LeGarrette Blount: It's not chasing points
if the matchup and likely game script are in his favor.
Grab a Helmet
LeGarrette
Blount @ SF: Ok, so David Johnson didn’t rush for 400
yards last week, as somehow the 49ers run defense showed up. But
can they do the impossible and hold the Patriots rush attack at
bay? Unlikely. Game script should absolutely favor Blount and
the Patriots run game as they likely get out to a big lead. Blount
has absolutely seen a big decrease in his touches (and yards per
carry) since the return of Brady, but he’s still scoring touchdowns
in bunches, finding the end zone eight times since TB12’s comeback.
He has absolutely no part in the pass game, so there’s always
a chance for a clunker should he not score, but the match-up is
so darn tasty he has to be lineups as an RB1.
Spencer
Ware vs TB: Ware looked good coming off a one-game
hiatus due to a concussion. He racked up only 72 yards on 16 touches,
but the tough Carolina front had something to do with that. More
important for Ware owners was the fact he dominated touches in
the backfield, and looks to be the clear No.1 option for the Chiefs
with Charles out for the foreseeable future. Tampa has been decent
against the run for the most part, but they just gave up a chunk
of yardage to Chicago rookie Jordan Howard, and have given up
some very big receiving yardage games to running backs. Ware is
still an integral part of the pass game even if his stats have
dropped a bit in recent weeks. Fire up the former LSU Tiger as
a strong RB2.
James
Starks @ WAS: Starks played a healthy majority of the
snaps in last week’s loss to the Titans which leads me to believe
his knee is back in shape. This team is in shambles and they need
some semblance of a run game not only to give the offense balance,
but to give a beleaguered defense a little help. Starks was a
decent option last season when he was filling in for Lacy, and
I believe he can be again. Plus, the shadow of newly signed Christine
Michel shouldn’t loom large at least for a week. Washington has
given up the eighth-most points to fantasy backs and the Redskins
will undoubtedly sell out to stop Rodgers and the passing game,
giving Starks sneaky value as a FLEX play that could overachieve.
Grab Some Pine
Mark
Ingram @ CAR: Ingram’s value has plummeted recently
due to the newly formed RBBC with Tim Hightower. Neither back
could get much going last week against Denver, but Ingram has
seen his passing game work dwindle as the season has gone on.
The Saints offense in general seems to have moved away from their
backs as pass catchers, especially with the emergence of some
of their young receivers. Aside from a robust 158 yards against
the frail Niners, Ingram hasn’t rushed for more than 77 yards
this year and hasn’t gone for more than 56 against the Panthers
since a 100-yard effort early last year. It wouldn’t surprise
me to see the Saints throw the ball 75 percent of the time, even
on the road this week. The script and timeshare is enough to have
me way down on Ingram.
Jerick
McKinnon and Matt
Asiata vs ARI: When the All Mighty AP averaged 1.6
yards per carry in his two healthy games this year people banded
about the idea that father time may have caught up to the great
one. But as the Minnesota rushing game continues to sink to new
levels of futility, I think we can safely say that this offensive
line is one of, if not the absolute worst in the NFL. They weren’t
deep on talent to begin with, but injuries have all but decimated
any semblance of continuity they had. They are down to their fourth
left tackle having lost Jake Long for the year. McKinnon is as
explosive as they come, but he can’t seem to get out of the backfield
or find a hole. Asiata has been just as bad, unable to get anything
that isn’t blocked. The schedule lines up as poorly as possible,
as the Cardinals come to town sporting the best defense against
fantasy running backs. I having a hard time justifying keeping
either of these guys on a roster, let along finding a place in
my lineup.
Lamar
Miller @ OAK: The
gigantic workload of the early season seems to be catching up
to Miller. He’s only averaged 14 carries a game in his last
three contests, has only 46 yards receiving in his last five games,
and suffered a shoulder injury three weeks ago in Detroit that
seems to still be bothering him. The extra weight he put on in
the offseason seems to have cost him a step or two, as he looks
more sluggish that any time in his career. After averaging over
5 yards a carry in his career, he’s only met that mark three
times this year. With the Texans unable to move the ball in the
air consistently Miller isn’t getting enough opportunities
in the red zone either, which severely limits his touchdown potential.
It’s time to come to the realization that the RB1 dreams
owners had for Miller have turned out into a low end RB2 reality.
