Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey are Dominating the Top 15 Running Backs on a Per Touch Basis

The Colts and 49ers running backs are unbelievably efficient through seven games.

Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) moves the ball in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Christian McCaffrey (39.10 fantasy points) and Jahmyr Gibbs (36.80 fantasy points) put up a fight for the overall RB1 slot in fantasy football in Week 7 after Bijan Robinson tried to shake his running back competition with an electric showing in Week 6 (238 combined yards with one touchdown and six catches). Here’s a look at the top three running backs from last week:

• McCaffrey (201 combined yards with two touchdowns and seven catches)

·      Gibbs (218 combined yards with two touchdowns and three catches)

·      Taylor (132 combined yards with three scores and three catches)

Running Back Team Rushing Totals | Shawn Childs

After seven weeks, the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions are tied for the NFL lead in running back rushing yards (915). Indianapolis leads the way with 13 rushing touchdowns by backs. The Washington Commanders have gained the most yards per rush (5.3), while the Seahawks are the worst top 10 team in yards per carry (3.7). Atlanta is gaining an impressive 12.1 yards per catch from their running backs.

Don't Miss: Week 8 Running Back Rankings

Running Back Fantasy Points Weeks 1-7 | Shawn Childs

The 49ers running back usage in the passing game (70/638/4) gives the edge in fantasy points in PPR formats after seven weeks. The one negative for San Francisco continues to be their yards per rush (3.5), up from 3.1 from last week.

Week 7 Touches

Only two running backs had over 20 touches – Christian McCaffrey (31) and Quinshon Judkins (25). Heading into last week’s action, DraftKings set the over/under for Judkins at 91.5 rushing yards. He fell eight yards short of reaching the over side of his prop best. Six running backs tied for third for the week with 20 touches.

Fantasy Points per Touch for Running Backs | Shawn Childs

Updated Week 8 Running Back Rankings

Note: I added three highlighted stat columns: TCH = touches, FPTs = fantasy points in PPR scoring, and FPT/T = fantasy points per touch (PPR)

Saquon Barkley crushed fantasy teams again. He gained only 2.4 yards per rush on 19 chances vs. the Vikings, leading to his scoring only 0.27 fantasy points per touch.

The Chiefs tried to get Brashard Smith rolling in a blowout game. He finished with a top 12 ranking in touches (19) but gained only 2.8 yards per carry.

Jahmyr Gibbs was the best running back for the week in fantasy points per touch (1.84), just ahead of Jonathan Taylor (1.80).

This season, there have been 34 running back games with over 100 yards rushing.

• Week 1 (3) – Derrick Henry (169), Travis Etienne (143), and Breece Hall (107)

·      Week 2 (4) – Jonathan Taylor (165), Bijan Robinson (143), James Cook (132), and Kenneth Walker (105)

·      Week 3 (4) – David Montgomery (151), Jordan Mason (116), James Cook (108), and Jonathan Taylor (102)

·      Week 4 (5) – Ashton Jeanty (138), Omarion Hampton (128), Travis Etienne (124), James Cook (117), and J.K. Dobbins (101)

·      Week 5 (5) – Rico Dowdle (206), Javonta Williams (135), Breece Hall (113), Jacory Croskey-Merritt (111), and Quinshon Judkins (110)

·      Week 6 (7) – Rico Dowdle (183), Bijan Robinson (170), De’Von Achane (128), Kimani Vidal (124), Jonathan Taylor (123), Derrick Henry (122), and D’Andre Swift (108)

·      Week 7 (6) – Jahmyr Gibbs (136), Christian McCaffrey (129), Jaylen Warren (127), D’Andre Swift (124), Javonte Williams (116), and Chase Brown (108)

Here are the top 15 running backs in touches after seven games:

Total Touches for Running Backs | Shawn Childs

Check Out: Week 8 Running Back Rankings

Three running backs are on pace to gain over 2,000 combined yards.

• Bijan Robinson (2,590 yards)

·      Jonathan Taylor (2,385 yards)

·      Christian McCaffrey (2,382 yards)

Here are the top 16 running backs in fantasy points per touch (PPR) with 75 touches or more:

·      Jonathan Taylor (1.15)

·      Bijan Robinson (1.14)

·      De’Von Achane (1.13)

·      Jahmyr Gibbs (1.08)

·      Christian McCaffrey (1.01)

·      Javonte Williams (0.99)

·      Cam Skattebo (0.97)

·      Josh Jacobs (0.97)

·      D’Andre Swift (0.94)

·      Jacory Croskey-Merritt (0.93)

·      Rachaad White (0.92)

·      David Montgomery (0.90)

·      Kyren Williams (0.90)

·      Omarion Hampton (0.90)

·      Rico Dowdle (0.88)

·      James Cook (0.88)