Running backs are up next people. The game plan didn’t go great for this one as both selections performed in the opposite way I thought they would. James Conner didn’t perform up to the standards he did in previous weeks, and Antonio Gibson scored twice on the ground. Let’s hope this week will be better.
Starts
Start of the Week;
Leonard Fournette vs New York Giants
Fournette is my start of the week this week. He has a promising matchup against the New York Giants on Monday night. So, you’ll have to wait a little bit for this one, but it should be promising. Fournette has scored double-digit points in every game except two this season, and the Giants are ranked 28th against the run. This should be a nice one for the Bucs to bounce back from.
AJ Dillon vs Minnesota Vikings
It has been confirmed that Jones will miss at least one to two weeks with a sprain which means Dillon is free to roam the running room for Green Bay. He proved he could be a decent master of running and catching the ball. He should find the endzone a number of times this week as Ekeler did last week. Get him in your lineups if he is available to you.
Michael Carter vs Miami Dolphins
Carter has become a bit of a saving grace point for the Jets in recent weeks. It will remain to be seen how he meshes with Joe Flacco, but it is really hard to ignore this matchup against the Dolphins. Aside from last week against the Ravens, the Dolphins give up some of the most yards to running backs this season. Carter should be an excellent choice here.
Rhamandre Stevenson vs Atlanta Falcons
Stevenson made a strong case for the number one role last weekend with Damien Harris sidelined. I know Harris is back this week, but the way Stevenson performed he should be up in consideration for taking away some decent snaps from Harris. The Falcons defense is terrible against the run (ranked 30th in fact) so maybe throwing in Stevenson as a flex isn’t a bad option for your lineup.
D’Ernest Johnson vs Detroit Lions
Much like Stevenson, Johnson could see some decent timeshare go his way even with Nick Chubb coming back from the COVID list. The Lions are not good at defending the run at all. It should be a great day for the Browns backs to rebound after a poor performance last weekend against the Pats.
Sleepers;
Myles Gaskin vs New York Jets
Elijah Mitchell vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Kenyan Drake vs Cincinnati Bengals
Sits
Sit of the Week;
Devontae Booker vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Booker did decent two weeks ago against the Raiders, but the way it is looking it appears Saquon Barkley might be back on track to returning this Monday. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Booker still got some decent carries, but Barkley should get the majority. Plus, the matchup is not a great one either with the Bucs being insanely good against the run. Might be a smart one to lay off of Booker this week.
Mike Davis vs New England Patriots
With Patterson being hurt, this seems like the opportunity Mike Davis needs to get going. However, when the game was so far away from them, the Falcons turned to Wayne Gallman instead. It is hard to say what lies in store for Mike Davis and his usage but in my mind, this isn’t gonna be a good one for him. Hard pass.
Zack Moss vs Indianapolis Colts
Moss returned last weekend after clearing concussion protocol, but really couldn’t get anything going aside from the small touchdown run he had. If he didn’t score, it would have been a very poor performance. This week could be the same now that he lost some work to Matt Breida last weekend. Time will tell, but I’d stay clear from him this week.
Jordan Howard vs New Orleans Saints
Howard took a back seat to Boston Scott last weekend, but with the eventual return of Miles Sanders this week, it remains to be seen what is in store for the Eagles running department. I would figure that with Sanders back, Howard could be number two or number three on the chart and a matchup against the Saints is not the friendliest one either. I’d sit him this weekend.
Adrian Peterson vs Houston Texans
The matchup seems like a good one, but let’s chat shall we? Peterson might be the starter, but in terms of stats, he is by far the third-best back on the list behind Foreman and McNichols. He could scamper in for a small score, but honestly, there is nothing that makes me feel like starting Peterson is a good move this week.
Busts;
Alex Collins vs Arizona Cardinals
Latavius Murray vs Chicago Bears
Brandon Bolden vs Atlanta Falcons
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