With everyone talking about the Aaron Joneses and Kerryon Johnsons of the world — running backs who are going to gain touches in 2019 — another subset of players is going relatively unnoticed in fantasy football circles: the guys who are going to lose totes.
Well, among most people, anyway.
So, here is a list of five running backs who will lose the most touches from a year ago:
As fantastic as Phillip Lindsay was during his rookie campaign with the Denver Broncos, racking up 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry, the Broncos seem intent on splitting carries between Lindsay and Royce Freeman in 2019.
Some have even speculated that Freeman will actually get more touches than Lindsay this season, but I just don't see how Denver can do that given how productive Lindsay was in 2018.
Regardless, Lindsay probably won't be carrying the ball 192 times again, and even if his receptions increase from 35, it almost certainly won't be enough to offset his probable dip in rushing attempts.
4. Kareem Hunt
Yes, I know Kareem Hunt is suspended for the first eight games of the season, but if you are expecting to pick him up midway through the year and have him post Pro Bowl-caliber numbers during that span, you are sorely mistaken.
Nick Chubb is unquestionably the No. 1 running back in Cleveland right now, as he has earned that title after a terrific rookie year. So, expecting Hunt to return and touch the ball with the same volume he did in 2018 (16.5 carries and 2.4 catches per game) is just not realistic.
Don't get me wrong: Hunt will still see some action when he does return, especially with the Browns trading away Duke Johnson, but it just won't be at the same level as in Kansas City.
3. Doug Martin
Not that any of you were going to be flocking to pick up Doug Martin anyway, but if you were considering picking him up as a potential value pick in the later rounds, you might want to rethink that.
The Oakland Raiders have a ton of running backs vying for touches, from rookie Josh Jacobs to Jalen Richard to DeAndre Washington.
Martin actually saw quite a bit of action in 2018, totaling 172 carries and 18 catches, but it would not be the least bit surprising to see those fantasy football numbers be trimmed considerably in 2019.
2. Todd Gurley
This one is interesting, because it completely depends on Todd Gurley's health.
If his knee is fine and it turns out we were all exaggerating with all of our worrying about him throughout the offseason, Gurley will still get a ton of touches and will be one of the top running backs in Fantasy yet again.
But, if there is some kind of chronic issue with his knee, the Los Angeles Rams will almost surely curb his totes as a result, and his overall production will then suffer, at least in terms of volume.
And even if you are cautiously optimistic about Gurley heading into this season, you have to admit that his refusal to provide any details on the status of his knee is somewhat concerning.
Heck, even if Gurley is just fine, the Rams may still take it easy with him during the regular season in order to avoid re-injury. That is a key fantasy football tension point this year.
Believe it or not, Jordan Howard finished sixth in the NFL with a hefty 250 carries with the Chicago Bears in 2018.
Now that he is part of a Philadelphia Eagles backfield that has 847 other running backs, that number will almost definitely dip, and it's not as though Howard was a big-time receiver anyway (just 20 catches in 2018).
Even if Howard ends up being the clear No. 1 back in Philadelphia, he will still be sharing touches with Josh Adams, Miles Sanders, Corey Clement and even Darren Sproles.
So, yeah. Howard most likely won't be racking up 270 overall touches again in 2019. Take note of that in fantasy football discussions.
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