Market Share Report: Rashad Jennings Separates From the Pack

Carry Market Shares

1. Rashad Jennings Separates from Paul Perkins

Rashad Jennings is a cockroach in the most complimentary sense of the word. No matter what obstacles the New York Giants throw, he simply won't go away.

Jennings handled 21 of 25 running-back carries in the Giants' victory over the Chicago Bears Sunday, squashing the narrative that Paul Perkins was on the verge of overtaking him. Jennings played 70% of the snaps and added six targets, giving him the usage of a top-end running back. It's time to ditch the Perkins fantasies for now and embrace a bit of certainty in the backfield.

Of course, things could always change here in a hurry. Perkins has flashed some sick moves, and he's a rookie with promise. But until we see this shift actually happen, Jennings is a guy we can count on when the Giants are in solid matchups.

They're facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. Giddy up.

2. Dwayne Washington (Maybe?) Regains a Role

Dwayne Washington's statline from Sunday was the beautiful mix of exultation and vomit that only fantasy football could inspire. Prepare yourself.

We'll start with the good for Washington. He led the Detroit Lions' backfield with 13 carries out of 17 total attempts for running backs. Theo Riddick handled the other four as Justin Forsett was a healthy inactive and Zach Zenner played exclusively special teams. Washington's snap rate went up to 42%, his highest rate of the season. What could possibly be bad about this?

He turned those 13 carries into six yards. Sub-Gucci.

It's hard to act upon such juicy usage when it comes with output that could lead to an immediate role change for Washington. The bigger takeaway, instead, is that Riddick's role as an early-down back may be evaporating. He hadn't recorded fewer than seven carries in any game this year, and he had at least 10 in every game since Ameer Abdullah's injury. Whether it's Washington or somebody else, it seems that aspect of Riddick's role is gone, and it does lead to slightly lower expectations for him going forward.

3. Jerick McKinnon Returns to Relevancy

There's not a ton of value in a running back in an offense that can't run the ball for diddly poo, and that seems to be what the Minnesota Vikings are right now. But at least we know who the top dog is, and that's Jerick McKinnon.

McKinnon handled 16 of 23 running-back carries Sunday, ceding five to Matt Asiata and two to Ronnie Hillman. The team waived Hillman Monday, granting a bit of a longer leash to McKinnon in what was looking like a lost season a few weeks ago.

The Vikings have a few matchups on the horizon where their putrid running game may actually be able to gain traction. Their defense is still good enough to put the team in positive game script, in which case they will be in position to run the football. McKinnon may not have the safest floor, but he'll still be worth a look when those opportunities come around.