80.3%. That is Tony Pollard's share of TEN's carries in Weeks 6-8 with Tyjae Spears out, and it makes him a clear start. Tyler Allgeier and Jonah Coleman lead their backfields. NYG is likely without Cam Skattebo, and Devin Singletary steps in. SF and WAS are down to their last healthy receivers, which pushes George Kittle and Stefon Diggs up.
Running backs whose carry share is growing
This chart shows running backs' share of team carries in Weeks 1-5 against Weeks 6-8. It is a sample of risers, not every back who gained work. Points in this piece are full PPR per game.
- Tony Pollard, TEN: 63.7% to 80.3% of carries, and 8.7 to 24.3 points per game. Spears (knee) missed a second straight game in Week 8, and Pollard's value depends on Spears staying out. Start him.
- Tyler Allgeier, ARI: 26.9% to 41.8%, and 6.9 to 16.6 points per game. Jeremiyah Love is on IR (ankle) and Bam Knight (concussion) is out, so Allgeier should lead the backfield at SEA. Gardner Minshew starts at QB. Treat him as an RB2.
- D'Andre Swift, CHI: 44.0% to 66.3%, and 16.2 to 23.3 points per game. Kyle Monangai practiced Friday, limited, for the first time in about a month and is questionable for Sunday night. Even if Monangai plays, Swift has the role. Start him against TB.
- Braelon Allen, NYJ: 48.0% to 73.9%, and 8.9 to 18.4 points per game. That run is ending. Breece Hall practiced fully Thursday and Aaron Glenn confirmed he plays at KC. With Garrett Wilson out, the offense should run through Hall. Bench Allen.
- Woody Marks, HOU: 36.7% to 68.0%, but only 8.7 to 9.6 points per game. David Montgomery (groin) is ruled out against LAC and is week-to-week. Marks keeps the work, but the points have not followed. Flex only.
- Kenny Gainwell, TB: 13.5% to 27.1%, and 5.4 to 8.7 points per game. His 25 carries came in an all-run rain game. He was a full practice participant this week. He is a deep flex only.
- Rachaad White, WAS: 23.0% to 41.8%, and 8.3 to 14.9 points per game. No news was found on why his share grew.
- Mike Washington Jr., LV: 17.6% to 52.0%, but 5.7 points per game. No news was found on this change either. The share has come without points.
Lead backs in Tennessee, Arizona and Denver
| Player | Team | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Pollard | TEN | 77.8% | 82.6% | 83.3% | 75.0% |
| Tyler Allgeier | ARI | 16.7% | 51.4% | 33.3% | 40.7% |
| Jonah Coleman | DEN | — | — | 34.6% | 47.8% |
Pollard has held between 75.0% and 83.3% of carries in each of the last four weeks, with 36.5 and 28.7 points in Weeks 7 and 8. Allgeier moves around more: 51.4%, then 33.3%, then 40.7%. His 36.1 points in Week 8 came on 11 carries and 5 targets, including a receiving TD. Expect less than that score, but plan on him getting the most work in the backfield.
Jonah Coleman went from a 34.6% carry share and 8.9 points in Week 7 to 47.8% and 20.4 points in Week 8, with a 17.2% target share. He led the DEN backfield for a second straight week and is the lead back unless DEN trades for one before the Nov 10 deadline. Start him as a flex with RB2 upside.
JAX already played its Week 9 game Thursday night at BAL, so there is no lineup call left on Bhayshul Tuten. He is left out here.
The Giants without Skattebo
Cam Skattebo (hamstring) missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, and it does not look like he will play at PHI. He has a 54.5% carry share over 6 games and 11.7 points per game. Devin Singletary is expected to take a bigger role, and NYG may call up Eric Gray. Singletary has a 16.3% carry share and a 7.6% target share over 4 games, at 8.4 points per game. Najee Harris has a 23.3% carry share over 5 games but only 2.3 points per game. In full PPR, Singletary's catches make him the stronger flex pick.
The passing game has a question too. Malik Nabers (knee) did not practice Thursday, but he told reporters he will "be good" for Sunday. His target share rose from 26.9% to 34.1% in Weeks 6-8. Start him. If he does sit, Isaiah Likely (27.1% target share, 16.1 points per game) becomes J.J. McCarthy's top target.
Thin receiver rooms in San Francisco and Washington
| Player | Team | Pos | Weeks | Games | Target share | Week 9 note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | SF | WR | 1-8 | 6 | 23.3% | Likely out (ribs/Achilles) |
| George Kittle | SF | TE | 1-8 | 7 | 22.4% | No injury news found |
| Christian McCaffrey | SF | RB | 1-8 | 7 | 20.3% | Returned to practice (hamstring) |
| Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF | WR | 1-8 | 5 | 14.3% | Likely out (hamstring) |
| Jordan Watkins | SF | WR | 1-8 | 3 | 8.8% | Among remaining WRs |
| Brandin Cooks | SF | WR | 1-8 | 4 | 6.4% | Among remaining WRs |
| Stefon Diggs | WAS | WR | 1-8 | 6 | 23.2% | More targets expected |
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | WR | 1-8 | 5 | 18.1% | IR, out for season |
| Chig Okonkwo | WAS | TE | 1-8 | 5 | 16.5% | No injury news found |
| Antonio Williams | WAS | WR | 1-8 | 7 | 15.5% | No injury news found |
| Treylon Burks | WAS | WR | 1-8 | 6 | 12.5% | Missed Wed and Thu practice (foot) |
| Dyami Brown | WAS | WR | 1-8 | 7 | 7.2% | Expected out (calf) |
| Malik Nabers | NYG | WR | 1-8 | 7 | 29.0% | Knee; says he will "be good" |
| Isaiah Likely | NYG | TE | 1-8 | 7 | 27.1% | No injury news found |
SF: John Lynch said Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel likely won't play against LV. Evans' issue is described as Achilles tendinitis, and Christian Kirk (knee) did not practice Thursday. That takes away Evans' 23.3% and Samuel's 14.3% target shares. George Kittle went from 20.7% to 26.6% of targets in Weeks 6-8, and from 14.4 to 16.4 points per game. Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) returned to practice this week, and he has a 20.3% target share and 20.6 points per game. Start both. If all three receivers sit, Jordan Watkins (8.8% over 3 games), Brandin Cooks (6.4% over 4) and Jacob Cowing are what is left. None is more than a deep flier.
WAS: Terry McLaurin is on IR and out for the season. Treylon Burks (foot) missed Wednesday and Thursday. Dyami Brown suffered what looks like a significant calf injury in Friday's practice, and GM Adam Peters said it "doesn't look great." Expect Brown out against LAR. Stefon Diggs has 5 TDs and a 23.2% target share over 6 games, at 13.7 points per game, and he should see more targets. Chig Okonkwo (16.5%, 6.6 points per game) is a deep streaming TE. Antonio Williams (15.5%) and Van Jefferson, elevated from the practice squad, are the depth starters.
Other target shares on the move
- Michael Wilson, ARI: 15.2%, 20.6%, 18.2%, then 36.6% of targets in Weeks 5-8, with 26.8 points in Week 8. Kendrick Bourne and Reggie Virgil were out that week, which pushed targets to Wilson. He says he has two broken ribs and was limited in practice. No news was found on Bourne and Virgil for Week 9. If Wilson plays, start him as a WR3.
- Hunter Henry, NE: 13.4% to 18.6% of targets. He was limited Friday (foot) after two missed practices and is questionable. A.J. Brown is out against GB, so if Henry plays, the targets are there.
- Colston Loveland, CHI: 14.2% to 29.2%, and 4.8 to 16.6 points per game. No news was found on why his share grew. On the field, his role is growing.
For which of these roles should last, see NFL Week 9 usage risers and fallers.
How this was computed
- The game stats cover the 2026 season through Week 8.
- Carry share and target share are a player's carries or targets as a share of his team's total, in the games he played.
- The riser lists compare Weeks 1-5 with Weeks 6-8. Backs needed at least 20 carries in Weeks 6-8. WRs and TEs needed at least 15 targets.
- The weekly table covers Weeks 5-8. Coleman has game stats only for Weeks 7 and 8.
- Team numbers for SF, NYG and WAS all use Weeks 1-8.
- Points are full PPR per game.
- Thursday's JAX at BAL result is not included.
- Snap counts, QB play and defenses were left out.
