What a tragic collapse for a franchise that had lofty expectations
this season. Following up on two embarrassing losses to the Pats
and Jags, the Jets fielded offers for most of their players during
the deadline, upsetting some of them in the process. But oddly,
Le’Veon Bell, he of the year long holdout, was the voice of reason.
He understands the business of the NFL all too well, and took nothing
personally. I’m assuming (it’s dangerous to assume the obvious with
this team) the Jets watched tape of the Monday night game, and realize
that Bell, the former Steeler running back, should be a big part
of the game plan this week. James Conner, the current Steeler running
back, was the latest runner to grind the Dolphins. If the Jets have
a shred of respect they’ll simplify the game plan and give Bell
upwards of two dozen touches.
In a defensive slugfest give me some shares of the hammer. Despite
a strong pass rush, the Panther defense has been an attackable
unit this season, yielding the 5th most fantasy points to running
backs. Ryan Tannehill has made the passing attack respectable,
and that should open up some opportunities for Henry to gash the
Carolina front. As a one-dimensional back there’s always
a risky floor with Henry, but I think he reaches 20 carries in
this one, and finds the endzone. With 70+ yards or a touchdown
in 7 of 8 games this year, Henry has been consistent if not spectacular.
A breakout game is on the horizon, and this could be it.
I know he’s undersized, and will likely not handle a starter’s
workload this year, but boy is Singletary an explosive play waiting
to happen. I know he hasn't produced much since returning from his
hamstring injury two games ago (14 touches, 75 yards and a touchdown)
but Frank Gore is only going to carry this offense so far. The Bills
offense hasn’t gotten much receiving production outside of John
Brown and Cole Beasley, and it’s imperative they get the ball to
Singletary more in space. The Washington defense is ripe for such
an attack, as the 52 receptions they’ve given up to running backs
leads the NFL. Singletary is an upside FLEX play this week, with
a good shot at 12+ touches with a big play amongst them. Game flow
should be on the side of the Buffalo run game, so take advantage.
Forget RBBC, this whole Chiefs offense is a committee. The touch/target
split between the Kansas CIty backs last week against Green Bay
was McCoy 11, Damien Williams 9 and Darrell Willams 8. That’s a
legit three-way headache that’s frustrating for all involved. Besides
the unpredictable nature of this backfield, the Vikings defense
has been dominant against the run, allowing only a single 100-yard
rusher this season, and holding all running backs under 53 yards
since Week 2. Even if McCoy seems to be the de facto starter, none
of these guys have a defined role, and it’s too scary to rely on
any of them when they are healthy.
Lions RBs @ OAK
Unable to upgrade at the trade deadline following the loss of
Kerryon Johnson, the Lions seem content to try out Ty Johnson
and a bunch of castoffs in his place. A big bucks waiver add for
many teams last week, Johnson was a near no-show, ceding carries
to Tra Carson, Paul Perkins, and J.D. McKissic. With none of the
runners able to muster much against the lowly Giants maybe they
rethink this strategy, but until the Lions provide some clarity
to the pecking order, none of these guys are worth the “spin
the wheel” gamble you would be taking by starting one, even
as a FLEX.
Fantasy owners have come to expect wide receivers to be a boom
or bust position. But can you expect the same from running backs
and still have success? If you plan on starting Miles Sanders
for the foreseeable future you might find out! Despite a severely
limited set of touches, Sanders has produced half a dozen dynamic
plays, the most recent coming last week in a 65-yard touchdown
run to open up a tight game against the Bills. But whether it’s
coaching stubbornness, or some unknown limitation, Sanders only
saw 6 touches last week, and a miniscule 18 total the three games
prior. During that time Jordan Howard, who seems to have emerged
as the clear-cut No.1 back in this committee, has touch totals
of 13, 13, 13, and 24 over his last four games. Philly seems content
to sprinkle in touches for Sanders rather than make him the focal
point, and even though he’s spinning yarn into gold, he’s
a very risky bet against a Chicago defense that’s trapped
in a corner. An upside FLEX is all I would trust Sanders to be
right now.
