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← All windowsSunday Night · Week 4
Next up behind Jahmyr Gibbs; depth chart RB3.
Rest of the stableSione Vaki (RB2)ExpandCollapse
Sione VakiRB2change of pace1% rostered · free long shotNow the only backup taking offensive snaps: 11 snaps (17%) in Week 2, nine of them on pass plays, with one catch for 13 yards and one carry for 7. Used mainly as a pass-down blocker/outlet rather than a runner, so he is a partial, not full, beneficiary if Gibbs missed time.
Injury history: 2026: missed most of training camp and all of preseason with a broken nose and an eye injury; healthy and active in Weeks 1-2. Converted safety with limited offensive exposure in 2024-2025 and no prior long absence.
54score
Why this pick · the matrix
Evidence: low. Stash priority: 50/100. Scores are rankings, not probabilities.
Rostered in 1% of ESPN leagues when this board was built. Your league may differ; if he is taken, check the rest of the stable for a lower-rostered back.
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 3 games with stats for DET: 0 carries and 0 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 65 | 307 | 21 | 18 | 156 | 6 |
| 2025 | 17 | 243 | 1223 | 94 | 77 | 616 | 18 |
Last 3 games with stats for DET: 21.7 carries and 7 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
Jacob Saylors is listed RB3 on the Detroit Lions depth chart behind Jahmyr Gibbs. Deterministic pick; the model overview was unavailable.
Backfield news: Isiah Pacheco: Out (espn_rosters)
Scouting: Material change: after being described as Gibbs' backup when Pacheco went on IR (Sept. 1), Saylors played zero offensive snaps in Week 2 and appeared only on special teams (18 snaps, 62%). Vaki has taken the rotational offensive role, dropping Saylors' standalone value sharply.
Starter injury history: 2023: missed two games (hamstring). 2024 and 2025: played every game. No reported injury entering or during 2026; took 22 touches on a short week in Week 2 (Sept. 17 vs. Buffalo), which beat writers framed as deliberate workload management rather than an injury issue.
Analyst write-up pending; deterministic pick shown.
Next up behind Chuba Hubbard; depth chart RB2.
Why this pick · the matrix
Evidence: low. Stash priority: 69/100. Scores are rankings, not probabilities.
Rostered in 1% of ESPN leagues when this board was built. Your league may differ; if he is taken, check the rest of the stable for a lower-rostered back.
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 12 | 41 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 6 | 12 | 60 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 0 |
Last 3 games with stats for CAR: 4 carries and 0.3 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 41 | 184 | 9 | 9 | 77 | 3 |
| 2025 | 15 | 134 | 511 | 39 | 30 | 223 | 4 |
Last 3 games with stats for CAR: 13.7 carries and 3 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
AJ Dillon is listed RB2 on the Carolina Panthers depth chart behind Chuba Hubbard. Deterministic pick; the model overview was unavailable.
Backfield news: Trevor Etienne: Out (espn_rosters) Jonathon Brooks: Out (espn_rosters)
Scouting: Big-bodied veteran who won the RB3 job in camp and is now the direct backup with Brooks week-to-week — 8 carries for 25 yards so far. Useful short-yardage and depth insurance given the injury histories ahead of him, but a lost 2024 and a limited 2025 cap his ceiling; he is a committee piece, not a lead-back candidate.
Starter injury history: 2024: 15 games, all starts. 2025: Grade 2 right calf strain cost two games and much of his starting job. 2026: hamstring strain in camp cost him the preseason, but he was cleared for Week 1 and has played both games with no injury designation reported. Soft-tissue problems in back-to-back years keep the historical index elevated.
Analyst write-up pending; deterministic pick shown.