The good news...Edwards-Helaire is in the top 10 in the NFL in
both rushing attempts and targets. The bad news, he’s only
found the endzone once. But after a few tough match-ups, this
is a great spot for CEH and this offense. The Raider defense has
given up the 7th most rushing yards in the league, and the most
fantasy points to running backs. The seven touchdowns allowed
on the ground are the most in the NFL. I can easily envision the
Chiefs using the passing game to get a lead and lean on the run
game to keep the Raiders away. A 120+ total yardage day and 2
touchdowns could be in play for the dynamic rookie.
A daily preseason puff piece, Harris made his 2020 debut in strong
fashion with a 17-carry 100-yard day. With Sony Michel moved to
IR, Harris showed enough Monday night to be this team’s primary
ball-carrier. Obviously the presence of James White and Rex Burkhead
make Harris a Standard league only play, but I think there will
be enough carry volume to give Harris back end RB2/FLEX value going
forward, especially if Cam Newton remains out this week against
Denver.
Sure the rushing totals haven’t been there, but Gibson is
slowly becoming a bigger part of this Washington offense. He went
off for a career high 128 total yards and a touchdown last week
against the Ravens. The 17 touches were also a new high, and he’s
displayed the same wiggle and burst that made him a tackle breaking
machine in college. Still learning the position, Gibson has established
a double digit floor to go with a significant ceiling if he can
push for 20+ touches. The switch to Kyle Allen makes the offense
less dynamic, but much more stable, and I think The Football Team
gives Gibson a chance to shine.
After back-to-back 95 yard days on the ground, Sanders crashed
back to earth against an aggressive Niners front. The Eagles offensive
line is in absolute tatters, and there is no receiver in the passing
game worth respecting. The Steelers sport the NFL’s top
rush defense by a significant margin, and have the scheme and
talent to live in the Eagles backfield this weekend. Much like
they did against the Giants, look for Pittsburgh to use plenty
of stunts and run blitzes to confuse and bully the Philly blockers,
and notably impact Sanders’s ceiling for the week.
I’m not sure what Miami is doing with this backfield. They traded
for Matt Breida, and signed Jordan Howard in the offseason, but
have turned to a 2019 7th round pick with a limited athletic profile
as their bellcow. Sure Gaskin has been a PPR gem with 18 receptions
(4th among running backs), but has provided almost zero pop in the
ground game. His 48 attempts are more than Breida and Howard combined,
and because of the aforementioned, Gaskin has yet to score on those
66 total touches. In PPR he’s still probably worth a FLEX start,
but anywhere else he should be on the bench, especially against
this 49ers defense.
Before the season started the Ravens coaching staff told us the
running backs on this team would be used differently each week.
I should have listened. With visions of Dobbins running rampant
against opponents dancing in my head, I made him a high pick in
a few leagues. I still feel like he’s an injury to Edwards
or Ingram away from being a league winner, but until something
changes with this rotation, Dobbins looks to be 3rd in the pecking
order. He might bust a big play on one of his few carries, but
the floor here is in the basement, even in a game I think will
be a blowout.
