The LeGarrette Blount Dion Lewis combo
could be in for a Week 3 repeat against the Cowboys.
Grab a Helmet
LeGarrette
Blount or Dion
Lewis @ DAL: Let’s just say recommending you sit down
Blount a couple weeks back wasn’t one of my finer moments. Guess
that’ll teach me to fade my Ducks, huh? The big guy rumbled for
78 yards on 14 carries and added three (count them, THREE!) touchdowns
against the overmatched Jacksonville defense in Week 3. Not to
be outdone, the versatile Lewis added a touchdown of his own and
12.7 points in a mostly supporting role. It’s anyone’s guess how
the touches will be divvied up in Big D, but there will be plenty
of love to go around against a Dallas defense surrendering the
third most points to opposing backs. Plus, it’s really difficult
to see how an ailing Cowboys offense keeps this one close. Expect
lots of second-half touches and a similar effort from both men
in a game the Patriots simply won’t lose.
Joseph
Randle v. NE: They may not have a shot, but that doesn’t
mean the Cowboys don’t have anyone worth playing come Sunday.
With Tony Romo and Dez Bryant on the shelf, the passing game is
mostly a shambles. The only guy standing between Randle and an
even bigger role in the Dallas offense, moreover, was his ostensible
backup, Lance Dunbar, a pass-snatching demon who will now miss
the rest of the season with a torn MCL and ACL. He isn’t built
for 25 carries a game, but the Okie St. product can certainly
handle 15-20 and will have to stay on the field for passing downs.
That means he could be looking at upwards of 25 touches behind
the league’s best offensive line. I officially love Randle’s chances
of staying in the Top 10 the rest of the year, something I’d have
never thought possible when the season began.
Giovani
Bernard v. SEA or Danny
Woodhead v. PIT (Monday): When is a backup running
back just as valuable or more valuable than a starting running
back? When his name is Giovani Bernard or Danny Woodhead, apparently.
Those of you in PPR leagues already know why these guys rock,
but even in non-PPR leagues, Bernard and Woodhead are shining
as bright or brighter than the guys ahead of them on the depth
charts. If not for a four-TD deficit, the former would easily
be outscoring his teammate Jeremy Hill. The latter IS outscoring
teammate Melvin Gordon and it’s not remotely close so far (46.7
points to 26.2). If you’re still not sold on these bargain basement
backups, consider this: They’re both outscoring all of the following
fantasy studs through four weeks: Eddie Lacy, Odell Beckham Jr.,
Demaryius Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders. I’m gonna guess they came
considerably cheaper. Start them.
Grab a Gatorade
Jeremy
Hill v. SEA: The aforementioned Hill is currently ranked
11th overall at the RB position. Unless he keeps scoring six-pointers
at an unprecedented rate, though, he’s a sure bet to slide down
the rankings soon. Know how I know this? Hill is on pace to score
20 TDs this year but rush for just 650 yards. Here’s how many
running backs in NFL history have scored 20 touchdowns while rushing
for just 650 yards: none. Here’s how many have scored 20 touchdowns
while rushing for TWICE that many yards: none. I guess it’s conceivable
he could be the most prolific red-zone specialist in NFL history,
but more likely, Hill needs to start gaining more yards in order
to keep getting consistent touches. Gio Bernard has already garnered
more carries and more yards in the last three games and that trend
should continue against Seattle’s stellar stop unit. Be careful.
Doug
Martin v. JAX: You might think this an overrated statistic
(especially when I give you the answer), but…any idea who the
league’s best run-stopping unit is on a per-carry basis? If you
guessed Jacksonville, you’re absolutely right. The Jags D is holding
opponents to 3.1 yards per tote, surprising when you consider
they’re usually playing from behind and almost never force teams
into pass-happy mode. Maybe they’ve gotten so used to defending
the run, they’re actually getting pretty good at it? It’s unclear
how good you need to be to stop Doug Martin, though he is coming
off his best game since 2012, when he set the league ablaze as
a hotshot rook. Despite the great effort in Week 4, I think it’s
more exception than rule and would feel just as safe with Charles
Sims this Sunday (read: not very). Don’t go crazy thinking Muscle
Hamster is back.
Alfred
Morris @ ATL: On the surface, it looks like the best
matchup Morris’ owners are gonna see all year. Atlanta is
yielding more points to opposing backs (29.1) than any other team
through the season’s first four weeks. Looks can be deceiving,
though. Most of those points came in a single game when Joseph
Randle scored thrice and the Dallas backs combined to light them
up for almost 50. The remainder have come mostly through the air
(a league worst 365 receiving yards surrendered). Morris is still
pretty good at moving the chains but he’s probably the third
option on the goal line for Washington and is seldom used as a
pass-catcher out of the backfield. In other words, he’s
not exactly the ideal back to exploit the Falcons’ defensive
deficiencies. If you must use a Washington back this weekend,
grab Chris Thompson or Matt Jones, in that order.
