Head Coach Jim Caldwell said Theo Riddick
wil be the "lead guy" in Week 3 against the Packers.
Grab a Helmet
Theo
Riddick @ GB, Fozzy
Whittaker v. MIN, Shane
Vereen v. WAS, Charles
Sims v. LA, or Tevin
Coleman @ NO (Mon): Peterson. Stewart. Charles. Foster.
Abdullah. Jennings. Martin. Rawls. Woodhead. Did I miss anybody?
The RB body count two weeks in is cringe-inducing and that means
many of us must consider part-timers such as those listed above.
Especially in PPR leagues, there’s a lot to like about these change-of-pace,
third-down types. Riddick’s a borderline Top 10 guy already (No.11
overall), while Coleman (No.15) has outperformed his teammate
and last year’s No.1 meal ticket, Devonta Freeman, as many predicted.
Simply put, there’s no such thing as a “sure thing” running back
anymore (see Todd Gurley), and it’s best to stock the position
on a week-by-week basis with whoever happens to be healthy and
available. If these guys are gone, look for Cameron
Artis-Payne, Kenyan
Drake, Dwayne
Washington, or Matt
Asiata.
Isaiah
Crowell @ MIA: Speaking of attrition, Cleveland’s going
through quarterbacks faster than Spinal Tap burned through drummers.
If this keeps up, they could end up asking Terrelle Pryor to play
both quarterback AND receiver at some point this season. It’s
a good thing Hue Jackson appears to have a running back on hand
who can help the Brownies weather this injury storm, made stormier
just Wednesday when Corey Coleman, stud rook receiver, broke his
hand in practice. Crowell was solid in the opener against Philly
(12 carries for 62 yards and a score), but was even better in
Week 2 (18 for 133 and another touch). This week, he draws a Dolphins-D
that is second-to-last in rushing yards/game (136.5), even worse
than its 28th-ranked performance against the run last season.
I don’t remember what they paid Ndamukong Suh to head south, but
it was too much. Start Crowell.
DeAngelo
Williams @ PHI: My luck with injuries is legendarily
awful, so much so that league mates have started lobbying me on
draft day to NOT select their favorite players, for fear I’ll
ruin their careers. They say you make your own luck, though, so
I tried something different this year: I targeted Tom Brady and
Le’Veon Bell in drafts, reasoning they couldn’t get hurt if they
weren’t actually playing. There’s still time for that to blow
up in my face, but I’m eager to get Bell back in Week 4. If last
year is any indication, Williams will return to the bench and
collect dust at that point, despite leading the league in rushing
yards through the first two weeks. Wait, huh? Your eyes didn’t
deceive you and that means you have just one more week to capitalize
on the best little backup RB in the biz. Take advantage.
Grab a Gatorade
Todd
Gurley @ TB: Gurley’s dreadful digits through two weeks
(36 carries, 98 yards, and just 11.2 points) have been the subject
of spirited debate in the fantasy community. Is his slow start
just a mini-slump that he’ll soon break out of? Or rather, is
this his new normal (2.8 yards/carry and extremely limited red-zone
looks)? He’s certainly a very talented back and is obviously capable
of transcending an otherwise moribund outfit. The Rams aren’t
moribund, though. They’ve already flat-lined. Case Keenum isn’t
an NFL starter and he doesn’t have great receivers to work with
anyway. Jared Goff isn’t ready to be an NFL starter because…well,
he can’t even beat out Case Keenum. Until the Rams solve the riddle
under center, Gurley will be the primary (and secondary…and tertiary)
focus of all defensive coordinators. Consider sitting him against
a Tampa-D that’s been murder on opposing ball-carriers (just 3.4
yards/tote).
Jeremy
Langford @ DAL: I was nursing a slim lead heading into
Monday night’s contest and my opponent only had Langford left
to play. Was I nervous? Let’s just say I never assume I’ve got
a game wrapped up and, despite obvious defects, Langford has a
knack for tallying fantasy points the easy way. Sure enough, after
two zero-yard gains and a misconnection in the passing game with
Jay Cutler, the former Spartan plopped into the end zone for a
1-yard score early in the second quarter. Three carries, one yard,
one score. Sigh. Thankfully, he only gained 33 total yards the
rest of the way and did not end up costing me a W. He may cost
you, however, if you continue to rely on him. Very few players
are as touchdown-dependent and Jordan Howard’s impressive relief
effort (3 carries, 22 yards) likely earned him more looks moving
forward.
Jeremy
Hill v. DEN: The only player possibly more reliant
on touchdowns for his fantasy points than the guy we just talked
about is this guy, the RB1A to Gio Bernard’s RB1B in the
Queen City. Or is it the other way around? Hill was true to form
in Week 1, rushing for a paltry 31 yards on just nine carries,
but saved the day by finding paydirt. His owners weren’t
so lucky in Week 2 as he only rushed for 22 yards and didn’t
score against Pittsburgh. The limited touches are concerning enough
and are mostly the reason why the LSU product hasn’t tallied
a triple-digit day since his breakout rookie campaign in 2014.
What’s more concerning this week is that Denver is coming
to town. Points could be at a premium in Paul Brown Stadium come
Sunday. If you can afford to sit Hill down, consider doing so.
