We’re into Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season and many fantasy football managers — myself included — are still trying to make sense of some running back deployment. Backfield splits have been tough to narrow down for some committees this season. But it’s still early, not to fret, we’ll figure this all out. Below, we’ll break down RB touches for some key backfield splits and try to shed some light to help you make fantasy football waiver wire and roster decisions moving forward.

Washington Commanders

Oh, Commanders … when are you going to figure out who is going to lead the backfield? Going into the first week with Austin Ekeler (Achilles) out, many believed that rookie Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt would be the lead back. We also knew that Jeremy McNichols would be in the mix and Chris Rodriguez Jr. would be active and involved. We also knew QB Jayden Daniels (knee) would be sidelined and Marcus Mariota would be starting, meaning Washington may lean on the run. That was the case; the Commanders ran the ball 32 times. The problem was, the RB usage was all over the place. Here’s the breakdown:

Player

Carries

Yards

TDs

Jeremy McNichols

4

78

1

Marcus Mariota

6

40

1

Chris Rodriguez Jr.

11

39

0

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

8

26

1

It’s also worth noting, before we get into things, that WR Deebo Samuel Sr. had three carries for 18 yards.

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Okay, let’s break it down. McNichols had a breakaway 60-yard TD that accounted for most of his production. C-Rod and JCM got more of the work and the rookie was able to find the end zone for the second time this season. Only Croskey-Merritt had a look in the passing game, a five-yard catch.

That was it. This is as true of a three-man split as we’ll see. Plus, the Commanders designed some runs for Mariota, which made sense.

We also need to account for game script; the Commanders built up a 34-10 lead and never looked back. This is likely going to continue to be a volatile situation, one we can’t figure out exactly week-to-week. All three backs will have value to fantasy managers, maybe not as a starter in your roster but on the bench. One more injury might thrust another back into a more prevalent role where we can start them comfortably. But until that, we need to wait and see more.

Cleveland Browns

If it wasn’t completely clear, it is now: This is Quinshon Judkins’ backfield. The rookie dominated touches in Week 3’s upset win over the Packers, rushing a commanding 18 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. Fellow rookie Dylan Sampson saw a meager one carry for two yards. That was it. The rest was all Judkins, who also had some key runs to spark the Browns’ comeback victory.

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What’s also notable is Sampson wasn’t even targeted in the game. Veteran Jerome Ford, who led the backfield in snaps last week, had four catches for 10 yards. Judkins also had a catch for one yard. So does this mean Sampson is being phased out? That could be the case, at least on the ground. Judkins is clearly the most talented back and should continue to be the lead going forward. Judkins has moved from FLEX territory to RB2 with upside for more moving forward and, if you snagged him in your draft, that patience is definitely paying off.

New England Patriots

This backfield is like a vicious circle of ineptitude. First week, it looked like TreVeyon Henderson would slowly overtake Rhamondre Stevenson. Second week, Stevenson explodes and shows us why it’s still his backfield. Third week, Stevenson implodes and we’re back to square one.

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In Week 3’s loss to the Steelers, Stevenson fumbled the ball twice in huge spots. He ultimately got benched and the Patriots opted to use Henderson and veteran Antonio Gibson, who popped up last week with six touches. Gibson would also fumble, clearing the way for Henderson to be more involved again. The rookie would lead the backfield in touches with 14 total (three catches) but only for 47 yards. Pretty inefficient. Stevenson had seven touches for 56 yards and Gibson had seven rushes for 28 yards. QB Drake Maye also added seven carries for 45 yards.

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This backfield may be more of a mess than Washington’s, to be honest. Stevenson should get another crack at leading the backfield, you’d think. But another fumble may get him run out of town. Henderson still has a lot to prove and the penalties last week won’t be forgotten, but you’ve got to think Mike Vrabel may just have to let Henderson figure it out and hope some big plays come. Gibson is the fantasy football gnat of the situation, just there to annoyingly leech touches from Stevenson and Henderson. It’s difficult to trust any of these backs and we need more games to see who emerges.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers brought in Rico Dowdle to back up Chuba Hubbard, who signed an extension before this season. It’s still Hubbard’s backfield but Dowdle made his presence known, at least in Week 3. Hubbard led the way with 19 total touches (two catches) for 76 yards. Dowdle ended up with double-digit touches (11) while totaling 38 yards and a touchdown. QB Bryce Young also had a rushing TD in a 30-0 victory over the Falcons.

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Carolina went up relatively big in the early parts of the second half, so this may be game script at work. But it’s still worth noting Dowdle has received more touches each week. Does that mean the two backs will end up in a split? Not at the moment. It does solidify Dowdle as a premier backup if anything happens to Hubbard. We’ll have to monitor whether or not Dowdle gets more goal-line carries. His TD came in the fourth quarter with the Panthers up 20-0. So it may just be a blip on the radar. But if Dowdle is still out there on the waiver wire, go grab him, whether or not you have Hubbard on your roster.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We’re into the second game of the two-man backfield of Travis Etienne Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten for the Jaguars. Etienne continues to dominate touches with 16 in Week 3 vs. the Texans. Etienne also scored another TD, his second of the season (first rushing). But we also saw Tuten get back in the end zone early in the contest in the red zone and finish with six carries (21 yards). Tuten could continue to see goal-line touches and vulture TDs from Etienne. That could limit the lead back’s value in standard formats. Etienne is still a solid RB2 but now, Tuten is emerging as a decent FLEX play.