Bye Weeks: Arizona, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Jacksonville,
N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia
A RB2 You Can Trust: Chris Carson has seen
20+ touches in three out of his last four games.
Grab a Helmet
Tarik
Cohen @ BUF: 2018’s version of 2011’s Darren Sproles,
Cohen has the same benefit of being an elite playmaker in the
hands of a creative offensive head coach. Despite the presence
of Jordan Howard, Cohen sees plenty of snaps with both runners
on the field. He gives the offense a dimension that is tough to
defend because he must be accounted for on every play, and when
the defense does get caught (like the Jets last week), Cohen can
take it to the house from anywhere on the field. With the offense
clicking, Cohen has gone over 100 total yards and has a touchdown
in 3 of his last 4 games. With the ability to bust a big play
on any of his weekly 12-15 touches, Cohen needs to be in your
lineup.
Chris
Carson vs LAC: It’s taken a while, but it seems the
Seahawks have finally found a consistent ground attack, led not
by 1st round pick Rashaad Penny, but by the former 7th rounder
Carson. Carson has been the clear lead dog in this backfield since
a 32-carry Week 3 win against Dallas. Including that win and since
that game, Carson is averaging over 95 yards rushing per game.
He’s only found the endzone twice all year, and offers next to
nothing as a receiver so I’m not going too crazy, but he’s given
balance to an offense that greatly needed it. The Seahawks should
be able to keep the Chargers close this week at home, and that
should lead to plenty of opportunities for Carson. The positive
matchup and the hot streak make Carson a viable RB2 play in Week
9.
Duke
Johnson vs KC: One of the biggest mysteries this season
has been the Browns total inability to utilize the skills of Duke
Johnson. Despite being desperate for receivers to take the pressure
off of Mayfield and extensive use of Le'Veon Bell when he was
in Pittsburgh, Todd Haley simply couldn’t find a way to maximize
the talent he had in this backfield. That being said, the Browns
should be forced to play catch-up for most of the game, and as
the de-facto passing back, Johnson could see a season high in
snaps as Nick Chubb doesn’t offer much as a receiver. Mayfield
desperately needs a safety valve, and Johnson could be a PPR gem
for the remainder of the season.
Grab Some Pine
LeSean
McCoy vs CHI: The Nathan Peterman nightmare continues
this week against the Bears. Other than Bills fans, the person
most likely to suffer is McCoy. Running into a near constant stream
of brick walls last week against the Patriots, McCoy gets to face
the Bears in Week 9. The only spark of light on a dull cold night
in Buffalo, McCoy did lead the Bills in receiving with 82 yards.
McCoy has had a trying season, as his next trip to the endzone
will be his first. Last week McCoy was able to exploit the athletic
deficiency on the Pats linebacker core, but will have no such
luck this week against Chicago. You likely have to keep starting
him, but this offense is one of the worst in the league, and McCoy’s
upside is capped as a FLEX at best.
Derrick
Henry @ DAL (Mon): 2018 production; dismal. Week 9
matchup; dreadful. Henry’s 2018 fantasy season has been as horrific
as another generic slasher movie on Halloween. He’s barely bobbing
above 3 yards a carry, has only 6 receptions and JUST found the
endzone for the first time in Week 7. In all fairness to Henry,
just about every offensive player on this team has underperformed,
but right now Henry is a near zero in PPR leagues, and if he isn’t
dominating carries or finding the endzone, he’s near useless in
standard leagues as well.
Matt
Breida vs OAK (Thu): For all the pomp and circumstance
that the 49ers came into the season with, their 1-7 start to the
season is a tremendous disappointment. Sure, the injury bug struck
the two most important players in their backfield, but after a
hot start a bum ankle has slowed Matt Breida in recent weeks.
Alfred Morris has nearly disappeared and journeyman Raheem Mostert,
a hot waiver add a week ago, was nearly invisible last week in
the loss to Arizona. The Oakland defense is a big let-up from
the units the Niners have seen in recent weeks, but this is a
dreaded RBBC that is headlined by a bunch of guys that are either
banged up or just not that good.
