Fantasy Football Week 10 RB Report: Travis Etienne Jr. returns for Saints while Seth McGowan cuts into JT’s usage again

The early window on Sunday usually gives us a handful of backfields to cover when it comes to the RB usage split. This week, however, there wasn’t so much there. Many teams rode one back to glory (or failure) in Week 10, plus a lot of backfields are looking pretty lackluster for fantasy managers (we’re looking at you, Cleveland and Houston).

But with the injury carousel still spinning and the trade deadline in the rearview mirror for Jonathan Taylor and the Colts, we have some storylines to discuss in the RB report. We’re going to tackle a few notable backfield splits from the Sunday slate and what it means going forward for fantasy managers.

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New Orleans Saints

What a gross game this turned out to be. We thought that Saints-Panthers might present some sneaky-good opportunities for fantasy given the point total had moved up to 48.5 prior to kickoff. This was not the case as the teams went well under, combining for 37 points in a 20-17 win for Carolina. Anyway, let’s check in on the Saints backfield with Travis Etienne Jr. coming off IR …

… it was just as gross as the offense overall.

Etienne led the way in carries and was tied with Kamara for receptions, but the veteran was the one who scored each of NOLA’s touchdowns — one a three-yard rush, the other a five-yard pass. Despite shelling out the money for Etienne this offseason and Kamara aging, the Saints felt the need to continue to rotate backs (at least for this week). Even in the second half, Estimé was getting carries here and there, while Kamara mixed in on passing downs and in the red zone.

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Maybe Estimé’s presence was merely to keep Etienne’s workload down in his return from a hamstring injury, an ailment that can be tricky. But Kamara was also heavily used throughout the contest. You’d think once Etienne is back up to speed, it’ll go back to being a two-headed dragon of sorts (though this run game isn’t imposing at all).

The Saints get the Bears in Week 11, an offense that should push New Orleans to throw and try and keep up. That bodes well for Kamara’s role as the pass-catcher, though Etienne was also targeted enough. If Estimé takes more of a back seat next week, that would help Etienne’s prospects as a fantasy RB2/3. But until we see it, it’s tough to trust anyone here.

Estimé can likely be dropped if he’s on your roster. Kamara should continue to have a role on third downs and the red zone, but isn’t anything more than a flex in PPR. Etienne is also in that territory, a risky RB3/flex in PPR who is becoming one of the bigger busts for fantasy managers this season.

New York Jets

The Jets didn’t put up much of a fight against the Bills at home in a 31-12 loss. New York failed to find the end zone and barely flirted with the red zone. So when you consider those factors and look at how the RB room shook out, it’s not all that bad for Hall, who went for over 100 yards. Most of that damage was in the passing game, which is encouraging. Hall had a similar showing in his return from injury in Week 9.

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But the issue is how this offense is trending, which is in the wrong direction. QB Geno Smith left in the second half and was replaced by rookie Cade Klubnik. He wasn’t terrible for being thrown into the fire against a superior opponent, but if Smith misses time, this offense could struggle to score. What it would mean, however, is that the Jets would need to lean on Hall and Allen more.

Even if that’s the case, and Allen continues to get around 5-10 touches per game, it won’t be enough unless he finds the end zone (which may be tough). Hall now has 18 and 15 touches in the past two games, both lopsided losses. Allen has seen his passing role evaporate with the return of Hall, which was to be expected.

The good news is the schedule.

The Jets face the Chargers in Week 11, a team winless going into MNF in Week 10. New York also has gettable matchups against the Dolphins, Broncos and Cardinals after that. That lines up well for Hall’s fantasy managers, returning to reliable RB2 status. The situation isn’t great for Allen, but he could bring home some flex value in those softer matchups. Not to say the Jets will blow out or even win any of those games, but they should be competitive depending on the QB situation. Allen is still worth rostering as insurance for Hall and someone who may have some spike weeks if he finds the end zone.

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Indianapolis Colts

For whatever reason, the Colts decided to hold onto Taylor for the rest of the season, placing him in a timeshare with the rookie McGowan. Yep, your guess is as good as mine. We won’t get into the lack of a trade, but focus more on the split, which we had been seeing prior to the deadline.

It was the fourth straight game Taylor failed to reach 20+ fantasy points, which is the barometer we’ll set for him given his history. He did make it to double-digit figures, which is fine, but not if you invested such a high pick in the back. Instead, McGowan found the end zone and leeched plenty of carries, though JT still nearly got to 20 touches. That’s most likely a product of the matchup and Indy’s passing game (or lack thereof).

Daniel Jones and the passing game continue to struggle. Go figure, a passing game got worse after dealing its top-two targets at the deadline (Keenan Allen, Josh Downs). What makes it even better is the Colts won! They’re clearly trying to rebuild and improve their draft stock but failed to do so after the deadline.

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Anyway, getting back on track here, it’s frustrating that Taylor will have to likely continue being in a split with McGowan. But Indy also has no choice but to run the ball a ton. JT is still getting paid a ton, so he should still maintain around 10-20 touches per game. That gives him a floor, but is there a ceiling anymore? It’s definitely going to be tougher to come by in this offense, but Taylor can still rip off explosives.

Taylor is no longer a certified RB1 for fantasy. But he’s still startable as an RB2/3, and maybe we even see some spike weeks if he can find the end zone or rip off a long run. McGowan has now found the end zone in back-to-back games to reach double-digit fantasy points. He should be added off the waiver wire if he’s still available. The Colts could rest Taylor later in the season once they’re eliminated from playoff contention. When that happens, it could be McGowan’s backfield, a potential league-winner.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com