Duke Johnson ranks 37 spots higher than
running mate Isaiah Crowell in standard scoring leagues.
Grab a Helmet
Duke
Johnson v. TEN: The Kevin Hogan experiment was predictably
calamitous and, apparently, short-lived as DeShone Kizer will
be back under center for the Brownies Sunday. That may not be
great news for Cleveland fans (I’m guessing they’re used to it?),
but it’s great news for fantasy GMs who own The Duke. In his last
three games working with Kizer, Johnson, a running back in name
only, has averaged six receptions, 82 yards from scrimmage, a
touchdown, and 14+ points per contest. Even accounting for the
3.9 he tallied last week and the 2.0 he notched in Week 1, he’s
still the 12th best points producer at the RB position. This despite
carrying the ball only 21 times all year and…you know, playing
for Cleveland. I’m not sure they win a game this season, but Johnson
could win you some big ones if he keeps performing like this.
Start him.
Alvin
Kamara @ GB: His former teammate grabbed all the headlines
last Sunday, but Kamara demonstrated with ten carries, double
what he’d previously received, why the Saints may have ultimately
deemed Adrian Peterson expendable enough to ship off to the desert.
The former Tennessee Vol rushed for 75 yards, a career high, in
the Saints’ wild 52-38 win and displayed uncommon athleticism
when he leaped over Detroit’s Darius Slay on a red-zone sweep
in the third quarter. Google it if you missed it. He’s averaging
almost seven yards per touch now and seems to be in line for about
15 touches per game now that AD’s moved on. That equates to triple
digit yardage which, when added to a touchdown here and there,
should prove fairly useful moving forward. Consider him a poor
man’s Tevin Coleman who can even possibly be used in tandem with
Mark Ingram in deeper leagues.
LeGarrette
Blount v. WAS (Mon): The Eagles are flying high at
5-1, meaning folks have mostly forgotten Doug Pederson’s asinine
Week 2 game plan which featured exactly ZERO rushing attempts
for Blount and, not surprisingly, the only loss of the season.
Talk about outsmarting oneself. If we add the assumed 8.9 points
(Blount’s per-game average) to his 2017 total, he’d be sitting
at No.12 overall in the running back ranks, not bad for a guy
who plays barely half the snaps and hasn’t touched the ball more
than 17 times in one game this year. That isn’t likely to change
according to Coach Pederson, making Blount strongly dependent
on a robust per-carry average and touchdowns. He’s looking good
on that first part (his 5.6 per-carry average is good for fifth
overall), but could use a few more six-pointers to really cement
must-start status. I think he gets one Monday night.
Grab a Gatorade
Alex
Collins @ MIN: I picked up Collins a couple weeks back
for a song, reasoning the most efficient back in the league (6.4
yards/carry) would eventually earn most of the carries in an otherwise
moribund Baltimore offense. He now has (15 to Buck Allen’s 10
in Week 6, a season high), but I still can’t convince myself to
pull the trigger and actually start him. What’s holding me back?
It’s two things, actually. First, he’s getting no looks in the
red zone, likely because he hasn’t completely earned back Coach
Harbaugh’s trust after an early season fumbling problem. Second…well,
that fumbling problem. If he lays another one on the carpet, he
could very well be standing next to Harbaugh for an extended period
of time. Eventually, I’ll give him some run, but a Week 7 matchup
with the Vikings front doesn’t seem like the ideal matchup. Wait
on him.
Jonathan
Stewart @ CHI: The list of folks who outscored Stewart
last week includes every NFL running back who touched the football
and all of those who didn’t (not to mention everybody watching
at home). The former Duck (GO DUCKS!!!) gained an embarrassing
-4 yards on eight carries and also dropped a screen pass into
the hands of a Philadelphia defender. It marked the second brutal
performance in a row for J-Stew (18 carries for 21 yards the week
prior), though it bears mentioning his teammates didn’t fare much
better on the ground. In fact, on the year, Carolina backs are
averaging a meager 2.8 yards/carry, far and away the worst figure
in the league. Systemic problems with the scheme or along the
offensive line are possibly to blame, but the only trustworthy
running back option in Charlotte right now is Christian McCaffrey,
who contributes heavily in the passing game.
Orleans
Darkwa v. SEA: Darkwa authored one of the unlikeliest
100-yard efforts in recent memory last Sunday night, running over,
around, and through a Denver defense that, prior to last week,
had only allowed about 42 rushing yards per game. This against
the likes, no less, of Melvin Gordon, Zeke Elliott, Shady McCoy,
and Marshawn Lynch. Darkwa’s 117 yards, in other words,
was a full 60+ yards more than any other back had been able to
manage against the Broncos all season. The Tulane product looks
to catch lightning in a bottle this weekend against the Seahawks,
but the odds of him reproducing that effort seem remote. Seattle’s
not nearly as stout against opposing rushers (about 100 yards/game),
but they still possess a fearsome front seven and won’t
be losing sleep thinking about how to contain Odell Beckham Jr.
or the once-dangerous Giants receiving corps. Be very suspicious
of Darkwa.
