Injuries continue to pile up across the league, but the sudden surge in rookie running backs has been the other headline. Five rookie backs finished top 13 at the position and seven finished as top 25 RBs in Week 4, when they produced the most rushing yards of any week in September in NFL history.

Ashton Jeanty has gone back to his college stance. Woody Marks has emerged in Houston. Omarion Hampton is a top 10 fantasy RB rest of season with Najee Harris out. Quinshon Judkins looks like the best of the bunch and is a top 15 fantasy back moving forward. Cam Skattebo is a workhorse with Tyrone Tracy sidelined, and RJ Harvey broke out Monday night. TreVeyon Henderson, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Bhayshul Tuten may require an injury on the depth chart ahead of him to get a break, but they all still have upside. Brashard Smith is also earning more touches in Kansas City, as many rookie backs have fantasy arrows pointing up. Given that backdrop, here are the biggest questions entering Week 5.

Is Woody Marks an RB2?

Marks has seemingly surpassed Nick Chubb in Houston’s backfield with an impressive performance last week. He’ll still split some carries, but Marks should handle most passing downs. Moreover, coach DeMeco Ryans said he’s excited to see how much the rookie can handle. Marks’ snap%, carry% and route% have all increased each week this season, and Joe Mixon seems almost certain to be out for 2025.

Marks excelled as a receiver in college, and he’s looked far better than advertised as a runner in the NFL. He gets a favorable matchup this week against a struggling Baltimore run defense that allows the most fantasy points, catches and targets to RBs. Houston’s offensive line limits his upside, but I rank Marks as a fantasy RB2 rest-of-season.

How will Tampa Bay replace Bucky Irving?

Irving has been labeled “day-to-day” and “week-to-week” with his ankle/foot injury, requiring a walking boot and crutches. It doesn’t sound like a long-term injury, but Irving will likely miss time. Sean Tucker was fantasy’s RB1 in Week 6 last season, but it came on just 14 carries in a blowout against a bad run defense. Meanwhile, Rachaad White dominated Tampa Bay’s backfield in Week 14 after Irving left after just 10 snaps. Tucker looks like a future beast and will get touches, but the safest projection has White playing the majority of base down work and all the passing situations.

Tampa Bay’s offensive line is banged up, and the running scheme has taken a step back this year without Liam Coen, but White should be considered an RB2 this week, assuming Irving is out. The Seahawks have one of the league’s best run defenses but have allowed the most receptions and receiving yards to RBs this season.

How will Arizona replace Trey Benson?

Benson struggled last week against a top run defense, but he projected to be around RB15 rest-of-season with James Conner out. That was before Benson suffered an injury late in the game against Seattle. He was placed on IR after undergoing meniscus surgery and is expected to be sidelined four-to-six weeks. Arizona hasn’t had nearly the same rushing success after losing Klayton Adams during the offseason, but the current running back landscape gets thin quickly, especially with byes here.

Emari Demercado may appear like the next man up in Arizona’s backfield, but there’s a real chance he remains solely in the passing-down role. Reports indicate Michael Carter could be the new lead back, a role he filled two games last year (when Demercado was also out). Carter took first snaps during individual drills on Wednesday and called himself the starter. The Cardinals have consistently had one running back on early downs and one on late downs since Drew Petzing has been the OC.

Game scripts will matter when it comes to Demercado and Carter, and this week’s projects as favorable with Arizona 7.5-point home favorites. That bodes well for Carter, assuming he gets the lead role. He faces a Tennessee defense that has ceded the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs. Arizona’s backfield has uncertainty, but Carter has the potential to be this week’s Kenneth Gainwell.

What does Baltimore’s offense look like without Lamar Jackson?

It’s unclear how long Jackson will be sidelined with a hamstring injury, but it’s safe to expect him to miss at least this week’s game. The spread has moved about 8 points, highlighting how valuable the two-time MVP winner is. While the Commanders and Jets didn’t have to adjust their offenses much with similarly styled backup QBs, the Ravens’ offense will look dramatically different with Cooper Rush.

Baltimore’s pass catchers could theoretically see more dropbacks; Jackson sports a 16% designed-run rate and an 8% scramble rate this season, whereas Rush has somehow gained only 20 yards on 61 career carries. But that would require moving the offense, and Dallas ranked 28th in yards per play and last in TDs/drive after Rush took over last season. Baltimore’s yards per play have dropped from second best to fifth worst when Jackson hasn’t played since 2019.

Baltimore’s implied team total (20.5 points) is by far a season low in a tough matchup this week. All Ravens deserve an obvious fantasy downgrade, but Baltimore’s infrastructure won’t allow for a full collapse like in Cincinnati.

Who benefits from Tyreek Hill’s season-ending injury?

Jaylen Waddle went off for eight catches, 142 yards and one touchdown during the lone game Hill has missed during his Miami career. It’s obviously a small sample, and the Dolphins’ offense looks different now. But Waddle has earned targets in the past, and his fantasy value gets a significant boost moving forward. Waddle always remains an injury risk, but he’s two years removed from posting 1,356 yards. He gets a matchup against a Carolina defense allowing the third-fewest WR fantasy points this week, but Waddle is ~WR20 rest of season.

De’Von Achane already ranked second among RBs in target share, and he’s about to see even more work, albeit in a less effective offense. Darren Waller only saw 25% of the snaps during his debut last week, but he caught two touchdowns in his first action since 2023. Waller is a long shot to stay healthy, but he lined up at WR during 87.5% of his snaps and will be relied on to replace Hill. Waller could emerge as a fringe TE1, while Malik Washington is a WR sleeper.

Is Ja’Marr Chase a WR2 now?

Chase is still the WR5 in the “expert consensus ranks” rest-of-season, but that’s generous at best. The Bengals’ offense has been a disaster since Joe Burrow went down, as Jake Browning has managed an anemic 6.0 YPA. Cincinnati’s offensive line has been a major problem. Browning has faced two of the league’s top pass defenses on the road over the past two games, but Patrick Surtain shadowed Chase on only 13 snaps during last week’s dud.

Chase has averaged 22.0 fantasy points (PPR) during games without Browning since 2023, compared to 11.2 with him. However, Chase is a true alpha who won the WR Triple Crown last season, and wide receiver gets murky after the new top 10. Cincinnati could also make a QB trade. Moreover, the Bengals have the third-easiest projected WR schedule moving forward. Chase will improve, but he’s my WR13 rest-of-season, behind Rashee Rice.

Is Saquon Barkley the best buy low in fantasy?

Maybe your league values Barkley the same as draft day, but surely some managers are a little worried about his pedestrian RB13 start. Fewer explosive runs have been the main culprit, and while last season’s 482 touches could be an issue, the Eagles have also dropped from first to average in RB rush yards before contact.

Barkley will continue to lose goal-line touchdowns to Jalen Hurts, but he’s racked up the sixth-most touches in the red zone. Moreover, Barkley has seen fewer carries this season, but his targets are way up — he ranks sixth in RB target share. The Eagles’ offense can look dysfunctional at times (especially for a team that’s 20-1 over their past 21 games), but it still centers around Barkley — Philadelphia sports one of the lowest pass rates over expected. Barkley has faced two of the league’s top run defenses over the past two weeks, so now would be the time to make offers.

Is Chris Olave the next best buy low in fantasy?

Olave has been the WR34 to open the season, but he’s the WR2 in expected fantasy points. Olave ranks fifth in the league in target share, and he’s seeing them both designed and in the red zone. Kellen Moore has New Orleans implementing the league’s fastest pace, and Olave has faced the NFL’s toughest WR schedule to open the year.

However, Spencer Rattler has averaged just 5.2 YPA and 191.3 passing yards. The Saints’ quarterback problem remains, and New Orleans’ schedule doesn’t ease up much moving forward. Given his offense, Olave projects more as a high-end WR3, but managers should make trade offers before he faces a Giants defense allowing the second-most WR fantasy points.

Will Tetairoa McMillan break out this week?

McMillan can clearly play, but he’s yet to post a top-25 WR weekly finish over the season’s first month. Bryce Young has been a problem and will remain one, but McMillan’s role has been strong to start his career. The rookie ranks sixth in targets and 15th in air yards, and he gets a highly favorable matchup for a breakout game in Week 5.

The Dolphins have limited fantasy points to wide receivers, but that’s been schedule-driven — Miami has allowed the second-most YPA (8.8) and EPA/pass and deploy arguably the league’s worst pass defense. An eventual move to Andy Dalton would be best for McMillan’s fantasy value, but the rookie finally breaks out with a WR1 finish this week.

How will New York’s offense perform without Malik Nabers?

Wan’Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson led New York with a 30.8% target share after Nabers went down last week, while Darius Slayton and Cam Skattebo each came in at 15.4%. The Giants had just a 39.1% neutral pass rate during Jaxson Dart’s first career start, so the offense will be run-heavy. Robinson will see a bunch of underneath targets and can be a PPR scam WR3/4 moving forward.

Slayton was highly productive over two games without Nabers last season, and he’ll see the team’s downfield attempts moving forward. Slayton is worth a look in deeper fantasy leagues. New York’s modest team total (20.5 points) against the Saints reveals the Giants’ offensive limitations, but Skattebo is set for a heavy workload and is a top 15 fantasy back while Tracy is out. Dart can be a QB1 in the right matchup (like this week) given his NFL-high scramble rate (14%), but Nabers’ injury undoubtedly hurt his 2025 fantasy outlook.

(Photo of Michael Carter: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)