Croskey-Merritt broke out of the logjam of Commanders running
backs last week, producing a 14-111-2 line and out-touching fellow
running backs, 16-to-5 for Chris Rodriguez Jr., and 2 for Jeremy
McNichols. He'll face a Bears defense allowing the third-most
points to opposing RBs (30.9 FPts/G). I expect quarterback Jayden
Daniels (knee) to limit his running to "only when necessary"
allowing for more work for the running back room.
Jeanty has proven over the past few weeks that he can get the
job done if the Raiders will get him a little space. He's
averaged 5.9 yards-per-rush and 8.4 yards-per-reception the last
two games. That's much better than the 3.1 yards-per-rush
and 0.6 yards-per-reception over the first three games. The Titans
have allowed a league-worst eight touchdowns to opposing backs
and 30.7 FPts/G. Jeanty, who has averaged 25.7 FPts/G the past
two weeks, keeps it going.
Revenge. Dowdle rushed for over a 1,000 yards last season for
the Cowboys and they made no effort to re-sign him. He’s
been the backup to Chuba Hubbard in Carolina and when Hubbard
missed Week 5 (calf), Dowdle produced 32.4 fantasy points while
rushing for 206 yards. Dowdle would love a shot at his old teammates
and after last week’s performance, the Panthers should let
Hubbard continue to heal if there is even the slightest doubt
about his health.
Warren (knee) hasn't played since Week 3 and participated
in drills on Monday, but this isn't a great matchup to come
back to. The Browns are No.1 against opposing running backs allowing
just 15 FPts/G. Additionally, in his absence, Kenneth Gainwell
played great in Ireland two weeks ago combining for 134 yards
and two rushing touchdowns. His play and Warren's healthy
could make for a 50-50 shared backfield in a bad matchup.
The Rams' up-and-coming defense ranks third against opposing
running backs in 2025 and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown
to a running back. On top of that, the Ravens' porous defense
has allowed a league-worst 35.4 ppg, meaning Baltimore has been
playing from behind and that game script is horrible for Henry,
who isn't part of the passing game. When behind on the scoreboard,
Henry plays barely 50% of the snaps. Given the production from
Stafford, Nacua and Adams, I don't like Henry's possibilities.
Kamara once dominated the Saints backfield, but over the past
two games we’ve seen he and Kendre Miller share the backfield
workload fairly evenly (23 rushes for Kamara, 21 for Miller).
They face a top-five run defense which is allowing opposing running
backs just 18.1 FPts/G. Shared between two backs, that’s
just not fantasy-worthy.
