With Kamara hobbled by a bum knee, Neal gets elevated into the
RB1 spot for the Saints. Injuries have played a toll this season,
and if you are hobbling to the finish line, the rookie 6th rounder
could be a solid RB2/FLEX option this week. What he lacks in elite
physical skills, he makes up with three-down ability and acceptable
volume. The Saints can’t seem to quit Taysom Hill, so you may
lose goal line chances to a mid-30s hybrid player coming off an
ACL tear, but in the plus matchup with the Phins, I’ll take a
chance.
Volume is king, and Warren is getting plenty of it. A three-down
back with goal line work thrown in, Warren has notched double-digit
carries in every game this season. His 18 rushes last week tied
a career high, and with both the leaky Bills run defense up next,
and the iffy health of Aaron Rogers, Warren is one of the best
upside plays at the position in Week 13.
After lighting the world on fire for the previous two weeks,
Henderson came back down-to-earth last week against the Bengals.
Losing two starting linemen during the game threw the timing of
the entire offense off, but Henderson remained the clear RB1 despite
the return of Rhamondre Stephenson. Henderson is going to be a
boom/bust player as this offense adjusts, but his homerun potential
is undeniable, especially against a Giants run defense that just
got gashed for 220+ yards by Jahmyr Gibbs last week.
The Rams backfield has slowly morphed into a 60-40 split the last
several weeks, with Blake Corum seeing significant playing time.
Williams has reached 15 carries only once since Week 3 and has become
frighteningly touchdown dependent. The easy scores have dried up
as Davante Adams is unstoppable inside the five, and the Rams have
attempted the 2nd most redzone passes. Stafford in fact leads the
NFL with 13 red zone touchdowns. Williams' role on one of the best
offenses in the NFL keeps him a fantasy starter, but the matchup,
and volume inconsistency drops him down a peg.
No hate for a guy who has two 200-yard rushing games this season,
but Dowdell hasn’t accomplished enough in the NFL to be a malcontent.
Between his comments about his splitting time with Chuba Hubbard,
to cryptic emoji tweets after Monday’s game, I’d like to hear
less from a guy who struggled against the Saints and Falcons in
the last month. He’s flashed week-winning potential a few times
this season, but the brutal matchup, and continued inconsistency
of Bryce Young scares me.
This Minnesota offense is in shambles. With brutal quarterback
play the passing game has offered nothing in the last few weeks,
allowing teams to stack the box and attack the line of scrimmage.
The Vikings are middle of the pack in red zone chances and that’s
where RBs get a chance to make their money. Add a split backfield
to a struggling passing game and you have a recipe for disaster.
Jones has a single touchdown on the season. Mason is a one-dimensional
thumper that will disappear in negative game scripts. With the
state of the offense, and a bad matchup with the resurgent Seahawks,
I’d avoid both of these guys if able.
