Factoid

August 17, 2021

Three-back committees

Houston, Miami have problematic backfields

Brian Flores says Miami will use all three of its running backs -- Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, Malcolm Brown. David Culley will likely do the same with Houston's backfield of Phillip Lindsay, Mark Ingram and David Johnson. Perhaps he'll even find some chances for Rex Burkhead; you don't want to leave that on the bench. Death to fantasy value.

I think the broad recommendation here is to steer clear of most of these players. If Flores thinks running Brown into the line is a good use of carries, his judgment can't be trusted to make Gaskin a viable running back. If Culley seriously thinks David Johnson should be a third-down back behind Ingram and/or Lindsay, I want even less to do with Houston than I did initially.

But for the sake of discussion, I decided to examine whether a three-back committee might produce some viable fantasy players. The history wasn't quite as awful as I expected.

I took a look at every team in the last 20 years that's had three running backs with 100-plus touches (combined rushing attempts and receptions) in a season. There have been 30 such teams. Only one of those teams had a top-10 fantasy back, which isn't surprising. But those teams did produce 14 top-25 backs, across 12 different teams (two teams had 2). So it is possible to pluck a quality starter in typical 12-team leagues out of this bad situation.

But -- and this is important -- a lot of the teams that produced those backs were a whole lot better on offense than Houston figures to be, and almost certainly Miami too. Nearly half (6) of those 14 running backs came from high-powered New Orleans offenses. (One of which Ingram played for, watching Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas finish the season ranked in the top 25.) That's about the only thing the 2021 Texans and those great New Orleans offenses have in common: Ingram.

Table shows those 30 three-man backfields, with top-25 running backs in bold. There were two last year (49ers and Rams, which included Malcolm Brown). The top running back was 31st-ranked Jeff Wilson.

THREE-MAN BACKFIELDS (100 TOUCHES EACH), 2001-2020
Year	Player	Att	Yds	Rec	Yds	TD	Tch	PPR	Rk
2020	Jeff Wilson, S.F.	126	600	13	133	10	139	146.3	31
2020	Jerick McKinnon, S.F.	81	319	33	253	6	114	126.2	39
2020	Raheem Mostert,	104	521	16	156	3	120	101.7	47
2020	Darrell Henderson, LAR	138	624	16	159	6	154	130.3	36
2020	Malcolm Brown, LAR	101	419	23	162	5	124	111.1	43
2020	Cam Akers, LAR	145	625	11	123	3	156	103.8	45
2019	Raheem Mostert, S.F.	137	772	14	180	10	151	169.2	26
2019	Tevin Coleman, S.F.	137	544	21	180	7	158	135.4	39
2019	Matt Breida, S.F.	123	623	19	120	2	142	105.3	46
2019	James Conner, Pitt.	116	464	34	251	7	150	147.5	34
2019	Jaylen Samuels, Pitt.	66	175	47	305	2	113	108.8	45
2019	Benny Snell, Pitt.	108	426	3	23	2	111	59.9	67
2018	Jalen Richard, Oak.	55	259	68	607	1	123	160.6	29
2018	Doug Martin, Oak.	172	723	18	116	4	190	125.9	40
2018	Marshawn Lynch, Oak.	90	376	15	84	3	105	79.0	63
2018	Kerryon Johnson, Det.	118	641	32	213	4	150	141.4	33
2018	Theo Riddick, Det.	40	171	61	384	0	101	116.5	43
2018	LeGarrette Blount, Det.	154	418	10	67	5	164	88.5	59
2017	Bilal Powell, NYJ	178	772	23	170	5	201	147.2	30
2017	Matt Forte, NYJ	103	381	37	293	3	140	122.4	42
2017	Elijah McGuire, NYJ	88	315	17	177	2	105	80.2	62
2016	Latavius Murray, Oak.	195	788	33	264	12	228	210.2	13
2016	Jalen Richard, Oak.	83	491	29	194	3	112	115.5	42
2016	DeAndre Washington, Oak.	87	467	17	115	2	104	87.2	57
2016	Theo Riddick, Det.	92	357	53	371	6	145	161.8	25
2016	Zach Zenner, Det.	88	334	18	196	4	106	95.0	52
2016	Dwayne Washington, Det.	90	265	10	62	1	100	48.7	75
2016	Chris Thompson, Was.	68	356	49	349	5	117	149.5	28
2016	Robert Kelley, Was.	168	704	12	82	7	180	132.6	38
2016	Matt Jones, Was.	99	460	8	73	3	107	79.3	58
2015	DeMarco Murray, Phil.	193	702	44	322	7	237	188.4	15
2015	Darren Sproles, Phil.	83	317	55	388	6	138	161.5	26
2015	Ryan Mathews, Phil.	106	539	20	146	7	126	130.5	36
2015	Theo Riddick, Det.	43	133	80	697	3	123	181.0	19
2015	Ameer Abdullah, Det.	143	597	25	183	3	168	121.0	44
2015	Joique Bell, Det.	90	311	22	286	4	112	105.7	50
2012	Darren Sproles, N.O.	48	244	75	667	8	123	216.1	13
2012	Pierre Thomas, N.O.	105	473	39	354	2	144	133.7	32
2012	Mark Ingram, N.O.	156	602	6	29	5	162	99.1	42
2011	Darren Sproles, N.O.	87	603	86	710	10	173	277.3	5
2011	Pierre Thomas, N.O.	110	562	50	425	6	160	184.7	21
2011	Mark Ingram, N.O.	122	474	11	46	5	133	93.0	46
2011	Dexter McCluster, K.C.	114	516	46	328	2	160	142.4	31
2011	Jackie Battle, K.C.	149	597	9	68	2	158	87.5	50
2011	Thomas Jones, K.C.	153	478	5	43	0	158	57.1	70
2011	Donald Brown, Ind.	134	645	16	86	5	150	119.1	38
2011	Joseph Addai, Ind.	118	433	15	93	1	133	73.6	58
2011	Delone Carter, Ind.	101	377	5	18	2	106	56.5	71
2010	Mike Tolbert, S.D.	182	735	25	216	11	207	188.1	21
2010	Darren Sproles, S.D.	50	267	59	520	2	109	149.7	29
2010	Ryan Mathews, S.D.	158	678	22	145	7	180	146.3	31
2009	Pierre Thomas, N.O.	147	793	39	302	8	186	196.5	19
2009	Reggie Bush, N.O.	70	390	47	335	8	117	167.5	29
2009	Mike Bell, N.O.	172	654	4	12	5	176	100.6	46
2009	Michael Bush, Oak.	123	589	17	105	3	140	104.4	44
2009	Justin Fargas, Oak.	129	491	17	113	3	146	95.4	48
2009	Darren McFadden, Oak.	104	357	21	245	1	125	87.2	51
2008	Pierre Thomas, N.O.	129	625	31	284	12	160	193.9	19
2008	Reggie Bush, N.O.	106	404	52	440	9	158	190.4	22
2008	Deuce McAllister, N.O.	107	418	18	128	6	125	108.6	47
2008	LeRon McClain, Balt.	232	902	19	123	11	251	187.5	23
2008	Willis McGahee, Balt.	170	671	24	173	7	194	150.4	35
2008	Ray Rice, Balt.	107	454	33	273	0	140	105.7	49
2008	Darren McFadden, Oak.	113	499	29	285	4	142	131.4	42
2008	Justin Fargas, Oak.	218	853	10	52	1	228	106.5	48
2008	Michael Bush, Oak.	95	421	19	162	3	114	95.7	55
2006	Leon Washington, NYJ	151	650	25	270	4	176	141.0	35
2006	Kevan Barlow, NYJ	131	370	7	21	6	138	82.1	53
2006	Cedric Houston, NYJ	113	374	7	43	5	120	78.7	54
2005	Kevin Jones, Det.	186	664	20	109	5	206	127.3	32
2005	Shawn Bryson, Det.	64	306	37	284	1	101	102.0	44
2005	Artose Pinner, Det.	106	349	21	181	3	127	92.0	52
2005	Antowain Smith, N.O.	166	659	12	46	3	178	100.5	45
2005	Aaron Stecker, N.O.	95	363	35	281	0	130	99.4	46
2005	Deuce McAllister, N.O.	93	335	17	117	3	110	80.2	55
2004	Priest Holmes, K.C.	196	892	19	187	15	215	216.9	18
2004	Larry Johnson, K.C.	120	581	22	278	11	142	173.9	27
2004	Derrick Blaylock, K.C.	118	539	25	246	9	143	157.5	29
2003	Moe Williams, Min.	174	745	65	644	8	239	251.9	12
2003	Onterrio Smith, Min.	107	579	15	129	5	122	117.8	38
2003	Michael Bennett, Min.	90	447	12	132	1	102	75.9	50
2003	Brian Westbrook, Phil.	117	613	37	332	13	154	209.5	20
2003	Duce Staley, Phil.	96	463	36	382	7	132	162.5	28
2003	Correll Buckhalter, Phil.	126	542	10	133	9	136	131.5	34
2003	Jamel White, Cle.	70	266	46	303	2	116	114.9	40
2003	James Jackson, Cle.	102	382	14	114	3	116	81.6	47
2003	William Green, Cle.	142	559	10	50	1	152	76.9	49
2001	Cory Schlesinger, Det.	47	154	60	466	3	107	140.0	28
2001	James Stewart, Det.	143	685	23	242	2	166	127.7	34
2001	Lamont Warren, Det.	61	191	40	336	4	101	118.7	36

Final thought from me is that half (7) of those 14 running backs were prolific pass catchers, finishing the season with at least 50 receptions. Not surprising (PPR scoring), but it highlights my feeling that Johnson and Gaskin -- who should be the primary pass catchers in Houston and Miami -- seem to have the best chance to finish with usable fantasy production. Five of the other seven top-25 backs scored double-digit touchdowns. If you think Miami or Houston is going to have a running back score 10 touchdowns this season...well, good luck with that.

--Andy Richardson

Older

Newer

My dad and I have subscribed since I was 10 years old and I am 38 now. We canʼt go a season without it.

Trevor T. Sparks, Nev.

You guys are great - if you look at my account, I believe I have been a subscriber for around 20 years! Unfortunately, a few years ago a couple of other owners found the same publication (they didnʼt get it from me; I always disguised the sheets while at the draft!)

Michael B. St. Charles, Mo.

I have purchased your magazine since my first fantasy football season ever 12 season ago and love the insight you offer. Thank you for the great service, I look forward to many many more years of enjoying your subscription!

Paul L. Mequon, Wisc.

The magazine is exactly the same as last year, which is perfect. Boys, we have a chance to repeat in the 33rd year of the NWFFL. I am counting on you to help pull it off. FI has been a league staple for decades, one of my guys has every edition. A few years ago, we devised a clever way to use one of your lists to draft a team for an absent owner, the sob won it all. We love you guys. Peace!

Glenn S. Olympia, Wash.

Hi, received my copy over the weekend and I think it's the best work you guys have done (I've been reading your publication since 1988). The writing is terrific and full of good humor, along with more substance than anybody else has.

Keep up the great work!

John L. Madison, Wis.

I'm in 3 leagues. All have different formats. I bought one magazine, the same magazine for 30 years. I keep the Fantasy Football Index handy and refer back to your preseason reports throughout the season to help me evaluate roster moves in every format. This week I'm in two championship games and a semifinal. Did I tell you I'm in three leagues? Three playoff teams! Best fantasy season ever. Thank you.

Henry G. Bartlett, Ill.

Thanks for another great season of Fantasy Index, you avoid group-think and form your own opinions, and always have. I've been using your products since 1992, and you've always been a cut above the rest.

Rob D. Wellington, Fla.

Thank you for all you do and what your team does. Been playing since mid 90s and your mag has been there every year. The mailer I get with the questions on the front is what I consider the beginning of the fantasy football season. Get the updates and listen to the podcast. I write a weekly column for the newspaper I work at and always appreciate the work you put in to produce as much as you do. Just a fan saying thanks and will keep up with you and the site through the season.

Jason C. Tulsa, Okla.

A little feedback from a long time customer.

Our fantasy pool is entering its 25^th year and I have used multiple books and on-line tools over the years.

I have locked on to Fantasy Index as my go to for the last 5 years and have won the pool 3 of those years and finished no lower than 4^th.

Interesting to see how much more accurate you were at the end of the year compared to other books my competitors used.

Having it in a format that allows me to work the forecasts to match our scoring system and then receive updates as the season approaches is invaluable. Whoever your sources are for the forecasts are the best. Hang on to them. Thanks for the help!!

Peter M. London, Ontario, Canada

I did receive the updated draft ranking from you guys in plenty of time for my draft that night. My draft report gave me an A+ and predicted me to go 14-0 and win my league! I just want to say thank you for the excellent customer service that your company provided me. When I first started playing fantasy football more than 15 years ago, I used to buy as many fantasy football magazines as I could find. It wasnʼt long before I only purchased Fantasy Football Index each year. It is by far the most comprehensive, well written fantasy football magazine on the market. Also, I almost always rank in the top three in my fantasy football leagues, and won my league last year. Thank you to you and all of your great team. You have a customer for life!

Trey C. Fort Worth, Texas

Thank you for all the updates etc. In the last 14 or 15 years, we have placed in the top three 9 times winning it all 4 times. I have been a customer of yours for many years. Our success is partially due to luck, but I think your magazine with all of the good stuff has been a real contributing factor. Keep up the good work. Will be a customer until the time I can't read anymore.

Richard M. Imperial, Neb.

I just wanted to send everyone at Fantasy Football Index an apology. Since 2003 (Ricky Williams cover), I've protected my source of information and have gone out of my way to hide Fantasy Football Index from my leagues prying eyes. I've won championships in leagues and money playing Daily Fantasy and your Training Camp updates are the highlight of my summer and a recurring order for me every single season. I just wanted to Thank You and everyone there (customer service, the writers, janitors, secretaries and assistants) for your hard work and dedication.

You are appreciated and valued part of my Fantasy Football Operations department even if i never speak your name in fear that others in my league will discover the wondrous bounty of knowledge contained in your pages…

From the bottom of a champion's heart,

Dave M. Elma, N.Y.

I wanted to send a quick note and thank you for your great magazine! The information you provide, has allowed me to win my league 3 years in a row!

The payoff in the league is not bad, six hundred dollars to be exact, but it is those all important bragging rights that really make it fun!

I epically enjoyed this last issue because you included all the covers for the past 30 years, I did not buy 87, and 88, but all the rest I have purchased.

All I have to do is read and then plug and play, thanks again for doing all the work so I don't have to, except for cash the check of course! Lol.

I will be continue to purchase your magazine, and recommend it to others, although I don't like to give away my secret!

I typically don't write emails to magazines, but after 3 wins in a row, and others which I did not list, I felt like you would like to know.

Thanks again to you and your staff,

Darrell W. Holt, Mich.

I wanted to let you know I finished my season going 16-0 winning my league, breaking every record in our 19 year history along the way. A special thank you to FI for the insightful knowledge as it provided me much help along the way.

Ryan M. Lynnwood, Wash.

You guys do a great job. I got laughed at by a few people at the draft but they're not laughing now. I'm leading the league in record (8-1) and PF thus far.

John W. Aylett, Va.

And a side note… we've got a re-draft 16-team, 20 players drafted league (drafting water boys by the 17^th round) that I've won 2 years in a row. Nobody's ever done that in 21 years… using your cheat sheet. it's an old school league that used to draft out of piles of magazines.

Thanks again,

Todd S. Grand Junction, Colo.

This is my ninth year competing with my two very savey adult children and their 11 regulars to make it a 14 team draft with a $200 bid limit. Your SuperFanatic package has put me into the 6 team play- offs 4 out of the 8 years and there is no way I could compete with these guys without my cheat sheets! They still have no idea how I can be so lucky every year :-) Cheaters do prosper!!!!

Robert A.

I wanted to thank you for such an amazing product and your customer service. I ordered the wrong date for my update and called to correct the mistake. Your customer service person was very kind, helpful and took care of the issue immediately.

I have used your product for the past 18 years or so… Every now and then I will be tempted and look at what other magazines have to offer, quickly realizing no one comes close.

In addition to the magazine, I started buying the weekly updates years ago when my dad taught me a lesson. The draft came and dad was sitting in the 12 hole for his pick. He told me he felt very comfortable about who he was going to select but would not tell me who his prized gem was to be. I was doubtful. The pick? Priest Holmes (his first dynamite year). I remember telling my dad, "that is a decent pick but they plan to pull him at the goal line." Ever the teacher, dad explained he had purchased the Fantasy Football Index update and read Holmes would get the goal line carries. "Update?", I asked. That was 2002 and Holmes had 21 rushing TDs and Dad won the title! Lesson learned.

By the way, I have made the title game for the last 5 years in a row. Thanks for the detailed, hard work and an great product!

David R. Queen Creek, Ariz.

Fantasy Index

Customer Service

Factoid

Three-back committees

Today's Trivia

Mailbag

Member updates

Follow

Why Choose Fantasy Index?

Quick hits

Your Stuff

In-Depth

Resources

All Products

Help & Support

Fantasy Index

Customer Service

Customer Service