By now, pretty much everyone has come around on the idea of Khalil Herbert as a Week 4 starter. David Montgomery missed practice on Wednesday with what's being called a knee and ankle issue. Assuming Montgomery is out, we're ranking Herbert inside our top 12 against the Giants. But even if Montgomery returns this week, Herbert should be rostered everywhere.
This Bears offense ranks second in the NFL in rush attempts and rushing yards. There is a possibility against the best matchups you could start both Bears running backs. And at the very least, Herbert is the most valuable handcuff in football. There's even some chance he could wrestle the starting role from Montgomery as the season wears on.
If you're looking for the next Khalil Herbert, it might just be Justice Hill. He's surpassed both Kenyan Drake and Mike Davis in Baltimore and now sits squarely behind J.K. Dobbins in the Ravens running backs room. In fact, last week he was even better than Dobbins, rushing six times for 60 yards. The most likely scenario is that Hill is a 1B in the Ravens offense, but Dobbins does have a heightened injury risk as he works his way back from a devastating knee injury. If Dobbins were to go down, Hill could see 15 touches a game in one of the best offenses in football.
Now let's get to the rest of the Week 4 RB Preview:
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0 - Zero touchdowns for Austin Ekeler through three games after scoring 20 last year.
5 - Dameon Pierce led the league with five touches inside the 10-yard line in Week 3, converting one into a touchdown. Hopefully, his two fumbles don't change that next week.
The Bengals play on Thursday night, and while Joe Mixon is expected to be OK after injuring his ankle, we don't know for sure. if Mixon misses time, Perine will be a low-end No. 2 running back with PPR upside.
McKissic is the one back you could add as a PPR flex who isn't injury-dependent. He's seen 16 targets in his past two games and has seen his snap share increase every week this season.
Hill has earned 80 yards on 11 carries this season. The rest of the Ravens running backs have produced 77 yards on 31 yards. He should be the clear 1B to J.K. Dobbins and may just be one Dobbins injury away from 15 touches per game.
Warren has looked more explosive than Najee Harris, and while that won't matter as long as Harris stays healthy, it does highlight just how much upside he could have if Harris goes down. We'd expect 20 touches per game for the rookie, and league-winning potential. if you have an extra roster spot, there are few better ways to use it.
Barkley is the Giants offense. He's responsible for 38% of their yards from scrimmage and 40% of their touchdowns. And those numbers may go up with Sterling Shepard lost for the year. Against a mediocre Bears defense, expect 20-plus touches and 20-plus Fantasy points.
I loved that the Raiders got Jacobs involved in the passing game last week and he didn't do anything to discourage that in the future. At some point he's going to get into the end zone, and when the lid comes off it may just be a multi-touchdown game. No one would expect that in Week 4 against the Broncos, which is why his roster rate should be almost non-existent.
