ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which committee running back will emerge as a star the rest of the way?
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
It's so hard to trust anything with the Denver offense these days, but let's leave the light on for rookie Jonah Coleman. Veteran J.K. Dobbins is sputtering at 3.3 YPC and the team doesn't seem in love with second-year back RJ Harvey. And perhaps an easier second-half schedule can help Coleman spread his wings.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
TONY HOLM
Houston’s Woody Marks stands out to me as someone with the potential to take the ball and run with it. David Montgomery has struggled and in his absence this past week, Marks performed admirably, putting Houston in position to ultimately beat Jacksonville. Houston seems to be on the upswing too, which should only help to elevate Marks’ fantasy potential.
Holm works for Fantasy Sharks, whose rankings and content can be found at fantasysharks.com.
IAN ALLAN
I'm a fan of fishing for injuries. So rather than hoping a committee back will play his way into more of a featured role, I'm more inclined to look at the heavily used starters. It's tough to stay healthy, and when some of those back inevitably miss some games, the backups behind them will become statistically viable. Better to hold those players now, I think, rather than trying to win bidding wars on the waiver wire later. Thinking in particular of Emmett Johnson (KC), Mike Washington (LV), Kaelon Black (SF), Brian Robinson (Atl), Sione Vaki (Det), Rico Dowdle (PItt), Kyle Monangai (Chi) and Ray Davis (Buff).
Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
JASON WOOD
Committee structures are now the norm, and likely to remain. We're even seeing Christian McCaffrey's touches managed more this year, thanks to Kaelon Black. My pick would be Jeremiyah Love, simply because if someone is going to break free of the committee it's going to be because of pure talent. Love wasn't healthy coming into the season, but appears to be rounding into form. While I think Tyler Allgeier is a capable back in his own right, he's averaging just 3.0 yards per carry to Love's 3.7. And we know Love is more explosive and a better receiver.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
SAM HENDRICKS
Long shot here ...Tyrone Tracy NYG. The Giants backfield is a mess. As best I can tell Skattebo is in the dog house with Harbaugh as his 6 snap, 0 yards Week 6 can attest. Watching him run reminds me of a bowling ball. He needs clear lanes to build up momentum and then becomes hard to bring down. But if you get a hold of him at the line of scrimmage or even a few yards past he comes down (stops) relatively easy. And those back flips...don't get me started on thinking about the team first. Devin Singletary got almost as many snaps as Tracy but little production. I think last year's darling (4.2 YPC on 176 carries and 36 catches) is healthy and could break out as the only NYG option worth starting. And now for something totally different....Emmett Johnson KC. Kenneth Walker has looked great so far but sometimes he has missed a game or two during the season which could open the door for the outstanding rookie. He is an even longer shot!
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
SCOTT SACHS
Jonah Coleman flashed during training camp and early season before landing on the IR. He is due to return this week and the hope is that he can provide that flash once again. The Broncos have a very crowded RB situation. Dobbins & Harvey both scored double-digit fantasy points last week. However, Dobbins has had chronic hamstring issues and Harvey's real value is in the passing game. It's only Week 7, so there is plenty of time and upside potential going forward for Coleman to eventually get his chance.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
ANDY RICHARDSON
Jonah Coleman is a good choice; the Broncos need more out of their running game, and he has the potential to provide it. Even though I took fliers on Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary this week, I'm not totally giving up on Cam Skattebo reclaiming that backfield. Yes the fumbles are a problem, but that highlights why Tracy will eventually fall out of favor again. Last but not least, my optimism for Rico Dowdle entering the season is well known, and that hasn't worked out. But it's a long season, he's healthy now, and I think he has time to make this into a 60-40 backfield split in Pittsburgh, with him doing more of the running. Surely it's not lost on the coaches that scoring just 1 rushing touchdown as a team by Week 7 is an area that they need to change up a little bit.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. He is responsible for various site features, writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays.
