The Curious Case of Andre Ellington:

Headed into the 2015 season, I wrote that Andre Ellington was the unquestioned starter in Arizona, and that Chris Johnson would be waiting in the wings “ready to go” if Ellington couldn’t stay healthy, and to that extent, I will consider myself correct. What I didn’t anticipate was that once Ellington inevitably was injured early on in the season that Johnson would take over the starting role, never look back, and would be second in the NFL in rushing come Week 11.

Because of Johnson’s renaissance, believe it or not, we are actually being robbed of one of the most dynamic backs in the NFL today. I know that seems weird to say out loud, that the most electric back on the Cardinals roster is not the player who ran the fastest 40-time in electronically recorded combine history, but it is true… just take a look at what Ellington has done this season when given opportunities – albeit in a very small sample size.

Although not qualified for the league lead due to lack of carries, Ellington is averaging an astounding 7.6 yards per carry, taking three of his 29 touches to the house for an average of 37.4 yards per touchdown rush. Translation – Ellington is a human fast break.

He currently seems healthier than he has been all season long, leading me to believe he is going to start getting more offensive touches for the home stretch of the season, in order to give Johnson’s veteran legs a much-needed rest. So what this means for fantasy owners and/or daily players is that going forward Ellington might be a viable fantasy option with breakaway touchdown potential each week.

With Ellington, however, he is capable of bringing the good or the bad on any given night. For example he has had the aforementioned gaudy stat lines on three separate occasions this season (9/13: 12 carries, 69 yards, one TD, 5.8 YPC… 10/11: Three carries 63 yards, one TD, 21.0 YPC… 11/15: Five carries, 61 yards, one TD, 12.2 YPC), while he has also had some complete and utter duds (10/18: One carry, seven yards, 0 TDs… 11/1: Three carries, 0 yards, 0 TD’s). It is fair to say that any time you start him, you are taking a huge risk, but at a low daily league price, he is also a player that has proven several times that he can be a huge bargain for a cheap source of flex points.

On a hunch that his recent outing – one in which he recorded his most touches since Week 1 – is an indication that his usage rate will increase going forward, Ellington might just be an excellent fantasy sleeper to add for your potential playoff run.

Throw you in my Delorean and gun it to ’08:

Believe it or not, this is not my first "Back to the Future" reference that I have made in the Running Back Workload, but in this instance it is incredibly fitting…

Last Sunday, in Week 10 of the 2015 NFL season, Adrian Peterson rushed for over 200 yards on 26 carries, while securing a firm grip on the top spot of the rushing leaders list this season. He looked like vintage AP, thrashing any defenders in his way, while making any sliver of daylight through a hole turn into a track meet. He gashed an Oakland defense that was ranked second in the NFL against the run only two weeks ago, for over 7.8 yards per carry. After he was done with them, the Raiders were lucky to be limping into the No. 22 spot on that same defensive rushing list.

Now how does 2008 tie into this you ask? Well, in Week 10 of 2015, Peterson carried the ball 26 times for 203 yards and one touchdown, while in Week 10 of 2008, Peterson carried the ball 30 times for 193 yards and a touchdown. The stat lines are eerily similar, while both games were the pivotal breakout performance for him in each season. On Sunday he played the Raiders, while back in 2008 he stabbed the Packers in the heart and pulled out an upset divisional victory by the score of 28-27.

Any idea who the Vikings are taking on this upcoming Sunday? You guessed it, those same Green Bay Packers, who Peterson pounded into submission seven years ago. Things in the universe seem to be lining up for AP and the Vikings, as only one week later than seven years ago, Minnesota seems again poised to propel themselves to a division title, while they might be able to put the finishing touches on another Green Bay collapse just like the one that occurred in Week 10 of 2008. Be sure to keep a close eye on this storyline headed into Sunday.

Taming the Beast – Why the Lack of Criticism for one of this Season’s Biggest Fantasy Busts?

Beginning early on in the season, people were quick to bang on the so called “bust” of the league, citing the slow start by DeMarco Murray as egregious and devastating to any fantasy owners who used a first round selection on him. Now, with Week 10 in the books, Murray has seemingly turned his season around. However, the negative narrative on him hasn’t changed much at all.

Contrarily, Marshawn Lynch – a player who had an average draft position of 4.8 in all major fantasy football service providers – has virtually no criticism coming his way, yet he has struggled far worse than Murray has in 2015.

Lynch has only rushed for over 100 yards once, has recorded only three total touchdowns, and has tallied just a mere 13 receptions on the season. It’s quite an understatement to say that Lynch has struggled this season, as he has battled injures, missing a few games, while his rookie replacement, Thomas Rawls, far outplayed him during his absence.

I’m sitting here wondering, considering these pretty disappointing numbers, why hasn't Lynch taken much heat from fantasy owners this season? My best assessment is that with all of the fantasy hype and fervor at the beginning of each football season, people tend to pay closer attention to the first few games. Early on, Murray struggled mightily, while Lynch was far from spectacular, but still appeared competent and viable for fantasy owners. The fantasy football community had their minds made up through these first few games, in that the “busts” of the season had already been decided by Week 4. Unfortunately for Murray, Week 5 happened to be his turning point, and he has been a solid back ever since, making his way into the top 10 overall for fantasy backs this season. Lynch, on the other hand, hasn’t appeared fully healthy since the early season monikers were decided, thus he has seemingly escaped the window of harsh criticism.

I am here to try to change the narrative. I don’t want to hammer anyone too hard, as I know the physical demands of being an NFL running back are incredible, but the question must be asked… What the hell has happened to Beast Mode? It’s no secret that the Seattle offensive line has been a mess all year long, and I know that he has been hurt, but when Thomas Rawls is able to succeed where Marshawn Lynch cannot, someone has to start answering questions.

It was all fine and dandy for Lynch to give the media the cold shoulder when he was tossing linebackers around and the Seahawks were regulars in the Super Bowl, but now that he isn’t producing and Seattle can’t buy a win, he needs to start answering for himself. Consider this a public service announcement for underachievers who manage to sneak by the early season fantasy judgment period… Yeah, I’m looking at you Eddie Lacy.

Nostra-DOM-us:

So far on my weekly prophetic segment, I’m sitting at a lukewarm 3-3-1, getting three right, three wrong, and one in which we mutually (well, at least I did) agreed was a push.

This week I am getting a strong vibe that Charcandrick West is poised for a nice game on the ground, as he and the Chiefs take on the San Diego Chargers, a defense that has allowed the most yards per rush (5.0) this season. With a slightly above anemic passing game, the Chiefs are fully committed to the run, even giving West 24 carries last week against a Denver defense that is only allowing 3.5 yards per carry. Expect West to have his way against a Chargers defense that only excels against the pass.

Another matchup that I like is Latavius Murray against the Detroit Lions' defense. This season, Oakland has faced a pretty tough schedule in terms of rush defenses, but in the situations where they were given a break, Murray has capitalized. He ran for 139 and a touchdown against the last-ranked Browns, while he scored a touchdown and averaged 5.7 yards per carry against the aforementioned weak Chargers' defense. What is also encouraging is recently, against stout rush defenses, Murray has still gotten his, rushing for 113 against the Jets, who boast the best rush defense in the league, and he rushed for 96 yards, good enough for 5.6 yards per carry against the Steelers, who are only allowing 3.8 yards per carry on the season.

Considering all of this, Murray should have no problem going into Detroit and taking what he wants, as they not only have allowed the fifth-most rushing yards this season, but they have allowed the most rushing touchdowns this season as well. I expect Murray to succeed against this porous Lions defense, while recording his first multi-touchdown game this season.