It’s Week 11, and the fantasy playoffs are just around the corner. At this point in the season, bye weeks are almost over, and you should dedicate a roster spot or two (if you have the space) to backup RBs. It’s important to add players with upside rather than keep mid-level talents who would never make your starting lineup. These are the guys who can be league-winners if the starter ahead of them goes down with an injury or misses time for any other reason. Guys like Austin Ekeler and Duke Johnson carry standalone flex value, so they won’t be mentioned in this article. Latavius Murray is 81% owned and likely isn’t available to be picked up, but he is a must-add if possible.

I’m going to highlight eight RBs with fairly low Yahoo! ownership (around 50% or less) that you should pick up immediately and stash on your bench. If you have the space, adding any of these players should cost you nothing, but given any significant playing time, these guys will pay huge dividends.

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1. Spencer Ware (RB – KC): 8% owned

Backup to: Kareem Hunt

Best fantasy season: 2016, RB16 Standard, RB17 PPR

Remaining schedule: @LAR, BYE, @OAK, BAL, LAC, @SEA

Ware is the clear number one backup to own right now because of his talent and the offense on which he plays. Ware flashed in 2016 as the Chiefs’ starting RB, totaling 1,368 scrimmage yards and five total TDs. Ware got injured in the preseason last year giving way to Kareem Hunt’s breakout rookie season as the eventual rushing champ and a fantasy RB1. Ware has been a great backup this season, and he’s gone for 80 yards or a TD in three of his last four games on just a handful of touches. The talent level is explosive, and if Kareem Hunt misses any time, Ware is an instant top-12 play.

2. Ito Smith (RB – ATL): 53% owned

Backup to: Tevin Coleman

Best fantasy season: Rookie

Remaining schedule: DAL, @NO, BAL, @GB, ARI, @CAR



Smith has been effective in his backup role this season, totaling 303 yards on 60 touches and scoring four times. He is not in a timeshare with Tevin Coleman, as Smith has been out-touched by Coleman nearly two to one (129 touches for Coleman). Coleman’s success this season (RB13) is due to his position as the starter after Devonta Freeman was placed on IR. Smith could see similar success in an expanded role, and the backfield depth after him is shallow.

3. Malcolm Brown (RB – LAR): 5% owned

Backup to: Todd Gurley

Best fantasy season: 2017, RB81 PPR, RB82 Standard

Remaining schedule: KC, BYE, @DET, @CHI, PHI, @ARI

Brown has seen very limited work in his four seasons with the Rams, but he’s been serviceable in his minimal role. This pickup is not so much about talent as it is about opportunity, and opportunity is king in fantasy football. Currently, Todd Gurley has accounted for 1,390 yards for the Rams — 30% of the team’s total offense. His 17 TDs are 47% of the team’s total. The Rams offense ranks third in the league in PPG at a robust 33.5 and runs through the RB position. Should Gurley miss time, Brown could be in for a healthy 15+ touches per game on a high-powered offense. Because of his limited work, he’s mostly an unknown commodity, or else he would be higher on this list.

4. Giovani Bernard (RB – CIN): 25% owned

Backup to: Joe Mixon

Best fantasy season: 2013, RB13 PPR, RB16 Standard

Remaining schedule: @BAL, CLE, DEN, @LAC, OAK, @CLE

Gio Bernard has been one of the best backups in the league over the past six seasons, averaging nearly 1,000 scrimmage yards and five TDs per season from 2013 – 2017. Bernard has also been a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield, hauling in 46 balls per year in that span. Joe Mixon already has an injury history, and should he reaggravate his knee, Bernard will have a solid workload and some favorable matchups on his plate, including two against the Browns and games against the Raiders and Broncos.

5. Jamaal Williams (RB – GB): 20% owned

Backup to: Aaron Jones

Best fantasy season: 2017, RB75 Standard, RB80 PPR

Remaining schedule: @SEA, @MIN, ARI, ATL, @CHI, @NYJ

Williams and Aaron Jones have been in an odd RBBC all season, made worse by the presence of Ty Montgomery. Monty is off to Baltimore, and Jones just racked up 172 scrimmage yards in Week 10, so it’s fairly certain that this will be Jones’ backfield from here on out. Should Jones have to sit out any games, Williams would step into the starting role on an Aaron Rodgers-led offense.

6. Alfred Morris (RB – SF): 16% owned

Backup to: Matt Breida

Best fantasy season: 2012, RB12 Standard, RB14 PPR

Remaining schedule: BYE, @TB, @SEA, DEN, SEA, CHI

Morris exploded onto the scene in Washington, piling up almost 1,700 scrimmage yards and 13 total TDs in his rookie season in 2012. He followed that season up with two more consecutive 1,000-yard/seven-TD seasons. Morris’ last two seasons saw him as a backup in Dallas, and he hasn’t accumulated 300 total touches since the beginning of the 2016 season. His legs are fairly fresh, and he’s shown his home-run hitting abilities already in Washington. If the always-injured Matt Breida misses any time, Morris is in for a great gig as San Fran’s primary ball carrier with Raheem Mostert on IR.

7. Elijah McGuire (RB – NYJ): 15% owned

Backup to: Isaiah Crowell

Best fantasy season: 2017, RB52 Standard, RB57 PPR

Remaining schedule: BYE, NE, @TEN, @BUF, HOU, GB

The sophomore back was highly touted in the offseason by the Jets’ coaching staff, but McGuire has only recently come back from the IR. In his two games this season, he’s outplayed and outgained “starter” Isaiah Crowell, but McGuire is still comically under-owned. With Bilal Powell done for the year, McGuire would face little resistance in taking a stranglehold on lead back duties in New York if Crow misses any time.

8. Jacquizz Rodgers (RB – TB): 1% owned

Backup to: Peyton Barber

Best fantasy season: 2013, RB33 PPR, RB41 Standard

Remaining schedule: @NYG, SF, CAR, NO, @BAL, @DAL

Rodgers led the Bucs in receiving in Week 10, grabbing eight balls for 102 yards. Peyton Barber is the clear lead back in this offense, but Rodgers is the pass-catching back on a team that comfortably averages the most passing yards per game in the entire NFL (361.2). Ronald Jones’ rookie season looks to be a wash and, if Barber misses any time, Rodgers could be in for a hefty workload. Quizz has shown that he can be productive given the opportunity. Dating to 2016, Rodgers has six games of double digit carries. In those games, he’s totaled 601 scrimmage yards, good for 100 per game. This isn’t a sexy pick, but it’s a practical one.

Honorable mentions: Jaylen Samuels (RB – PIT), Frank Gore (RB – MIA), Rod Smith (RB – DAL)

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Zachary Hanshew is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.