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Big plays can flip fantasy matchups in a heartbeat and rescue otherwise disappointing fantasy days. A wide receiver might have managed just three catches for 13 yards before plucking a deep ball out of the air and racing 68 yards to the house. Phew.
The same applies to running backs. A player can run into defensive wall after defensive wall and be limited to 25 yards on 11 carries, only to break off a 50-yard touchdown and completely turn his day around.
But what about the running backs who aren’t producing those game-changing, point-generating plays? Here are some of the players frustrating fantasy managers with their lack of explosiveness.
Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals
If you had been told before the season that Kaelon Black and MarShawn Lloyd would have the same number of 10-plus-yard runs as Love through three weeks, you might have assumed the former two were on their way to Pro Bowl seasons.
Sadly, that isn’t the case. All three have just one such run. Love is currently the RB16 in PPR formats, with much of his fantasy production boosted by his work as a receiver. The third overall pick has caught 10 of his 11 targets for 44 yards and a touchdown, including all five of his targets in a Week 3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Love has otherwise made a steady start to his NFL career, earning a 72.6 PFF rushing grade. Among running backs with at least 30 carries, his 3.9 yards per attempt ranks 19th, tied with Jonathan Taylor, Aaron Jones Sr., Javonte Williams and Omarion Hampton.
What Love has yet to consistently showcase in a Cardinals uniform is his explosive big-play ability. Along with his lone 10-plus-yard run, he has forced just five missed tackles, ranking 23rd out of 33 qualifying running backs. If he can start turning more of his carries into explosive gains, it could jump-start the Cardinals’ offense and help carry fantasy managers to wins.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Croskey-Merritt did enough during his 2025 rookie season to earn the starting role in Washington’s backfield in 2026. Unfortunately, he has done very little with it through three weeks. His 61.5 PFF rushing grade is a far cry from the 75.4 mark he had at this point last season.
The former seventh-round pick has just two runs of 10-plus yards, with a season-long gain of only 11. Weekly finishes of RB22 and RB41 twice leave Croskey-Merritt as the RB30 overall in fantasy — firmly in middle-tier RB3 territory.
His workload could now come under pressure, with the Commanders recently re-signing Austin Ekeler to join a backfield that also features Rachaad White. White has been limited to fewer than 10 carries in each game, but he is averaging 4.5 yards per carry compared with Croskey-Merritt’s 3.0. Among running backs with at least 30 carries, only David Montgomery is averaging fewer yards per attempt than Croskey-Merritt.
White also offers more as a pass-catcher, giving him another avenue to eat into Croskey-Merritt’s workload. If that happens, Croskey-Merritt could quickly become irrelevant in fantasy circles.
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
Many fantasy managers drafted Judkins as an RB2 with the potential to deliver weekly RB1 upside. Instead, the former second-round pick currently sits at RB27, putting him firmly in high-end RB3 territory.
Even that production has been hard-earned. Judkins’ 57.3 PFF rushing grade ranks 32nd out of 33 qualifying running backs, although he has received very little help. He is averaging just 0.64 yards before contact per attempt, ranking 28th among backs with at least 30 carries.
Of Judkins’ 124 rushing yards this season, 97 have come after contact. That has been necessary behind a Browns offensive line whose 53.1 PFF run-blocking grade ranks 28th in the NFL. The lack of room has contributed to Judkins recording just two runs of 10-plus yards, with a season-long gain of 11.
If the Browns can continue to find their feet offensively under Deshaun Watson, Judkins may rebound in the middle of the season. For now, though, he is little more than an RB3 who will give fantasy managers hard-fought, aggressively OK production.