The fantasy running back landscape has mostly been a wasteland
of injury and disappointment, so when an on-paper match-up as
mouthwatering as this one comes along, you HAVE to go all in.
Conner has been a consistent, if unexciting RB1 all season, as
he’s dominated touches in a rare three-down role. Scoring
a touchdown in 5 of his last 6 games, the former Pitt Panther
should feast on a defense giving up an NFL worst 170 rushing yards
per game. I could dig even deeper into the numbers (5.1 yards
per carry is 3rd worst) if you want me to, but suffice to say,
the conclusion is the same. Volume + match-up + game script, make
Conner one of the best RB starts of Week 9. But since it’s
2020, he’s also just as likely to hurt his ankle in the
1st quarter and miss the rest of the game...oh well!
Self-fulfilling prophecy alert...I’m starting Dobbins in
my most important league this week (friends league of course!)
and I’ve been waiting to look like a genius since I drafted
him early. Well it took half the season, but Dobbins looked tremendous
last week, showing patience, vision, and burst as he topped the
century mark against the vaunted Steelers. Yes, I’m assuming
Ingram is out and this remains a two-headed backfield, but the
rookie from Ohio State sports a sterling 6.7 yards per carry average
and soaks up the few receptions that go to members of the backfield.
The blueprint for beating Baltimore seems to be to keep Jackson
in the pocket at all costs, meaning Dobbins should continue to
find room to roam. He’s explosive enough on 12-15 touches
that he makes a fantastic upside FLEX.
There isn’t much to like about the Pats offense these days
except for Harris. The 2nd year player from Alabama has taken the
starting job and literally run with it, bulldozing the Bills for
a 16-102 -1 line last week. While running wild against Buffalo isn’t
necessarily an accomplishment, Harris has looked great (5.9 yards
per carry) when given extensive opportunities. With the passing
game an unmitigated disaster, Harris and the ground game are going
to have to carry the load. With a very favorable game script, the
only thing limiting Harris against the Jets will be the goal like
touchdowns stolen by his quarterback.
Right now there is a “Wanted” poster hanging in the
Steelers’ locker room with Elliott’s face on it. Mike
Tomlin admitted as much in an interview Wednesday, as Pittsburgh
is going to make stopping Elliott it’s #1, #2 and #3 priority.
Yeah, they were gashed on the ground last week against Baltimore,
but that had more to do with selling out to stop Lamar Jackson.
Cooper Rush or Garrett Gilbert will garner no such respect. Because
of a strong Weeks 1-5 Elliott remains a top-5 fantasy back, but
since the loss of Dak he’s struggled to even approach double
digit points. You have to start him on volume alone, but the ship
has sailed on him being a week winner in 2020.
One of the MANY RBBC backfields I want no part of, Jones seems
to find himself in the doghouse after a questionable fumble (how
does one make a “football move” on their knees?!?)
Monday night. The return of Fournette has thrown things into a
weekly guessing game, and Bruce Arians seems to change his mind
about the roles these guys serve on a drive-by-drive basis. The
only clarity will come when one of them gets hurt again, so for
the meantime, start Jones if you have to, but don’t expect
much.
For years I rode the back of Le'Veon Bell in one of my main leagues,
so it’s only right that he returns to sabotage CEH for me.
Signed to “take a little pounding” off the rookie,
Bell has thrown this backfield into a legit committee. Edwards-Helaire
was already struggling due to the low scoring ceiling, so any
work Bell steals has a tremendous effect on his bottom line. The
on-paper matchup is great against a Carolina team surrendering
the 4th most fantasy points to running backs, but with just 18
total touches in the two games Bell has been active, the diminutive
rookie has been relegated to low end RB2 status at best.
