Bye Weeks: San Francisco, N.Y. Giants

Guess who the No.9 running back in fantasy football is? Forsett has 37 carries over the last two weeks.

Grab a Helmet

Justin Forsett @ CIN: There’ve been plenty of feel bad stories at the running back position this year (e.g., Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson), so it’s about danged time we had a feel good story. Forsett’s certainly qualifies. He’s seven years into his professional career – longer than the vast majority of career backups ever even play – and has just now started to realize some legitimate, sustained NFL success. This, in turn, has landed him the starting gig for a team that looks, for all intents and purposes, like a playoff contender. He’d only started seven games prior to this season so it’s still too early to tell whether he’s going to be a flash in the fantasy pan (think Samkon Gado or maybe Chester Taylor) or a longer-term solution (Michael Turner). For now, he’s someone you’ve gotta start, especially against a Bengals run defense that’s been vastly underperforming to this point.

Andre Ellington v. PHI: Bruce Arians’ maddening usage of Ellington probably caused much hand-wringing in Week 7, especially when the young back touched the ball on eight consecutive plays in the third quarter only to be yanked in favor of Stepfan Taylor for the six-point opportunity, which Taylor promptly converted. Has a new touchdown vulture emerged in the desert? Let’s hope not, though I can confidently say it may not ultimately matter. Ellington’s only found the end zone three times this season, yes (and twice in one game), but he’s still top 10 material and one of the steadiest options at the position. Arians suggested way back in August the kid would touch the ball 25-30 times per game and we scoffed. Seven weeks in, the Cards’ bell cow is averaging about 24 touch opportunities (carries + targets) per game. That’s close enough for me. He’s still a must start.

Darren McFadden @ CLE: Not that anyone’s noticed, but the famously unreliable McFadden has been fairly steady this season, as well…in an Oakland Raiders kind of way, of course. Since a Week 1 dud against the Jets (he wasn’t the starter), he’s scored no fewer than 6.5 fantasy points and no more than 12.8. He’s also garnered no fewer than 14 total touches and no more than 22. Sounds like maybe the Raiders have a modest-use plan for DMC and are sticking to it? Getting 8 to 12 points out of your RB1 or RB2 isn’t gonna win you too many chips, but it’s surprisingly useful for an RB3/RB4 or in larger, deeper leagues. Three of McFadden’s first six opponents fielded top 10 run defenses and more are on the way so we won’t be recommending him again. For this week only, though, against Cleveland’s exceedingly iffy run-stoppers, why not?

Grab a Gatorade

Bryce Brown @ NYJ: I’m desperately in need of running back help in our FF Today staff league, but I couldn’t pull the trigger on a blind bid for the fantasy flavor of the week, Buffalo’s presumed starter now that Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller are out. There’s no denying Brown’s talent or that he’s already got a proven, albeit brief, fantasy track record. What gave me pause and still does are the following two thoughts: 1) Are we sure Anthony Dixon won’t actually be the guy earning most of the touches in the Bills’ backfield?; and 2) Why has Brown been inactive for every single game since the season began? It’s this second question that really makes me scratch my head. It’s not like the Bills, in general, or C.J. Spiller, in particular, were setting the world on fire. If Brown’s so great, wouldn’t they have used him already?

Antone Smith or Steven Jackson v. DET (in London): Take for example the Falcons. They realize they have someone talented (Smith) backing up someone past his prime (Jackson) and have found creative ways to get that talent into the lineup, albeit sparingly. Despite carrying the ball only 16 times and grabbing 12 receptions, Smith is the 14th ranked player at the position through seven weeks. That means 76 running backs have carried the ball more often, but only 13 have been more productive. Despite this astonishing efficiency, Smith’s a dangerous start, especially when facing one of the league’s most ferocious run defenses. He relies too much on TDs for his production and Detroit’s only yielded four to opposing RBs. As for Jackson, you’re not still treating him as a viable running back option, are you? He hasn’t carried the ball more than 14 times or for more than 54 yards all season.

Chris Johnson v. BUF: If Detroit possesses “one of the league’s most ferocious run defenses,” Buffalo may boast of THE most ferocious run defense. We’re seven weeks deep and the Bills haven’t allowed a single opposing running back to score a touchdown, either by ground or by air. Only one other team can make that claim (Kansas City…be aware, Tre Mason owners). As a guy who’s recently acquired Chris Ivory, it’s not exactly music to my ears. As a guy who would never acquire the washed-up Johnson, it’s even more reason than I usually need to recommend a sit-down. Johnson occasionally flashes that long-lost C2K brilliance, but it’s fleeting and he’s clearly the less interesting of New York’s running backs. Moreover, though I’m skeptical Percy Harvin will impact the Jets’ offense in significantly positive ways (keep reading), I DO think he’ll possibly replace Johnson as their designated homer hitter.

Wide Receivers