Last time in this space, we discussed running backs who could save their team's seasons down the stretch. Now, we're taking a slight right turn to discuss backs who seem poised for bigger roles over the next two months.
Here are a pair of players I expect to break out over the next eight weeks.
Just like they did in Baltimore, Edwards and J.K. Dobbins are sharing the backfield as a solid one-two punch in former Ravens coordinator Greg Roman's run-heavy scheme. Dobbins sprinted out of the gates and is having his best campaign since his 2020 rookie season, but Edwards got off to a slow start in 2024, failing to earn more than 3.3 yards per carry in any of the Chargers' first four games. He then missed four games with an ankle injury. In his return to action last week against the Titans, though, Edwards racked up 55 yards on 10 carries (5.5-yard average), which was more in line with the type of production that's expected from the 6-foot-1, 238-pound downhill rusher. And the Chargers had their best day on the ground (145 rushing yards) since Week 2. Moving forward, Edwards might not get a huge amount of carries, with Dobbins also playing well, but his physicality should earn him a role late in games and in short-yardage situations. From Week 11 on last season, Edwards had the third-most carries inside the 3-yard line in the NFL with eight, and he scored five touchdowns, tied for the most among running backs in that span. His presence should give the Chargers' 19th-ranked rushing attack a much-needed boost at this time of year.
When the Panthers drafted Brooks in the second round in April, he was recovering from a torn ACL suffered last November. The rookie has made his NFL debut -- but to finally take the field in Week 12, when Carolina comes out of its Week 11 bye to host Kansas City. In light of Miles Sanders' recent injury (the veteran RB thankfully avoided a major one), it's very possible Brooks earns a fair dose of touches as a spell back for Chuba Hubbard. It'll take some time for Brooks to get fully back to being the player he was at Texas, an explosive dual-threat weapon who is so tough to tackle in the open field. Even so, Brooks should see his share of opportunities as Dave Canales and his staff continue to develop Bryce Young and this young offense.
Top 15 running backs
Former NFL rushing leader and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew will survey all running backs and rank his top 15 each week of the 2024 season. His rankings are based on this season's efforts. Here is MJD's list heading into Week 11, with up/down arrows reflecting movement from Week 9's pecking order.
NOTE: Stats and rankings DO NOT incorporate production from any running backs involved in Week 11's Thursday Night Football matchup between the Eagles and Commanders.
2024 stats: 10 games | 184 att | 1,120 rush yds | 6.1 ypc | 12 rush TDs | 10 rec | 96 rec yds | 2 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Two weeks ago, Henry became the third player in NFL history to have 10-plus rush TDs in seven or more straight seasons, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (who did it in nine seasons, in 2001-09) and Adrian Peterson (seven, 2007-2013). The Offensive Player of the Year frontrunner was instrumental in helping Baltimore rack up two more wins (over Denver and Cincinnati) to set up a high-stakes game against the Steelers this week.
2024 stats: 9 games | 171 att | 991 rush yds | 5.8 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 21 rec | 158 rec yds | 2 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
Barkley hasn't taken his foot off the gas since joining the Eagles. Two weeks ago in a win over Jacksonville, he ran over his opponent to the tune of 199 scrimmage yards (!) and two touchdowns -- his best performance of the season to that point. Barkley might have fallen short of 100 scrimmage yards in Sunday's romp over the Cowboys, but he played his role in a balanced attack, which built a three-score lead at the end of the third quarter. And, of course, we will have to wait until the next ranking to factor in Barkley's monster effort on Thursday Night Football, when he posted 198 scrimmage yards and another two scores to help defeat the Commanders. Spoiler alert: I don't think he'll be dropping!
2024 stats: 9 games | 122 att | 727 rush yds | 6.0 ypc | 7 rush TDs | 22 rec | 202 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
No surprise here, but Gibbs has been pretty great over the last two games, a pair of road wins over Green Bay and Houston. At Lambeau in Week 9, he averaged nearly 6 yards per carry and scored on a 15-yard run on fourth down in sopping conditions. He followed that performance with 108 scrimmage yards -- 89 of which came in the second half -- in the comeback win over the Texans, Gibbs' 10th career game with 100-plus scrimmage yards.
2024 stats: 10 games | 155 att | 748 rush yds | 4.8 ypc | 6 rush TD | 41 rec | 331 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Robinson has been exceptional over Atlanta's last five games, recording at least 100 scrimmage yards in each contest. In Sunday's loss to New Orleans, he posted a season-high 116 rush yards and a pair of touchdowns (including a 37-yard run in the fourth quarter that gave Atlanta a chance in the final minute) on 20 carries. The week prior, in a home victory over Dallas, Robinson recorded a season-high 59 receiving yards on seven catches (seven targets). If he can rack up 100-plus scrimmage yards against the Broncos on Sunday, he will have the longest streak of such games by a Falcons player since Julio Jones strung together six in 2018.
2024 stats: 9 games | 158 att | 762 rush yds | 4.8 ypc | 3 rush TD | 19 rec | 128 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
Jacobs has recorded at least 90 scrimmage yards in seven of Green Bay's nine games. He has elevated this offense, which boasts a top-five rushing attack, while taking a fair amount of pressure off the pass game. I'd imagine Matt LaFleur will rely on the veteran more as winter creeps in. As Green Bay aims to get back in the win column coming out of the bye week, Jacobs has to feel good about facing a reeling Chicago team that just allowed 144 yards on the ground to New England's 22nd-ranked rushing offense.
2024 stats: 9 games | 128 att | 576 rush yds | 4.5 ypc | 8 rush TDs | 20 rec | 175 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
After a relatively quiet day against the Dolphins in Week 9, Cook once again found the for his eighth rush TD of the season against the Colts in Week 10. Leading the team in touches, scrimmage yards and scrimmage TDs, Cook must be locked in against the undefeated Chiefs this weekend if Buffalo wants to score 30-plus points in a fifth consecutive game. His ability to get into open space and find the end zone is paramount in this heavyweight bout.
2024 stats: 10 games | 167 att | 715 rush yds | 4.3 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 51 rec | 421 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Through 10 weeks, Kamara has already outpaced his production from 2023. And thanks to his impressive first half-plus of the season, he became the Saints all-time leading rusher in Week 10, reaching 6,544 career yards. He's piling it on in the stat books, even if the Saints aren't exactly doing the same in the win column. The next feat on his docket: With one more receiving TD, he can become the fourth player in NFL history with 50-plus rushing TDs and 25-plus receiving TDs in their careers. He would join Lenny Moore, Marshall Faulk (who are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame) and Christian McCaffrey.
2024 stats: 9 games | 122 att | 520 rush yds | 4.3 ypc | 8 rush TDs | 18 rec | 185 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 1 fumble lost
Detroit got off to a sluggish start Sunday night -- but on the Lions' first snap in the third quarter, Montgomery set a new tone for the offense, ripping off a thunderous 12-yard run that signaled the team would be much more physical from there on out. He scored a touchdown on the Lions' next offensive possession, the first of four second-half scoring drives for Detroit. Though Montgomery's totals haven't been off the charts in either of the last two games (he posted 73 rush yards in the win over Green Bay and 32 against the Texans), he's continued to display the kind of tackle-breaking ability few others in this league possess. According to Next Gen Stats, the veteran has forced a missed tackle on 36.1 percent of his carries this season, second-most among all players with at least 100 carries.
2024 stats: 10 games | 159 att | 697 rush yds | 4.4 ypc | 5 rush TDs | 24 rec | 247 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 1 fumble lost
Conner is doing a little bit of everything for a Cardinals offense that's cruising in November. In a home victory over Chicago in Week 9, Conner recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. Then in Sunday's home win over the Jets, his production came through the air. The veteran running back led Arizona with 80 receiving yards, the third-most by a back in the NFL this season, and added a rushing touchdown to begin the day's scoring. Arizona has won four consecutive games heading into its bye week. No one wants to face this team right now.
2024 stats: 9 games | 141 att | 670 rush yds | 4.8 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 24 rec | 112 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
After a few rough weeks, the Chargers have found it, winning three consecutive contests. Dobbins has been a big part of that success, with one of his biggest outings of the season coming in the Week 9 road win over Cleveland, when he racked up 105 scrimmage yards and a pair of rush TDs. In the team's six wins this season, he has averaged 16.3 carries and 92.3 rush yards per game (5.7 yards per carry) with six rush TDs. In its three losses, he has averaged 14.3 carries and 38.7 rush yards per game (2.7 yards per carry), with no rush TDs.
2024 stats: 9 games | 176 att | 664 rush yds | 3.8 ypc | 8 rush TDs | 25 rec | 136 rec yds | 2 rec TD | 2 fumbles lost
Williams' production has been steady, albeit not off the charts, with his biggest impact coming in the red zone. After scoring 10 scrimmage touchdowns in his first seven games of the season, he has failed to hit pay dirt in the last two games. He has 58.8 precent of the Rams' scrimmage TDs this season (the highest share in the league, heading into Week 11) and accounts for 78.4 percent of the team's rush yards (also the highest share in the NFL through 10 weeks).
2024 stats: 7 games | 151 att | 655 rush yds | 4.3 ypc | 7 rush TD | 16 rec | 159 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
The Texans have lost their past two games -- but they looked like two entirely different teams in those contests. Against the Jets in Week 9, when Houston's O-line allowed C.J. Stroud to be sacked eight times, Mixon was absolutely barreling through the defense. He forced a season-high nine missed tackles and totaled 106 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. While the Texans looked much better as a whole in Sunday night's loss to Detroit, Mixon struggled to find anything on the ground, as he was often met before or at the line of scrimmage. Mixon was held to 46 rush yards on 25 attempts, the fewest rush yards by a player with at least 25 carries in a game since 2013 (Doug Martin). He'll be looking to bounce back in the Battle of Texas on Monday night.
2024 stats: 10 games | 161 att | 818 rush yds | 5.1 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 30 rec | 124 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 2 fumbles lost
Fresh off signing a four year, $33.2 million extension, Hubbard continued his dominance out of the Panthers backfield with 28 carries, 153 rush yards (both career highs) and a touchdown in Carolina's third win of the season (second in a row) on Sunday. He was excellent in the team's Week 9 win over New Orleans, as well, racking up 72 rush yards on 15 carries for 4.8 yards per carry. He had two second-half scores, including the 16-yard go-ahead TD late in the fourth quarter. He's making life much easier for an improving Bryce Young.
I'll end this blurb with this fun fact: Born in Edmonton, Calgary, Canada, Hubbard became the first foreign-born player to have at least 150 rushing or receiving yards in an international game in NFL history, per NFL Research.
2024 stats: 9 games | 157 att | 645 rush yds | 4.1 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 17 rec | 152 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
Harris has been great over the past month, logging three 100-yard rushing performances. The one time he failed to reach the mark, in last week's win over Washington, he found the end zone on a 1-yard plunge. Now it's Ravens week. The last time Harris faced this divisional foe, he had 112 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries (Week 18 of 2023). Of course, Baltimore was in that one. This game, with both teams vying for supremacy in the AFC North, will be a bit different -- and the going might be tougher against a Ravens D that is limiting opponents to a league-low 73 rush yards per game this season.
2024 stats: 9 games | 151 att | 666 rush yds | 4.4 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 28 rec | 154 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
Pollard has been a bright spot in the Titans offense this season, and especially in the last three weeks. Between Weeks 8 and 10, Pollard rushed for the sixth-most yards in the NFL (266) and earned 13 first downs on runs, tied for fourth-most in the league in that span. Pollard will see a huge challenge this week when Minnesota and its No. 2-ranked run defense come to Nashville.
DROPPED OUT: Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders (previously No. 14)
