Nobody has a more stacked lineup of fantasy analysts and NFL team reporters than ESPN. It's the rare "backfield by committee" that is actually a good thing for fantasy football managers.
Every Tuesday, Mike Triplett will ask our NFL Nation reporters a series of burning questions about the weekend's biggest stories in order to help inform you for your waiver-wire pickups and roster decisions.
This week, we focused solely on running backs, with so many premium fantasy draft picks dealing with unexpected timeshares or injuries. It's fair to be concerned that Seattle's Chris Carson and Philadelphia's Miles Sanders will keep losing touches to Alex Collins and Kenneth Gainwell, but there is actually a glimmer of hope that Myles Gaskin can eventually find his footing in Miami.
It's time to begin our weekly trip around the league, so fasten your seat belts and get ready to tour the NFL Nation!
Seattle Seahawks
Should Chris Carson's fantasy managers be concerned by how much he split touches with Alex Collins on Sunday? Is Collins worth adding in fantasy?
It should be at least a little concerning, yes. While Carson is still the clear-cut No. 1 option, Collins should earn more snaps in a complementary role after the much-needed spark he gave the Seattle offense on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles
Is this a full-on timeshare now between Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell, or do you think Sanders will see more volume and production going forward?
Gainwell (89 total yards and a touchdown) outproduced Sanders (47 total yards) against the Chiefs on Sunday despite being on the field for 18 fewer snaps. It's hard not to notice how crisp Gainwell looks. He explodes through the hole as a ball carrier and is smooth in the passing game. Meanwhile, Sanders hasn't quite found his rhythm. Of course, finding a rhythm is hard when you've had only nine carries over the past two weeks. This situation is creeping closer to a timeshare and will stay that way unless and until Sanders starts busting loose. -- Tim McManus
Miami Dolphins
Why did Myles Gaskin disappear on Sunday, and is there any hope he'll re-emerge as a lead back at some point?
Dolphins co-offensive coordinator Eric Studesville said the team wanted to "create a role" for RB Malcolm Brown, so they gave him another start after he seemingly rewarded them with a 24-yard TD run in Week 3. The experiment fell flat in Week 4, with Brown gaining just 23 yards on eight carries. Even more puzzling, however, was the fact that Gaskin, who has been Miami's most productive back, touched the ball only twice and wasn't targeted at all in the passing game.
It's likely that Gaskin bounces back -- for no reason other than the fact that both Brown's and Salvon Ahmed's usage cannot continue at this rate if the Dolphins want to have any semblance of a running game moving forward. Try to weather the storm until Tua Tagovailoa returns and this offense (hopefully) turns over a new leaf. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
Detroit Lions
After Dan Campbell promised we would see more of D'Andre Swift, he actually had fewer touches than Jamaal Williams. Was that just a one-week anomaly?
Yes. However, situations matter and it will depend on what defensive schemes they're facing in these moments. The Lions' coaching staff also understands what they have in the backfield with two dual-threat runners, so they will ride the hot hand -- meaning that Williams could very well get more touches in any given game if he's rolling, even though Swift is considered to be the RB1.
During training camp, Campbell, a former Saints assistant, said he envisions Detroit's one-two punch becoming like New Orleans' Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II were when they were teammates. "He's high energy, he's a bit of a hammer and I think he's a guy your team can feed off of a little bit," Campbell said of Williams. "I said that when we signed him. That was always what Mark was for us and Latavius Murray when Mark left us. That's what Jamaal is." -- Eric Woodyard
Minnesota Vikings
Should Dalvin Cook's fantasy managers worry that he'll continue to split this much time with Alexander Mattison in order to keep him healthy -- or do you expect him to gradually return to his usual role?
Cook appeared to be on a snap count against Cleveland before he missed nearly two quarters of play, likely due to an aggravation of his ankle injury. Mattison finished with a team-high 10 carries, but the Vikings' run game couldn't get anything going behind either him or Cook against the Browns. I would expect this to continue until Cook is able to shoulder a full load, especially if his ankle is bothering him in Week 5. -- Courtney Cronin
Chicago Bears
Who fills the void while David Montgomery is sidelined?
That's a tough one because Damien Williams (the backup to Montgomery) suffered a quad injury in Week 4. If Williams is also sidelined, the Bears may turn either to rookie Khalil Herbert or perhaps veteran Ryan Nall to fill the void. At some point, though, the Bears hope Tarik Cohen can return from last year's torn ACL. -- Jeff Dickerson
Cincinnati Bengals
Who fills the void if Joe Mixon misses time?
Look for Samaje Perine to get the bulk of the carries. Perine was re-signed in the offseason and promoted to be the team's No. 2 running back. Through four games, Perine is the lone running back besides Mixon to get carries. Rookie Chris Evans will be an intriguing option in the passing game. He carries a lot of similarities to former Bengals RB Giovani Bernard, who was released in the offseason after spending eight seasons in Cincinnati. -- Ben Baby
New England Patriots
Damien Harris has a total of 10 rushing yards over the past two weeks. Is this just a case of the Patriots facing two of the NFL's best rushing defenses or is there more reason for concern?
It's more tied to the defenses they were facing, for sure. There is no concern internally about Harris as a rusher, although there's a more general concern about the blocking in front of him. The Patriots had just eight rushes against the Buccaneers and ended up actually losing 1 yard in total! Bill Belichick said, "We've got to do better. That's obvious." Yes, it is. -- Mike Reiss
Green Bay Packers
Is there anything to see here with AJ Dillon?
Maybe the Packers will use both Aaron Jones and Dillon a little more as long as they're down a receiver (Marquez Valdes-Scantling was placed on IR last week because of a hamstring injury). Jones is still the go-to guy, but when you look at the combined numbers from Sunday's win over the Steelers -- 34 touches for 196 yards -- there's a case to be made for Dillon to have a similar role to Jones in the Green Bay offense. -- Rob Demovsky
New Orleans Saints
Are 26 carries and zero targets the new normal for Alvin Kamara?
Those numbers are both extremes, considering we're talking about a career high in carries and a career low in targets. Still, this is definitely a trend we've been seeing all season with Kamara, who set his previous career high with 24 carries last week. The bad news is that Kamara isn't going to be the PPR star we saw in years past when he had 80-plus catches in four straight years with Drew Brees as his quarterback.
The good news is that the Saints know how essential Kamara is to their offense, even with Michael Thomas expected to return from injury in a few weeks. Plus, he should continue to see a high volume of touches and touchdowns in one form or another. "He has to be one of the main focal points of what we do," Sean Payton said on Monday. -- Mike Triplett