Hidden Stat Line: Week 12 Backfield Breakdown

This article is part of our Hidden Stat Line series.

It was a fun week for rookie running backs, even with D'Andre Swift (concussion) and Jonathan Taylor (reserve-COVID-19) out of action. First, Antonio Gibson destroyed the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, continuing his TD surge for a suddenly respectable Washington squad. Then, in the early Sunday games, James Robinson nearly carried the Jags to an upset win over Cleveland, coming off the field for only two snaps all game.

Last but not least, Cam Akers had a big second half in a loss to the 49ers, perhaps making his move to replace Darrell Henderson as the Rams' lead runner for the final month of the season. Gibson and Robinson are already accounted for in fantasy leagues, but Akers is hovering around 50 percent ownership on most platforms, making him the top waiver add of the week where he's available. Now it's time to get into the details of Week 12 backfield roles...

Week 12 RB Leaderboard

(Bold indicates Top 10 in a stat.)

Classify Me, Captain

Three-down Role with 80-plus Percent Snap Share

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - James Robinson
2. Chicago Bears - David Montgomery
3. Denver Broncos - Melvin Gordon, technically

Three-down Role, But Subbed Out Sometimes

1. Houston Texans - Duke Johnson
2. Dallas Cowboys - Ezekiel Elliott
3. Carolina Panthers - Mike Davis
4. Minnesota Vikings - Dalvin Cook
5. Las Vegas Raiders - Josh Jacobs
6. Cincinnati Bengals - Giovani Bernard
7. Indianapolis Colts - Nyheim Hines
8. Los Angeles Chargers - Austin Ekeler

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

1. Washington Football Team - Antonio Gibson
2. New York Giants - Wayne Gallman
3. New York Jets - Frank Gore
4. Tennessee Titans - Derrick Henry
5. New England Patriots - Damien Harris
6. Kansas City Chiefs - Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Two-Man Split

1. Atlanta Falcons - Brian Hill & Ito Smith
2. Arizona Cardinals - Kenyan Drake & Chase Edmonds
3. Cleveland Browns - Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt
4. Buffalo Bills - Zack Moss & Devin Singletary
5. New Orleans Saints - Alvin Kamara & Latavius Murray
6. Green Bay Packers - Aaron Jones & Jamaal Williams
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ronald Jones & Leonard Fournette

Not-So-Pretty Committee

1. Detroit Lions - Adrian Peterson, Kerryon Johnson & Jonathan Williams
2. Miami Dolphins - DeAndre Washington, Matt Breida & Patrick Laird
3. San Francisco 49ers - Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson & Jerick McKinnon
4. LA Rams - Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson & Malcolm Brown

Game-by-Game Breakdowns

Texans (41) at Lions (25)

Texans

• The 75% snap share was actually Johnson's lowest since Week 7, which was the last time David Johnson (concussion) was healthy.
• Scottie Phillip played four snaps, but three were just kneel-downs at the very end of the game. Duke's snap share goes up to 79% if we don't count those kneel-downs.
• Duke played four of six snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, while Prosise got one.
• Handling a lead role the past four weeks, Johnson is averaging 12.3 carries, 2.5 catches, 60.6 yards and 0.5 TDs per game — 11.3 PPR points. Prior to his concussion, David Johnson had scored 13.5 PPR points across eight games.

Lions

• Peterson got the start and finished the first half with eight carries for six yards and two touchdowns, while Kerryon had eight carries for 32 yards and four catches for 52 more.
• After halftime, Peterson added seven carries for 49 yards, while Johnson got just three carries and zero targets on 17 snaps.
• Williams played 17 of his 21 snaps after halftime.
• Williams ran the most routes, but Johnson played eight of 10 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long. Johnson blocked on 10 of his 24 pass snaps, while Williams blocked on only four of his 19, per PFF.
• D'Andre Swift (concussion) was listed as questionable before he was declared inactive, so he'll likely be ready to play 10 days later against the Bears. He had season highs for snap share (73%), carries (16) and receiving yards (68) in his last game — a Week 10 win over Washington — but he suffered a concussion somewhere along the way and had to sit out Weeks 11 and 12.

Washington Football Team (41) at Cowboys (16)

WFT

• Gibson matched his season-high snap share from Week 2, and matched his Week 7 high for carries (20, also against Dallas). He found the end zone for a fifth straight game, this time from 5, 23 and 37 yards out. Plus, Gibson finished second on the team in targets, getting more than five for the first time.
• Gibson ran more routes than McKissic for the second time this year. The other instance was Week 2. However, McKissic was still the choice in obvious passing situations, taking eight of nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long (Gibson played just one of those).
• Gibson played 26 of 36 snaps (72%) in the first half, with McKissic getting 47% and Barber only 14%.
• Barber got seven of his 11 carries in the fourth quarter, including three in a row to run out the clock at the very end of the game.
• McKissic got 29 targets between Weeks 9 and 10, but he's seen only six over the past two games. He also got just one carry Thursday, his first time since Week 5 with fewer than three. He averaged 6.0 carries for 28.4 yards in Weeks 6-11.

Cowboys

• Elliott lost his fourth fumble of the year, but he was back on the field for the first play of the next drive. He had 114 total yards and a TD in the Week 11 win over Minnesota, But Elliott otherwise hasn't scored a touchdown or topped 80 yards since Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury.
• Zeke has seen either two or three targets in five consecutive games, compared to 7.0 targets per game over the first six weeks of the season. He's become an unexciting RB2, and there's always some danger of losing more work to Pollard, especially if the fumbles continue. If not for the huge contract, it might've happened already.

Panthers (27) at Vikings (28)

Panthers

• Curtis Samuel played only three snaps in the backfield, his fewest since Week 7 (though he hasn't logged more seven in a game since Week 3), per PFF. He took one carry for five yards.
• Davis played six of 10 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with Smith taking three.
• Davis got more playing time in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, logging 15 of 23 snaps (65%). Still, his snap share for the entire game (57%) was his second-smallest in nine starts this year.
• Christian McCaffrey (shoulder) could be back after the Panthers' bye in Week 13.

Vikings

• The Vikings ran 15 plays in 02 personnel (0 RB, 2 TEs, 3 WRs), including eight in the fourth quarter. That's why Cook finished below 80% snap share for just a second time in the past five weeks. He lost as much playing time to backup TE Tyler Conklin as he did to Mattison.
• The 18 carries were Cook's fewest since Week 5, and 61 rushing yards was his second-worst total of the year. He fumbled for a third week in a row, and lost a fumble for a second straight week.
• Cook played six of 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, while the other five came from zero-RB formations.

Raiders (6) at Falcons (43)

Raiders

• Jalen Richard (illness) missed a second straight game, and Theo Riddick is still on the COVID-19 list. Jacobs and Booker were the only tailbacks active for Vegas on Sunday.
• Jacobs played 78% of snaps through the first three quarters, before sitting out the entire fourth quarter. His workload in Q1-3 included seven of the nine snaps on third down.

Falcons

• Todd Gurley (knee) missed a game for the first time this season, allowing Hill to make the third start of his career. Same as last year, Hill had a lot of fantasy hype and played plenty of snaps, yet did nothing with the opportunity.
• Tony Brooks-James played six snaps (8%), all in the fourth quarter.
• Hill played 60% of snaps through three quarters, with a 12-6 advantage over Smith in carries. However, Smith had a 4-1 lead for targets, despite not getting regular third-down work.
• Hill played six of 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long before the fourth quarter. FB Keith Smith got three of the snaps, and Atlanta ran two others without an RB on the field.
• Prior to the fourth quarter, Hill played three of four snaps inside the 10-yard line, but without any carries or targets.

Giants (19) at Bengals (17)

Giants

• Gallman's four straight start yielded season highs for carries (24), rushing yards (94) and snap share (63%). He also matched his season high of five targets, and scored a touchdown for a fifth consecutive game.
• Gallman's five weeks in the lead role have yielded averages of 15.6 carries for 58.6 yards and 1.2 TDs, with 2.2 catches for 10.2 yards on 3.0 targets.
• The Giants have run 15 plays inside the opponent's yard line over the past five games; ten of those 15 plays have been Gallman carries.
• Devonta Freeman (ankle) is eligible to return from IR for Week 13 at Seattle, but it isn't clear he'll be ready.

Bengals

• Bernard handled his largest snap share of the season, after sinking to 54% and a near-even split with Perine the previous week in a loss to Washington. However, the Bengals ran only 46 plays Sunday afternoon, with the Giants holding possession for 37:26 of game time.
• Bernard got the only snap inside the 5-yard line, which was a pass play.
• Joe Mixon (foot) will be out at least one more week.

Dolphins (20) at Jets (3)

Phins

• Myles Gaskin (knee) and Salvon Ahmed (shoulder) missed the game. Both could be back as soon as Week 13.
• Breida got the start and played 11 of 14 snaps (79%) in the first quarter. Washington then played 10 of 16 (63%) in the second quarter, and 24 of 41 (59%) after halftime.
• Breida and Laird lost fumbles on back-to-back drives late in the third quarter. The Jets failed to score both times, naturally.
• Washington played three of four snaps inside the 10-yard line, with Laird getting the other. Washington's only touch inside the 10 was a one-yard carry from the 8-yard line.
• Lynn Bowden played more than 10 snaps for the first time, but he took only two of his 22 in the backfield, with 17 in the slot and three out wide, per PFF. (Slot receiver Malcolm Perry left the game with a chest injury.)

Jets

• The Jets ran 12 snaps (22%) from either 01 personnel or 02 personnel, where the RB is replaced by either a second TE or fourth WR. They mostly did it on third downs, where Johnson played just five of the 13 snaps, and Gore didn't getting any.
• The Jets never made it inside Miami's 10-yard line, and ran just four plays in the red zone. Three of those four plays were Gore touches, while Johnson was on the field for the fourth.
• La'Mical Perine (IR - ankle) will be out for at least two more games, and likely more than that.

Titans (45) at Colts (26)

Titans

• D'Onta Foreman played five snaps (7%) and took four carries for 28 yards. He got all his playing time in the second and third quarters.
• Henry now leads the league in carries (256), rushing yards (1,257) and rushing yards per game (114.3).
• McNichols played each of the six snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.

Colts

• With Jonathan Taylor placed on the COVID list, Nyheim Hines got his second straight start and finished with season highs for targets (10) and snap share (65%).
• Hines played 71% of snaps in the first half, including 10 of 17 on first down.
• Hines played seven of 10 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, and four of five inside the 10-yard line. He and Jacoby Brissett got two carries apiece inside the five, with Brissett scoring two touchdowns and Hines coming up empty.
• The two matchups with Tennessee account for 33% of Hines' PPR points this year.

Cardinals (17) at Patriots (20)

Cardinals

• Drake played five of six snaps inside the 5-yard line, carrying the ball on each of those five plays (including both his TDs).
• Edmonds played eight of nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, after getting seven of seven the previous week. Earlier in the year, Drake actually got a decent portion of those snaps, though it didn't lead to many targets.
• Drake has nine targets over the past two games, after getting only 11 through his first eight games of the season. He ran routes on only 34% of Kyler Murray's dropbacks the past two weeks, so the target increase probably won't hold up down the stretch.
• In three games since returning from an ankle injury, Drake has averaged 16.3 carries for 69 yards and 1.0 TD, plus 2.7 catches for 18.3 yards on 3.3 targets.
• Prior to the injury, Drake averaged 17.0 carries for 73.1 yards and 0.6 TDs, with 1.0 catch for 4.1 yards on 1.4 targets. Pretty similar.

Patriots

• Sony Michel was active but played just one snap.
• White played only 38% of snaps in the first full game with Rex Burkhead (knee) out for the season. White played 57% in a loss to Houston the previous week, catching six of nine targets for 64 yards and taking five carries for 19 yards.
• White scored his first TD from seven yard out on a 4th-and-2, and his second TD came on a 3rd-and-1 from the 1-yard line after Cam Newton and Harris had been stuffed on the previous two plays. It was strange to see White make a living on goal-line vultures, rather than receiving production.
• White played seven of eight snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.
• Harris played 17 of 21 snaps (81%) on first downs, and 14 of 19 (74%) on second downs. It was really only third downs where White got significant playing time.

Browns (27) at Jaguars (25)

Browns

• The 61% snap share was Chubb's second-largest of the year, behind only 62% from the Week 2 shootout win over Cincinnati. He'd played 43% and 45% in his first two games back from injury, though his carries have been right around 20 each week.
• Chubb played six of 11 snaps inside the 10-yard line, with Hunt taking the other five. Chubb had three of the four carries, including a one-yard TD early in the fourth quarter.
• Chubb played each of the three snaps inside the 5-yard line. Hunt had taken four of the six in that range over the previous two weeks.
• This was Chubb's first game all season with more than one target. He had only four in six games prior to Week 12.
• In three games since his return, Chubb has averaged 19.3 carries for 128 yards and 0.67 TDs, plus 1.0 catch for 10.7 yards.
• Meanwhile, Hunt has averaged 14.0 carries for 59 yards and 0.33 TDs, with 1.3 catches for 12.7 yards on 2.3 targets.
• Baker Mayfield didn't have to contend with wind this week, but he still finished with fewer than 30 pass attempts for a sixth straight game.

Jaguars

• Devine Ozigbo played two snaps, with no carries or targets.
• This was Robinson's third time above 80% snap share in the past five games. The Jags used Dare Ogunbowale on some passing downs in Week 11, but he was held out of Sunday's loss with a hand injury. It is possible Robinson dips back to the 70% snap range if Ogunbowale returns soon.

Chargers (17) at Bills (27)

Chargers

• Kalen Ballage (ankle/calf) was inactive, and Justin Jackson (knee) is still on IR. Ballage was listed as questionable heading into the game, so it won't be much of a surprise if he returns for Week 13 against New England. The former Dolphin was the Chargers' lead back Weeks 9-11.
• Ekeler got the start in his first appearance since Week 4. The 72% snap share was tied for a season high, and also tied for the fifth-largest of his career.
• Troymaine Pope played six snaps (7%), with one carry and one target.
• Ekeler played four of five snaps inside the 5-yard line and even got a carry there, but it was Kelley who scored a one-yard TD, despite getting just the one snap in that area.
• Ekeler played nine of 14 snaps (64%) in the red zone, with three carries and two targets.

Bills

• The 60% snap share was a new high for Moss, who handled more playing time than Singletary for a fourth straight game.
• Despite the season-low snap share, Singletary had his second-most rushing yards of the year, and he got 11 carries after taking just six over the previous two games combined. He did lose a fumble in the fourth quarter, and played just three of 11 snaps after that.

49ers (23) at Rams (20)

Niners

• Mostert returned from an ankle injury to make his first appearance since Week 6. He got the start and the first three carries, but the 40% snap share was his smallest in a healthy game since the divisional round of last season's playoffs.
• Wilson returned from an ankle injury to play for the first time since Week 7. He lost a fumble in the first quarter but continued to get work throughout the afternoon.
• McKinnon played 11 of his 18 snaps on third down, including eight of the team's nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, i.e., he was almost strictly a passing-down specialist.
• Mostert's eight-yard TD was the only play San Francisco ran inside the 10-yard line in this game.
• Tevin Coleman (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday through Friday, before being ruled out on the final injury report. In other words, he could be back for Week 13, though it isn't clear he'd have a significant role.

Rams

• Henderson got the start, and 10 carries were actually the most he's had since Week 7. He's now at four straight games with 7-10 carries and no more than 47 rushing yards or 11 receiving yards (with just one TD in that stretch).
• Akers played both of the snaps inside the 10-yard line, taking two carries for seven yards and a TD. The previous week, each of the three RBs had played two snaps inside the 10, with Henderson getting the lone carry.
• Akers played only 6% of snaps in the first half, but then got 54% of snaps and eight of the nine RB carries after halftime.
• Meanwhile, Henderson got just one carry and one target on 21% of snaps in the second half. He didn't play any more snaps after Akers broke free for a 61-yard gain late in the third quarter.
• Brown lost a fumble on the Rams' opening drive, but he continued to handle passing downs throughout the game.

Saints (32) at Broncos (3)

Saints

• Kamara played only five of 14 snaps (36%) in the third quarter, and only three of 14 (21.4%) in the fourth. He did get 64% in the first half, but even then Murray had a 9-8 advantage in carries entering the break.
• Kamara has played 48% of snaps in both games with Taysom Hill at QB, after playing at least 66% of snaps in eight of the Saints' first nine games. Kamara has 24 carries and three targets over the two-week stretch. The Drew Brees injury is hurting Kamara's fantasy managers far more than it's hurting Brees' managers.
• Murray scored his TDs from 36 and 8 yards out. Murray didn't play any snaps inside the 5-yard line, and Kamara got only one of three. Taysom Hill got both of the team's carries in that range, scoring two short rushing TDs.

Broncos

• With WR Kendall Hinton playing quarterback, the Broncos attempted only nine passes and never made it to the red zone.
• Lindsay left with a knee injury in the second half.
• Direct snaps accounted for 10 of Freeman's 13 snaps and nine of Lindsay's 14, per PFF.

Chiefs (27) at Bucs (24)

Chiefs

• Darrel Williams played eight snaps (10%), with no carries or targets. He handled six of the nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, otherwise barely seeing the field.
• Edwards-Helaire was the starter and actually got his largest snap share since Bell entered the mix. Still, the rookie has been in the 40-to-59 percent range in each of five games sharing the backfield with Bell.
• CEH played each of the four snaps inside the 10-yard line, but he didn't have any carries of targets from in close.
• Over the past five games, Edwards-Helaire is averaging 8.8 carries, 1.8 receptions, 48.8 total yards and 0.8 TDs. Patrick Mahomes has thrown 40.8 passes per game in the same stretch, despite each of the five being wins.

Bucs

• Jones got the start and played nine snaps to Fournette's two in the first quarter. After that, Fournette played 69% of snaps and Jones only 27%, with the Bucs going pass-heavy once they fell behind 17-0.
• It was the second straight week with Jones getting exactly 10 touches and 36% snap share in a 27-24 loss to a team with Missouri roots. Important stuff, right?
• Fournette got three of five snaps inside the 10-yard line, with one carry and one target. LeSean McCoy also played one, but it was his only snap of the game.

Bears (25) at Packers (41)

Bears

• Cordarrelle Patterson played five of his nine snaps on offense in the backfield, per PFF. He took two carries for eight yards, and didn't get any targets.
• Apart from the game he left early with a concussion, Montgomery is now up to six straight games playing 81-to-85 percent of snaps. He's averaging 14.1 carries for 54.9 yards and 4.1 catches for 26.9 yards since Tarik Cohen tore an ACL, but Monty's TD on Sunday was only his second of the seven-game stretch.
• The final score doesn't look too terrible, but the Packers had a 41-10 lead at the end of the third quarter. Montgomery played 24 of 25 snaps in a meaningless fourth quarter, padding his stats with 4-26-0 rushing and 3-20-1 receiving.

Packers

• Jones played 59% of snaps in the first half, and had nine carries to Williams' seven at that point. The Packers then leaned more toward Williams while sitting on a huge lead after halftime.
• Jones played each of the three snaps inside the 10-yard line. Williams scored from 13 yards out late in the third quarter.

Seahawks (23) at Eagles (17)

Seahawks

• Carson returned from a foot injury, getting the start in his first appearance since Week 7. However, apart from the game where he suffered said injury, Monday's snap share was a season low.
• Travis Homer (wrist/thumb/knee) was inactive, while DeeJay Dallas strictly played special teams.
• Hyde led the Seattle backfield in snaps, carries and targets, but with only 29 yards from 17 touches he didn't exactly make the best case to continue seeing a lot of work. The Seahawks likely were just taking it easy on Carson because he'd been out for a while.
• Carson played four of seven snaps inside the 10-yard line, but Hyde had a 2-1 carry advantage in that range. Neither found the end zone from in close, with Carson's TD coming from 16 yards out.

Eagles

• Sanders has  played 60% and 61% of snaps the past two weeks, after logging at least 72% in every healthy game prior to Week 11. He still got plenty of touches the previous week while sharing more snaps with Scott, but the roof caved in during Monday's loss, with the Eagles barely making an effort to run the ball against Seattle's supposed pass-funnel defense.
• Sanders played 61% of snaps in the first half, and 59% in the second. So his reduced playing time wasn't just a matter of Scott getting more work with the Eagles in catch-up mode.
• Sanders played six of 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long. Scott handled the other five.
• Corey Clement played four snaps (6%) and took one carry for six yards.
• Sanders played both of the team's snaps inside the 10-yard line. Both plays were passes to TE Dallas Goedert.

Ravens (14) at Steelers (19)

Ravens

• Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins both missed the game after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week.
• Edwards got the start and the first carry, but it ended up as an even split, and not just because of game script. Edwards played only one more snap (15) than Hill in the first half, and the same number (12) after halftime.
• Edwards and Hill got two carries apiece inside the five, but Hill's both came from the 4-yard line, while Edwards' both came from the 1-yard line.
• Hill played 13 of 14 snaps on third down, including four carries for 29 yards on 3rd-and-long plays. He did have a 19-yard gain on a 3rd-and-9 to set up a goal-line sequence right before halftime where the Ravens came away with no points.

Steelers

• James Conner (reserve/COVID-19) missed a game for the first time this year, and Jaylen Samuels (quad) also sat out. Wendell Smallwood was available as the No. 3 back, but he didn't play any snaps on offense.
• Snell played six of nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with McFarland getting just one and the Steelers using no RB on two others. In other words, the Steelers preferred Snell over McFarland for both early downs and clear passing situations.
• Snell took 11 of the 12 snaps inside the 10-yard line, including three carries and a "target". (The target was a desperation heave in Snell's general direction on a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line.)

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. Devontae Booker
2. Benny Snell
3. Cam Akers
4. Frank Gore
5. Brian Hill
6. Ito Smith
7. Carlos Hyde
8. Tony Pollard
9. Ty Johnson