Jordan Howard has averaged over 6 yards
per carry in his three games against the Lions.
Grab a Helmet
Mike
Davis vs LAR: It looks like Seattle finally has a runner
it can depend on, as Davis has totaled 60+ yards in his two games
as a “starter”. He was solid last week against Jacksonville, and
this week gets a Rams defense giving up nearly 5 yards-per-carry.
Plenty of mediocre backs have put up respectable stats against
this L.A. team, and while I haven’t seen enough of Davis to be
comfortable relying on him as a starter in the fantasy playoffs,
he’s a perfect high upside FLEX play. Start Davis with caution
though, as this Seattle offense runs through Russell Wilson (literally,
he’s accounted for all but one of the team’s offensive touchdowns)
so don’t expect a high ceiling for Davis.
Jordan
Howard @ DET (SAT): If you made it to your league’s
semi-finals, it’s likely you stuck with Howard when many other
people cut bait on him after Week 2. It looked like Chicago’s
offense was going to be miserable, and rookie Tarik Cohen would
be seriously cutting into Howard’s snaps. Well only one of those
two things happened. Yes, Chicago’s offense still is terrible,
but not because of the 2nd year runner. Howard has carried this
offense more than once this year, and he’s always prone to be
a fantasy disaster because he plays no part in the passing game,
but look for Chicago to employ a heavy dose of the run game as
they attempt to keep the Lions quick-strike offense off the field.
Howard destroyed the Lions in Week 11 with a 15-125-1 line, and
had two solid games against them last year. Detroit has yielded
the 2nd most rushing touchdowns in the league (17) and Howard
should add to that total as a RB1 in week 15.
Kenyan
Drake @ BUF: Drake did his best Le'Veon Bell impersonation
Monday night, piling up 193 total yards in an upset win over New
England. Drake has popped off the tape with quickness, long speed,
and plenty of power. He’s involved on all three downs, especially
with Damien Williams still nursing a shoulder injury. Look for
Miami to lean on their white hot runner in a December road game
in Buffalo. Drake has gone over 20 carries and 100 yards in two
straight, and even if Williams does crawl back onto the field,
I expect the Fins to ride Drake against one of the worst rush
defenses in the league.
Grab Some Pine
Lamar
Miller @ JAX: Yeah, I know, I was a Miller owner before
dealing him away mid-season. I frankly got tired of the 16-60
games, the lack of any explosive plays, and the 3.6 yards per
carry. This Houston offense is going to struggle to move the ball
with their 3rd string QB in the game, so even a red zone score
isn’t worth counting on. Miller will likely total anywhere from
70-90 total yards, and while he won’t lose you your playoff game,
he’s not going to go out and win it either. If I had a higher
upside option, I might take the risk and go with them over Miller.
Samaje
Perine vs ARI: Perine has crashed hard after back-to-back
100 yard games in Weeks 11 and 12. With the Washington offensive
line crumbling around him, Perine has failed to top 45 yards in
his last two games, and with an Arizona defense giving up the
7th fewest rushing yards on the year, the week looks bleak for
the rookie runner. Perine doesn’t possess elite physical tools,
and despite being option 1, 2 and 3 in the backfield will find
it hard to generate much on the touches he does get. Washington
has no choice, but you do, keep Perine on the bench.
Marshawn
Lynch vs DAL: I really thought Lynch would give this
offense a feisty edge that could put them over the top, and while
he’s shown flashes of his old self, the Raiders can’t
stay in games long enough to really pound him on the ground. He
has 15 or more carries only three times this season, and isn’t
much of a threat to catch the ball, causing defenses to tighten
up the field. The Cowboys defense looks entirely different when
Sean Lee is on the field, and that will be the case this week.
I’d love to see Oakland just run Lynch all day, but there’s
absolutely no reason to trust that will happen.
