Fantasy football: Which backs from committees can you trust? - ESPN

The lack of quality running back depth has been an issue for fantasy football managers this year, and it's even tougher to find consistent production in the lineup with so many shared backfields across the league.

That got us thinking about how managers can approach teams that are using two backs, as it pertains to setting a weekly lineup (across multiple formats).

Below is a breakdown of 11 running back rooms, placing them in different buckets to give fantasy managers a clear picture of how to value each player moving forward.

San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffrey (20.8 fantasy PPG) remains a top-five back in fantasy, but don't sleep on rookie Kaelon Black as a flex option in deeper formats. Available in more than 60% of ESPN leagues, Black has seen at least 11 carries in back-to-back games, including a rushing touchdown and three goal-to-go carries in Week 7 versus Atlanta. Plus, we know the 49ers want to manage the workload for McCaffrey. Yes, Black provides very limited receiving upside (three receptions this season), but his running style and pad level jump out, and he plays in the league's best offensive scheme under Kyle Shanahan.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In a Tampa offense that has become very run-heavy, Bucky Irving is a locked-in RB1 after scoring 21 or more points in four of his past five games. The tape is really good, too. Fast and elusive with the ball. But with this Bucs offensive identity, should managers look to add and/or play Kenny Gainwell? His numbers are somewhat inflated over the past three games due to the weather in the Carolina game. However, Gainwell has scored at least eight in each game during this stretch, and he had three receptions for 60 yards in Week 9 versus the Bears. Gainwell is