Depending on how you chose to complete your lineup, either two or three running backs are needed each week. The days of just one running back controlling the backfield are waning but not lost. Securing these running backs will generally prove to be more costly but it is necessary. When working with a salary cap, this can be a real problem. It is also why when a low-priced running back appears to have the role in hand, they generally end up being a highly popular selection. But are they worth it?
That is a question to be answered on a case by case basis in the analysis that follows. The goal here is to look at game flow to ensure that touches will be at a maximum, it is a favorable situation against the opposing defense, and most of all that there is talent and expected fantasy success.
For those who have yet to subscribe, what are you waiting for? Until then you will get one free pick to whet your appetite. It is always a good thing when your running back gets a few days of additional time off following a Thursday game and it is even better when they are coming off an injury and have more time to heal. Aaron Jones ($7,100 DK, $8,800 FD) didn’t show any ill effects from his ailing calf last week as he carried the ball 15 times for 58 yards while catching five passes for another 21 yards against San Francisco. Aside from his 168-yard performance against Detroit earlier this season, Jones hasn’t rushed for more than 71 yards in any of his other five games giving him 447 yards and five touchdowns on the year. With that being said he is the clear number one option in Green Bay’s backfield and Jones has shown a nose for the end zone. Perhaps more importantly he has one of the best match-ups of the week at home against Jacksonville in a situation where Green Bay will likely lean on Jones to control the clock in the second half.
Subscribers can now expect to get six more picks as we take a closer look at some more running backs at varying price points who deserve our attention this week along with a few from whom we should keep our distance. And not all will break the back either which will leave plenty of room for help at other positions. So, keep on going and take a look at what we have to offer.
Usually when we expect a one-sided affair both running backs are generally not in play. However due to a lack of other strong and consistent options James Robinson ($6,600 DK, $7,300 FD) is squarely on our radar. The fact that Robinson is the clear, and really only, option in Jacksonville’s backfield also works to his advantage. Last week his 99 rushing yards were second in the league and Robinson’s 25 carries were the highest total of his brief career. While Green Bay is highly favored against the Jaguars, the Packers also struggle to defend opposing running backs and Robinson has a role in the passing game with 27 receptions. On the running side, Robinson is up to 580 yards and five touchdowns as he looks to add to those totals this week.
As a running back the match-up isn’t great for Alvin Kamara ($8,200 DK, $9,000 FD) but he is a non-traditional option and we have to look at him as a receiver as well as a running back. Last week was the worst game of the season for Kamara as the Saints simply took the lead early and didn’t need him which left the running back with nine carries for 40 yards and a touchdown along with five receptions for nine yards. If we look at Kamara strictly as a receiver he is on the way to a 100 reception/1,000 yard season as he enters Week 10 with 60 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. While his rushing production isn’t as strong he still has a chance at reaching the 1,000 yard mark there as well with 471 yards and five touchdowns. It’s certainly difficult to argue with that combined production.
It’s taken them a while but the Giants appear to be finding their groove to some degree as an offense and as a running game. Over the past two weeks the beneficiary of that has been Wayne Gallman($4,500 DK, $5,700 FD) who is taking control of the backfield. It’s certainly difficult to argue with the price as it hasn’t really increased while Gallman’s carries have gone from 10, to 12, to 14 over the last three weeks. Gallman reached the end zone in each of those three weeks and he is coming off a 68-yard performance on 14 carries and there is no reason not to expect his success to continue.
When it comes to Mike Davis ($4,000 DK, $5,400 FD) things are going to be very interesting this week. Draft Kings dropped his price all the way down and he is the textbook definition of a free square. You can’t exclude Davis from your cash games lineups and the same might be true from a GPP perspective as it’s hard to make up the cost savings you will receive now that Christian McCaffrey will be sidelined this week against Tampa Bay. Earlier this season against the Buccaneers, Davis only carried the ball once but he did catch eight passes for 74 yards. With 4.2 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns along with 43 receptions for 278 yards and two more touchdowns Davis has shown the ability to produce when given then chance this season. While Tampa Bay will provide some resistance on the defensive end, there is still more than enough production there to warrant both a roster spot and the price. If you decide to fade Davis you better be sure of the rest of your roster.
Following Philadelphia’s bye week Miles Sanders ($6,400 DK, $7,700 FD) will have had three weeks of rest to heal from his sprained knee. To this point he has been limited in practice but it appears he will be on the field against the Giants on Sunday. It’s the second injury Sanders has dealt with so far this season and while you have to like his 434 rushing yards on three touchdowns with an average of 6.1 yards per carry, it’s the workload and consistency that concerns me as he has relied on a few big plays as the source of the bulk of his production. This is emphasized by the fact that it is Sanders’ first week back and he isn’t exactly cheap either.
Another running back who is expected to return from a multi-week injury absence is Joe Mixon($6,100 DK, $7,000 FD). While he would slide back into his starting running back role, Mixon has been a disappointment so far this season with just 3.6 yards per carry. Through six games Mixon has been busy though with 119 carries for 428 yards and four touchdowns as that has helped to make up for the lack of efficiency while also catching 21 passes for 138 yards. Even if the Bengals don’t take things slow with Mixon upon his return the Steelers are a tough opponent and there is no reason to rush him into your DFS lineups.
