Week 7 RB Committee Report

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Welcome to the weekly running back committee report, where we'll take a look at who should emerge successful from some of the league's most crowded backfields:

Miami Dolphins

Before averaging 8.2 yards per carry en route to 204 yards rushing in Miami's Week 6 tilt with the Steelers, Ajayi had averaged just 3.8 Y/C. While it might seem like he has finally found his wheels, anyone familiar with the tale of Cinderella knows that even the most elegant carriage can end up looking like a pumpkin post haste.

Foster is supposedly healthy after missing several games with a hamstring and groin injury, and he's still the most dynamic receiving threat they have out of the backfield. That's a pretty important skill to have, especially since Miami have found themselves playing from behind so often in the early going.

Ajayi is a great bet to return good fantasy production when he sees 25 carries - which has happened once in his entire career. After setting career highs with 13 and 25 totes in his past two games, it's just not a smart bet to buy into his one big game if Foster is healthy enough to see 10-plus snaps.

The Buffalo Bills have allowed just one 100-yard rusher (Matt Forte) this season. We need to wait another week before trusting in Ajayi's workload. Foster can still be used in tournaments and PPR leagues because of his dynamic pass-catching ability, but there's also a good chance he's a complete non-factor, as he was last Sunday.

New England Patriots

Blount's production has taken a nosedive since Patriots QB Tom Brady returned from his four-game suspension. Blount had 356 yards from scrimmage, three receptions and four TDs through Week 4, giving him an average of 15.65 points in PPR formats.

In the two weeks since Brady returned, Blount has averaged 11.45 points in the pass-heavy offense. If you remove those two rushing TDs, he's averaging just 5.45 points per week on yardage and catches alone. More than half of his fantasy production has hinged on the relatively unpredictable flow of TDs.

Who could have predicted this development?

Okay, 50 percent is hyperbole. Blount is going to continue seeing the bulk of goal-line work among the RB corps, though the two-TE set of Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett may prove to be just as effective in short-yardage situations now that the former is healthy.

White is now the man to own. In the Patriots' Week 6 victory over the Bengals, the pass-catching dynamo played on 61 percent of the Patriots' offensive snaps to Blount's 39 percent. White finished with 56 yards from scrimmage, eight catches and a pair of TDs.

With a wave of injuries effecting RBs around the league - including Green Bay and Tampa Bay backfields - as well as the nuisance of bye weeks, both Blount and White can be considered RB2s or FLEX options for now. The Pittsburgh defense that New England faces in Week 7 allows the third-most passing yards per game, so look for White to help establish the lead, with Blount's bruising style maintaining it when comes to clock management time.

San Francisco 49ers

Hyde has a lingering shoulder issue but it hasn't cast any doubt on his ability to play in the immediate future. In any case, if he can get past a middle-of-the-pack Buccaneers rush defense, he'll have San Francisco's Week 8 bye to rest up. To date, Hyde has played on 69.7 percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps, and no other back has put up much of a challenge to his claim.

After an average of eight carries in Weeks 1 and 2, Draughn's touches have all but dried up. He has never been a consistent rusher, averaging just 3.3 Y/C on 177 career snaps, but Hyde's injury history (he missed nine games last season) could open the door to more consistent passing targets. In six games last season, Draughn averaged 5.4 targets per outing.

The X-factor here are the quarterbacks in Chip Kelly's system. Kaepernick and five-game starter Blaine Gabbert have combined for 238 yards rushing on 47 carries, including eight carries for 66 yards by Kaepernick in Week 6; that would make San Francisco's QBs the NFL's 26th-ranked "rusher".

Kaepnernick could end up stealing a red zone TD or two from Hyde if the controversial QB is able to hold onto his starting job. Hyde should still see enough TD opportunities to maintain his fringe RB1 status; through six games, he has accounted for 72.7 percent of the team's RZ rushing attempts.