Bell Cow Updates: RB Touch Leaders and Largest Projected Workloads for Week 4

After getting filleted through the first two weeks of the season, the Dolphins finally showed some fight against the Chiefs.
My good friend Scott “The King” Engel brought up a good point about those early-season home games in Miami. That South Florida heat and humidity can absolutely be an advantage. The Chiefs looked sluggish at times, and Miami made them work for it.

But now comes the bigger fantasy story: We might have to go without De’Von Achane for the foreseeable future.

If that happens, does his absence finally open the door for someone else in this Dolphins offense to become fantasy relevant?

Or is this offense so bad that you just don’t care?

Either way, crowning Ollie Gordon or any other RB seems like a move we all might want to avoid. It’s the Dolphins!

RB Touch Leaders and Largest Projected Workloads for Week 4

Chuba Hubbard | RB | CAR

For all the hype Jonathon Brooks brought into the offseason, he was quickly sidelined by injury yet again. That opened the door for Chuba Hubbard, and any preseason skepticism is disappearing fast.

Hubbard is becoming a true bell-cow RB. His touches have increased every week, reaching 23 in Week 3 with another RB1 finish. Calling him just a FLEX feels disrespectful. He’s giving us high-end RB2 production with RB1 upside.

Now Carolina needs to feed him.

The Panthers rank in the bottom half of the league in rushing attempts, but Detroit is averaging 31 points per game. If Carolina gets dragged into another shootout, that doesn’t kill Hubbard’s day. He has only four catches this season, but falling behind in this catfight could finally get him more involved through the air.

I smell another big Hubbard touch week coming.

You believed on draft day. Keep believing.

Jeremiyah Love | RB | ARI

Watching these games will humble your fantasy football takes, no question!

During the offseason, there were a few RB rooms I repeatedly said I wanted no part of, and the Cardinals were at the top of that list. With rookie Jeremiyah Love in the mix, it looked like a timeshare I wanted to avoid in fantasy redraft leagues.
Well, Week 3 told us something different.

The Cardinals love the rookie.

Love dominated the backfield usage by a 26-to-6 margin, and you can see why there is juice in those legs.

Tyler Allgeier just doesn’t bring the same electricity with the ball in his hands, and Arizona is starting to show confidence in the rookie.

Next up are the Giants of Jersey, who have allowed 99 rushing yards and two touchdowns to RBs this season. But Love could really hurt them through the passing game, where New York has already surrendered a couple of touchdowns to the position.

With the Giants giving up 20.5 fantasy points per game to RBs and Brian Burns possibly missing time, this matchup comes at the perfect time for a rookie whose workload is trending way up.

The offseason take has officially been humbled.

So long, Allgeier.

Aaron Jones | RB | MIN

Aaron Jones is doing the UTEP two-step on this age thing and turning back the clock, averaging over 22 touches in his last two games since Jordan Mason landed on IR yet again.

It hasn’t been spectacular, but Jones is getting opportunities, and that’s what counts here.

Justin Jefferson’s situation could create even more work. Getting ruled out that quickly is never what you want to see after a knee injury. With his status uncertain, Jones could pick up some of that work in the passing game. He already saw six targets last week, catching five for 34 yards.

Now here comes another gift: the Miami Dolphins.

Miami has already surrendered seven touchdowns to RBs this season. And remember, this game is in Minnesota, so that South Florida heat and humidity won’t be coming to the Dolphins’ rescue.

The Vikings could use a break after just escaping Tampa Bay with a win, and this matchup provides one.

Jones should eat early and often, then feast on the leftovers as the Dolphins get deep-fried again.