spell Hyde on early downs.
• Scarbrough left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, and was sent back to the practice squad Monday.
• Hyde got the start and handled a three-down role, including seven of nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long and each of the six snaps in the red zone.
• Hyde played 22 of 39 snaps (56.4%) in the first half, followed by 24 of 27 (88.9%) after halftime.
• Dallas played seven snaps on offense in the first half, but he strictly played special teams in the second half.
• Pete Carroll expects Carson to return for Week 12 against Philadelphia, noting at his Friday press conference that the running back has been "killing it" on the practice field.

Titans (30) at Ravens (24) — OT

Titans

• The 79% snap share was second-largest of Henry's career, and his first time above 58% since Week 7. Henry played 52 of 56 snaps (93%) on first and second downs.
• D'Onta Foreman played just one snap, subbing into the game and taking a carry for one yard after Henry took a big hit from Ravens safety DeShon Elliott. It looked like Henry hurt his arm/shoulder, but he was back in the game before the end of the drive. Foreman had taken 5-7 carries in three straight games before Sunday's win, albeit with some of his work coming in garbage time.
• McNichols played 10 of 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, but he got only two snaps outside of that criteria.

Ravens

• Gus Edwards technically got the start and played seven of 15 snaps in the first quarter, but he logged only five more snaps the rest of the afternoon.
• Dobbins played 34 of 49 snaps (69%) on first and second downs, including 29 of 36 (81%) after the first quarter.
• Hill played six of 12 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with Dobbins getting five.
• Dobbins played seven of 15 snaps in the red zone, including three carries. Lamar Jackson also had three red-zone carries, and Edwards took one.
• Dobbins played the only snap inside the 5-yard line, which was his two-yard TD run.
• Ingram played one snap after halftime, while Dobbins handled  25 of 32 (78%).

Nevermind...

Patriots (20) at Texans (27)

Pats

• Burkhead injured his knee in the third quarter and missed the rest of the game. The Patriots believe Burkhead suffered an ACL tear, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
• Harris got the start and played 10 of 15 snaps (67%) in the first quarter, taking seven carries for 36 yards and a touchdown. But he then got just one carry and four snaps (29%) in the second quarter, followed by three carries and 12 snaps (30%) in the second half.
• White's snap share was a season high, and the nine targets matched a season high. It was only the second time in the past five games he's played more than 26% of snaps.
• White played eight of 29 snaps (28%) in the first half, followed by 31 of 40 (78%) after halftime. The Patriots moved away from Harris once they were trailing, and once they lost Burkhead to an injury, it was White getting all the playing time while Cam Newton threw a ton of passes.
• The Patriots had two snaps inside the 10-yard line. One was an incomplete pass to Burkhead, and the other was Harris' nine-yard touchdown.
• Sony Michel (quad) was removed from IR but wasn't active for Sunday's game. It's possible he isn't quite back at 100 percent, but it's also possible he was just a healthy scratch.

Texans

• Johnson still played a ton of snaps, but it was a noticeable drop from 95% the previous week, with Prosise mixing into the offense.
• Johnson has played more than three-quarters of snaps in three straight games, averaging 13.3 carries for only 36.7 yards and 2.3 catches for 17.3 yards on 3.3 targets. His 2.8 YPC for the season would rank dead last if he had enough carries to qualify.

Bengals (9) at Washington Football Team (20)

Bengals

• Bernard got a fourth straight start, but the 54% snap share was his smallest in that stretch, down from 76%, 64% and 68% the previous three weeks.
• Bernard played 26 of 44 snaps (59%) in the first half, getting seven carries and four targets while Perine had four and two, respectively. In other words, Perine was a factor well before it became clear the Bengals would lose.
• Perine actually played one more snap than Bernard on 3rd-and-medium/long (5-4).
• Bernard did get six of the eight red-zone snaps and two of the three RB carries in the red zone. Bernard also played each of the four snaps inside the 5-yard line, but his two carries from that area yielded just one yard and no touchdown.

WFTs

• Gibson and McKissic were on the field together for 14 of 62 snaps (23%), with Washington running double-digit plays from 21 personnel (2 RBs, 1 TE, 2 WRs) for a fourth straight game. It's basically the same as 11 personnel for practical purposes, with McKissic typically lineup as the slot receiver.
• The 14 snaps in 21 personnel included 7-48-1 rushing for Gibson, while McKissic got just one carry for 14 yards (and no targets) on those plays. Looking at the past four games, Gibson has 30 carries for 183 yards and three TDs in said grouping, plus three catches for 14 yards on four targets. McKissic, meanwhile, has seen only five carries for 16 yards and caught five passes for 38 yards on eight targets.
• Barber got six of his 12 snaps and three of his seven carries late in the fourth quarter with Washington sitting on a two-score lead. Barber played just one snap before halftime.
• In other words, McKissic's production has overwhelmingly come on plays where he subs in for Gibson as the running back, not when both guys are on the field.
• Gibson played each of the three snaps inside the 5-yard line, taking two carries for four yards and a TD. He's now up to eight TDs in 10 games, including five in his past four contests.
• Gibson is tied for eighth in the league with nine carries inside the 5-yard line, and only three players have scored more TDs than his five in that area.

Falcons (9) at Saints (24)

Falcons

• Gurley's snap share was a season low, and his first time below 50% since Week 1. Hill's snap share was a season high, marking the first time all season he's seen more playing time than Gurley.
• Gurley played 19 of 38 snaps in the first half and four of six in the third quarter, but he didn't see the field at all in the fourth quarter.
• Hill played 14 of 44 snaps (32%) through three quarters, followed by 12 of 18 (67%) in the fourth quarter.
• Gurley and Hill both played three of 12 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with Ito Smith getting two and FB Keith Smith getting two. So there was no clear passing-down back.

Saints

• Ty Montgomery played two snaps but didn't have any carries or targets.
• Kamara played four of five snaps inside the 5-yard line and took two of the team's three carries in that area, but Game 1 of the Taysom Hill era was otherwise less promising for the star running back. Hill scored rushing TDs from 10 and 2 yards out, while Kamara finished with season lows for snap shares, total yards and every receiving stat.
• Kamara and Murray each played nine snaps in the fourth quarter, but Murray had an 8-3 carry advantage in the final frame. Of course, that also means Kamara had a 10-4 carry advantage prior to the fourth quarter.

Steelers (27) at Jaguars (3)

Steelers

• The Steelers ran eight plays with no running back on the field. They did that 39 times between Weeks 8 and 9, but then only four times in Week 10. It's mostly been a tactic for when the offense gets off to a slow start, or needs to erase a deficit in the second half.
• Conner played 31 of 40 snaps (78%) in the first half.
• Conner played 11 of 13 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.
• Snell played each of the final six snaps, taking three carries for nine yards on the penultimate drive, and then coming on the field for three kneel-downs on the final series. He logged only four snaps prior to those final two drives, but one of his plays was a TD on a 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line. That was Pittsburgh's only snap in the red zone Sunday.
• For the season, Conner has played 12 of 21 snaps inside the 5-yard line, scoring four TDs on eight carries. Snell has played 10 of those snaps and scored three TDs on six carries.

Jaguars

• Ogunbowale replaced Chris Thompson (IR - back) as the third-down back. Ogunbowale played eight of 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.
• Robinson played 35 of 43 snaps (81%) on first and second downs, including eight of 12 on 2nd-and-long.
• Devine Ozigbo played four snaps, all on the final drive, and caught three passes for five yards. It was a huge moment for me and all the other Ozigbros.
• Robinson has played more than 70% of snaps in four straight games, averaging 21.8 carries and 3.8 targets in that stretch.

Lions (0) at Panthers (20)

Lions

• With D'Andre Swift (concussion) inactive, Peterson got the start and saw four carries and a target in the first quarter. He was minimally used thereafter, including only five snaps and zero touches after halftime.
• Johnson played 26 of 31 snaps in the second half, but he managed only two carries for five yards and one catch for 14 yards on three targets in that span.

Panthers

• Smith got six snaps and five carries in the first quarter, but he got just three more snaps (all carries) throughout the rest of the game. Davis played 81% of snaps after halftime.
• Trenton Cannon played four snaps, without any carries or targets.
• Davis played each of the three snaps inside the 5-yard line, including his one-yard TD.

Eagles (17) at Browns (22)

Eagles

• This is the smallest snap share for Sanders in a healthy game this year, as he  previously got 72-to-85 percent in the five contests he didn't exit early with an injury. However, it was also his second straight game with 15-plus carries and a handful of targets.
• Sanders lost a fumble in the first quarter, his second this season. He has five fumbles (three lost) on 348 career touches, which isn't great but also isn't "panic" territory.
• Sanders played 23 of 28 snaps (82%) in the first half, but only 17 of 37 (46%) in the second half.
• Scott got more playing time with the Eagles in catch-up mode, but he wasn't clearly preferred on passing downs, as Sanders played five of eight snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.

Browns

• Hunt played each of the 13 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, while Chubb had a 29-20 advantage on first and second downs. Chubb carried the ball on 20 of his 29 early down snaps, while Hunt got eight carries and one target on his 20 early down snaps.
• Hunt played all 11 snaps in the red zone, taking eight carries for 13 yards and a touchdown. His increased usage near the goal line has been a theme dating back to last season, though Chubb also scores a good number of touchdowns.
• Hunt played 13 of 19 snaps in the fourth quarter, taking eight carries for 18 yards and a TD. Chubb played only five snaps, but made the most of them with four carries for 67 yards. That's been another theme — Hunt taking over in the fourth quarter, either to salt away a lead or to run routes if the Browns are in catch-up mode.
• Chubb did play five of the seven red-zone snaps the previous week, including a short TD run.
• In two games since Chubb returned, he's averaging 19.5 carries for 120 yards, but has seen only one target total. Meanwhile, Hunt is averaging 16 carries for 57.5 yards and 2.0 catches for 19 yards... not far from his numbers while Chubb was out.

Dolphins (13) at Broncos (20)

Dolphins

• Ahmed made a second straight start, and he's now averaging 16.5 carries and 3.5 targets over past two weeks — pretty similar to the Myles Gaskin's workload before he landed on IR with an MCL sprain. Ahmed hasn't been brilliant, but he's been solid enough that he could maintain a role in the offense if/when Gaskin returns.
• Ahmed played 10 of 11 snaps in the red zone and handled both of Miami's carries inside the 10-yard line.
• Laird played 11 of 13 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long. Ahmed played four of 13, so the Dolphins used a two-back look for a few plays.
• DeAndre Washington was a healthy scratch, while Breida returned from a hamstring injury but barely played.
• Ahmed briefly left the game with a shoulder injury in the first half. It apparently wasn't too serious, but he could show up on the injury report for Week 12 against the Jets.

Broncos

• Royce Freeman got four snaps, with three of those being on 3rd-and-long or 4th-and-long.
• Gordon played eight of 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with Freeman getting two and Lindsay one.
• Gordon played all nine snaps in the red zone, taking five carries (including a one-yard TD) in that area. His second TD came from 20 yards out.
• The Broncos have now played four games (Weeks 8-11) with both Gordon and Lindsay healthy from start to finish. Looking at only those four games, Gordon averaged 10.0 carries, 2.5 targets, 51.0 yards and 0.5 TDs, while Lindsay is at 8.5 carries, 1.8 targets, 48.3 yards and 0.25 TDs. The Broncos won two of the four contests, but Sunday's game was the first one where they held a lead for a significant portion of the afternoon. (the Week 8 win over the Chargers was a comeback effort).
• Gordon's one-yard TD was the first inside-the-5 touch for a Denver RB in the past four weeks. During that same stretch, Gordon has a 3-0 advantage over Lindsay for carries inside the 10-yard line, though the latter actually has a 6-5 sap advantaged in that area. For the red zone overall, Gordon has a 21-11 snap advantage, a 5-0 carry advantage and a 1-0 target advantage.

Jets (28) at Chargers (34)

Jets

• Gore got the start and took three carries for 24 yards on the Jets' first three plays after a blocked punt, but Perine then punched it in for a TD from five yards out. Gore did have a one-yard TD late in the third quarter, after Perine had left the game.
• Perine injured his ankle and played just one snap in the second half. Prior to halftime, he played 10 of 23 snaps, with a 7-32-1 rushing line and one target. Gore had 7-29-0 and no targets in the first half, while Ty Johnson saw three targets on four snaps.
• Gore played 26 of 37 snaps (70%) in the second half, with Johnson getting 11 (30%).
• In the first half, Johnson played two of three snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long. In the second half, he played three of seven, with Gore getting four.

Chargers

• Ballage got the start and played 34 of 48 snaps (71%) in the first half. He dropped to 62% after halftime but was still the clear lead guy.
• Playing time on 3rd-and-medium/long was a three-way split, with Ballage and Pope getting five snaps apiece and Kelley taking three. However, Ballage was the overall favorite in clear passing situations, as he also played each of the eight snaps when the Chargers were in their two-minute drill right before halftime.
• Ballage played 14 of 18 snaps in the red zone, including three of three inside the 5-yard line. He got the team's lone carry inside the five, but wasn't able to punch it in.
• Austin Ekeler (leg) said he expects to return for Week 12, so Ballage's massive usage may be short-lived.

Cowboys (31) at Vikings (28)

Cowboys

• Elliott had his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season and made it through a fourth straight game without a fumble, but this was also the second game in a row with Pollard playing about one-third of the snaps in a close contest.
• Elliott played each of the five snaps inside the 5-yard line, but four of the five were passes and his one carry was a two-yard gain from the 4-yard line. He scored his TD from six yard out on a pass, while Pollard scored his on a 42-yard rush.

Vikings

• Alexander Mattison played only five snaps, and Ameer Abdullah strictly played special teams. Most of the snaps Cook missed were plays where the Vikings didn't use a running back. They ran seven plays from 02 personnel (0 RB, 2 TEs, 3 WRs), the same number as the previous week.
• Cook still leads the league in rushing TDs (13), total TDs (14), scrimmage yards (1,303) and rushing yards per game (118.8). He'd have a decent case for OPOY if this weren't so obviously a year where the award will go to a QB.
• Cook fumbled for the third time this season, and it was the second one he's lost. He has 10 fumbles on 787 career touches... not great, but not really noteworthy either. (And yet here I am, making note of it!)

Packers (31) at Colts (34) — OT

Packers

• Jones scored a two-yard TD, but Williams played six of seven snaps in the red zone, including a four-yard receiving score.
• Jones played 18 of 33 snaps (55%) in the first half, but only 12 of 27 (44%) after the break.
• This was Jones' smallest snap share since Week 2, and just his second game this season with fewer than 18 touches.
• We've now seen back-to-back games where both Jones and Williams were healthy and the Packers were in a close contest. Williams played 48 and 50 percent of snaps, with 13 carries and six targets. Jones played 63 and 50 percent, with 23 carries and 10 targets.

Colts

• Hines got the start and the first carry, but he struggled early on and finished the first half with only three carries and one target. Taylor entered halftime with seven carries and three targets, while Wilkins got just one target before the break.
• After halftime, Taylor played 31 of 51 snaps (61%), taking 15 carries for 72 yards and adding a catch for nine yards. Hines added three carries and three catches on 14 snaps, with Wilkins getting three carries and one target on just six snaps.
• Hines played eight of 10 snaps in the red zone, but the Colts didn't run any plays inside the 5-yard line, so there wasn't any goal-line work. Hines did have a six-yard TD catch called back on offsetting penalties, and he then converted the two-point conversion after Jack Doyle scored a TD on the next play.
• Taylor played eight of 13 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, while Hines got only three and Wilkins two. That was a pretty big surprise, as Hines had been the favorite in clear passing situations all year long.

Chiefs (35) at Raiders (31)

Chiefs

• This makes two game in a row with each of the three RBs playing at least one-quarter of offensive snaps. The rookie was the leader both times at 40 and 51 percent, but the three-down workhorse dream is long gone.
• Edwards-Helaire got each of the three snaps inside the 5-yard line, including his three-yard rushing TD. Bell scored from six yard out, and CEH had a second TD from 14 yards outs.
• Williams played three of the five snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with Bell getting the other two. Consider it a testament to the Chiefs offense that there were only five of those situations all night.

Raiders

• With Jalen Richard (chest) and Theo Riddick (reserve/COVID-19) both inactive, Jacobs played five of seven snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.
• Jacobs played 26 of 29 snaps (90%) after halftime.
• Jacobs played five of six snaps inside the 5-yard line, taking three carries for two yards and a touchdown. He's now fifth in the league with 11 inside-the-five carries this season, but only three of those have been converted for scores. His 23 carries inside the 10 are tied for second most, and his 41 in the red zone are third most. Each of his nine TDs this year has come in the red zone, and he still doesn't have a gain of more than 24 yards.

Los Angeles Rams () at Buccaneers ()

Rams - Coming Tuesday

Bucs - Coming Tuesday

RB Waiver Targets

This list is limited to players on less than 50 percent of Yahoo rosters as of Monday afternoon. It's not exactly a rich crop this week, as committee members Rex Burkhead (knee) and La'Mical Perine (ankle) were the only running backs reported to suffer injuries Sunday afternoon.

(List will be updated Tuesday)

1. James White
2. Brian Hill
3. Frank Gore
4. Carlos Hyde
5. Boston Scott
6. Tony Pollard
7. Devontae Booker
8. Samaje Perine