Have the Browns fixed their rushing defense
issues from last year? Chris Ivory will give them a test.
Grab a Helmet
Chris
Ivory v. CLE: Outside of AD, Beast Mode, Eddie
Lacy, Jamaal
Charles, and maybe Matt
Forte, who can we completely, wholeheartedly trust at running
back heading into 2015? DeMarco
Murray should be fine in Philly, but it’s unclear how much
work he’ll receive. C.J.
Anderson should be equally fine, but he’s playing for a new
coach.
Le’Veon Bell? Out until Week 3. Arian
Foster? Out until who knows when. My point is that there aren’t
many sure things at the position these days and you might just
be needing to get comfy with some can-miss prospects. Ivory definitely
fits that bill and was more miss than hit in 2014. He could be
again in 2015 but is a clear-cut No.1 in New York right now and
draws a Cleveland defense that surrendered 141.6 yards per game
on the ground last year. That would be last. Trust Ivory for now.
Matt
Jones v. MIA: If you decided to draft Bell or LeGarrette
Blount and figured you could put together a makeshift backfield
for a couple weeks, join the club. I grabbed the absurdly cheap
Blount in all my leagues, knowing full well some sleepers would
emerge come September that I could probably use to plug the temporary
gap. Meet my very favorite RB sleeper of 2015, Mr. Jones. Washington
coaches actually sat the Blount doppelganger (6’2”, 230 pounds)
down for several practices and the ‘Skins’ final preseason game
as a precautionary measure, suggesting they plan to use him sooner
rather than later, maybe even lots more than we think. He’s certainly
got the size to handle a hefty load and looks every bit the part
of a touchdown vulture. That should absolutely terrify Alfred
Morris owners. If you need sneaky running back help from the
outset, go grab Matt Jones.
Carlos
Hyde v. MIN (Monday): Hyde was fairly sought after
as a rookie in 2014 because…well, most rookie running backs are
fairly sought after before they’ve logged a single professional
carry. He turned out to be largely disappointing as the complement
to Frank
Gore and, predictably, expectations are more tempered heading
into his sophomore season. Maybe too tempered. Gore has moved
on to Indianapolis and Hyde now has precious little competition
for touches in a San Francisco offense that won’t look a lot different
under Coach Tomsula. Heck, it could even be more ground-oriented
than it was under Jim Harbaugh if that’s possible. Need proof?
Take a gander at San Francisco’s WR depth chart. When 34-year
old Anquan Boldin is your most viable passing game target, 500
total team carries doesn’t seem out of reach. Half of those (at
least) are Hyde’s, so do the math and then start him.
Grab a Gatorade
Melvin
Gordon v. DET or Tevin
Coleman v. PHI (Monday): Hyde’s ADP is 4.01 this year.
The guy immediately behind him is Gordon, one of those guys who
doesn’t yet have a single NFL carry to his credit. Neither does
Atlanta’s Coleman but that hasn’t stopped fantasy GMs from snatching
both players way too early in drafts and then doubling down with
Week 1 starting assignments. I suppose if you picked a back in
the fourth round, you’re obligated to start him. You should reconsider,
though, if you have other viable options. Detroit was the league’s
very best run-stopping unit in 2014 and replaced Ndamukong Suh
with an equally destructive D-lineman, Haloti Ngata. Philly, meanwhile,
sported the fifth stingiest run defense in 2014 on a per-carry
basis (3.7 yards). That’s particularly impressive since opponents
attempted 473 total rushes, way more than the league average.
Beware the overvalued rookie backs.
Jonathan
Stewart @ JAX: It’s been nearly a decade since I visited
the Big House to watch J-Stew and my Ducks tear up the once mighty
Wolverines 39-7, thanks in part to some clever play-calling by
a new offensive coordinator named Chip Kelly. Unfortunately, it’s
been almost just as long since Stewart was a relevant fantasy
running back. After breaking the 1,000-yard, 10-TD mark two years
later in his second NFL season (2009), he’s only played 16 games
once (2011), gone over 800 rushing yards once (last year), and
has only tallied 10 more touchdowns in five more seasons. Nevertheless,
he’s still toiling away in Charlotte and is even generating some
sleeper buzz heading into Week 1. I’m dubious. Cam Newton will
always be the No.1 runner in Carolina’s offense and Stewart is
always a nagging injury away from fantasy oblivion. Go Ducks,
indeed, but be careful with this one.
Joseph
Randle, Darren
McFadden v. NYG: Terrific offensive line? Check. Veteran
QB? Yup. Dazzling wideout keeping defenses honest? You betcha.
Dallas has all the ingredients for a league-leading rushing attack
except the one that really matters, the meal ticket who can consistently
carry the load and move the chains. Darren McFadden’s allegedly
the starter against New York’s sieve-like run defense in
Week 1 and he could, I suppose, perform well. Emphasis on the
word “could” since, you know, we’re talking
about Darren McFadden. Joseph Randle, on the other hand, has failed
to grab hold of the job most believed was his and will probably,
along with third-down specialist Lance Dunbar, help carry the
load. Oh, and the Cowboys just acquired Christine Michael, further
muddying the waters. It appears Dallas aims to replace former
star DeMarco Murray with several non-stars. Several non-stars
may equal one star for them, but not for you.
