Yep, so that’s how this week started off… Derrick Henry , yes, the consistently disappointing Derrick Henry not only ripped off that 99-yard touchdown rush against the once feared Jaguars defense, but he also set a franchise record for rushing yards in a single game with 238, while he added four touchdowns to the stat line! Usually rushing recaps are included in the section below, but Henry’s week was so profound that I thought that it deserved a separate mention with .GIF evidence. Below I will rehash the rest of the week at the running back position, and if it is anything like how Henry led us off on Thursday, we are in for one hell of an edition of The Running Back Workloads...

Week 14 Recap

Unfortunately, collectively, this was one of the more disappointing weeks at the running back position this season. While things started out with a bang on Thursday night with Derrick Henry ’s monster 47.8 point performance, things really cooled down on Sunday and Monday, leaving the position with only one more back to eclipse the 30 point barrier. That running back was Ezekiel Elliott , who racked up 192 total yards on 40 touches, including 12 receptions. In an even more stunning turn of events there were only another three backs to go over 20 points. Names included Saquon Barkley , Christian McCaffrey , and Joe Mixon . Barkley’s performance was particularly frustrating when you get into the numbers, because his potentially elite performance was cut far too short due to the Giants blowout game script. He had 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns, on only 10 carries… At HALFTIME! He was well on his way to not only take the souls of every Redskins defender and fan, but also to breaking the single-game NFL rushing record. He was on pace to rush for nearly 320 yards for crying out loud! It was a damn shame to see him only really play for one half.

Of the rest, there were a few names that positively stood out. Right off the bat, there are Damien Williams and Brandon Bolden , who both surprised fantasy owners and finished as top-10 scores at the position for the week, despite claiming only fringe backup roles. Williams’ emergence makes a bit more sense because he was serving as the direct backup to Spencer Ware after the Kareem Hunt debacle, however what Bolden was able to do is something that I don’t believe that I have ever seen before… He scored 19 fantasy points on just two rushing attempts. He also had a reception, but it went for no gain. Both carries combined for 60 rushing yards and two touchdowns, making it probably the most efficient fantasy performance of the season. Despite this pop however, I still don’t believe that he is a guy to roster going forward. Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore remain the leaders in the Dolphins backfield.

Other notable names include Elijah McGuire of the New York Jets and Kenneth Dixon of the Baltimore Ravens. Both guys stepped up their roles during the week due to injury or ineffectiveness in their depth chart counterparts. Dixon efficiently ran for 59 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, further complicating the Ravens backfield situation, while McGuire stepped in for the injured Isaiah Crowell , received 20 touches, racked up 83 yards, and one touchdown, good enough for 17.3 fantasy points. With Crowell looking like he is going to miss the Jets next game, McGuire appears to be the safer start in Week 15 over the recently resurrected Kenneth Dixon .

Beyond this handful of guys who played well, there were a bunch of other “underperformers” at the position. Highly projected backs such as Alvin Kamara (15.7), Lamar Miller (16.2), Phillip Lindsay (15.1) David Johnson (14.1), Tarik Cohen (12.9), Todd Gurley (8.8), Leonard Fournette (6.1), and Sony Michel (5.7) all failed to register over 17 points in any format. If you rostered them in any DFS format, chances are that you didn’t return positive value.

Who I Like in DFS This Week

Last week was a bit of a mixed bag in the DFS department of this article. I gave you two out of three great plays in the “Locks of the Week” section, while I also hit on “Flex Flyer” Jaylen Samuels . Where I ran into problems was the glut of just average performers in Week 14 at the running back position. There weren’t too many straight-up bad plays that I gave you, but outside of Zeke and McCaffrey, I only offered one other top-10 back for the week, and that was Aaron Jones .

The way I see it, even Babe Ruth struck out sometimes, so it is time to get back on the horse this week with some better DFS plays…

It should also be noted that this week, there are two Saturday games, breaking up the DraftKings typical weekly slates. Because of this, I will be removing the “Non-Main Slate Plays” category, as there are several backs included throughout the list below, not playing on the “Sun 1pm Main,” that I am a fan of. I will indicate their lack of “Main Slate” status with a *NMS* icon after their DK price.

Locks of the Week

Saquon Barkley vs. TEN ($9,400)

If Barkley were a book in The Hunger Games series, he’d most certainly be “Catching Fire.” Okay, I know you are probably booing me through your laptop and phone screens, so we will leave that awful dad joke to die… Anyway, my point is that Barkley is the hottest back in football at the moment and it isn’t really close. Sure Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott can each make a strong case, but neither back strikes the fear into defenses the way that Barkley is currently doing. Over the last month of the season, Barkley is averaging 135 rushing yards per game. He’s scored six times over that four-game span, and even thrashed the vaunted Bears defense for 125 yards just a week before they held Todd Gurley to a mer 28 yards. He’s matchup proof, which means that I don’t care that he will be facing a Titans defense this week that is allowing the third fewest DraftKings points to opposing running backs.

Christian McCaffrey vs. NO ($8,700) *NMS*

Over the last three games, McCaffrey has amassed a whopping 114.9 DraftKings points. That’s good enough for 38.3 points per contest. Simply put, he’s on fire. I know this week he will be facing the Saints and their number one ranked rush defense, but the good thing about McCaffrey is that he does so much work as a receiver that his fantasy value is safe, regardless of how stout the front seven is. In a game that has shootout potential, McCaffrey is certainly going to be the focal point of the fantasy scoring, just like he has been for the last month of the season.

Phillip Lindsay vs. CLE ($6,700) *NMS*

The Browns have allowed the fifth most rushing yards in the NFL this season and currently boast the third worst rushing defense in football according to Pro Football Focus. Phillip Lindsay – the undrafted rookie – is currently the fourth leading rusher in the NFL this season and has nine touchdowns to go along with that impressive ground production. While Lindsay struggled last week, I like my chances of him bouncing back, at home, against Cleveland’s terrible front seven. His under $7,000 price tag makes him all the more appetizing.

I’m Keen on…

Leonard Fournette vs. WAS ($7,500)

The Redskins have allowed over 100 rushing yards in six straight games and are allowing an average of 150 per game over that span. There is no question that Leonard Fournette is one of the most talented backs in football, and now with Cody Kessler under center, the Jags are going to rely upon Fournette more now than they ever have before. Considering the fact that Saquon Barkley had over 150 rushing yards against this helpless Skins defense… AT HALF!... I foresee Fournette having no trouble taking advantage of the same defense when presented in front of him. This should be more of a GPP play because the price is a bit steep and Fournette is coming off of a bad game.
Joe Mixon vs. OAK ($6,100)

The Raiders have allowed the second most rushing yards in football this season. In six road games this year, the Raiders have allowed a whopping 1,032 rushing yards, or in other terms… 172 rushing yards allowed per road game! This week, they go to Cincinnati and take on the Bengals, who have admittedly been pretty bad after their hot 4-1 start. Having said that though, through it all, Joe Mixon has been pretty damn good. Over his last three games, Mixon is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and over four receptions per game. He’s coming off of an excellent 26 carry, 111 yard, one touchdown performance against the Chargers and somehow still is only holding a mere $6,100 price tag. He will be a staple in my lineups this week.

Flex Flyers

Justin Jackson @ KC ($4,900) *NMS*

This is a speculative play based off of the rumor that both Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler won’t be ready to play on Thursday night. If I see that Jackson is the only healthy back by tomorrow evening, you can bet your ass that I will be investing heavily in him at under $5,000 against the second worst ranked rush defense in the league according to Pro Football Focus.

Darren Sproles @ LAR ($3,600) *NMS*

Sproles is your typical flex flyer play… He is under $4,000 and is speculated to see a much higher volume of work this week due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. If you want more insight than that, understand that the Eagles could be down early in this one, on the road, against the Rams. With that game script in mind, Sproles would certainly become the lead back as a receiving threat instead of the downhill-running Josh Adams . Looking for double-digit targets out of Sproles in this one.