Bills Backfield Part II: Return of the Rookie
Karlos Williams is back! He has now scored in each of his first five career NFL games, and that is all the while playing behind a pro bowl back in LeSean McCoy. He proved on Sunday, after suffering a concussion in Week 4 against the Giants, that the lingering effects are behind him and he is ready to move forward as potentially the Bills' starting running back. This is not due to a poor performance on Shady McCoy’s part, as he carried the ball 16 times for 112 yards and a touchdown in Week 9 against the Dolphins, but he was forced out of the game early due to injury, leaving the door wide open for Williams to get significant carries during the contest.
Even if McCoy is good to go on Thursday night against the Jets, consider Williams a legitimate fantasy option now and going forward for the rest of the season as at least a goal line vulture and a surefire change of pace back. His violent one-cut running style is in stark contrast to the finesse of Shady McCoy, giving the Bills one of the more dynamic backfield duos in the NFL this season.
Midseason Waiver Looks…
Jeremy Langford
Those looking for a nice waiver pickup option likely were clued in about Jeremy Langford last week, however his Monday night performance against the Chargers opened some eyes on the national stage that he might be poised for an even more productive second half of the season.
Langford gashed the Chargers for 142 total yards on 21 touches, lining up all over the field. He was used in the slot, out of the "I" and out of the shotgun on zone read plays. His explosive nature that got him drafted by the Bears in the fourth round of this year’s draft was well on display, as he broke free for several big plays against a beaten up San Diego defense.
His production might slip this week going up against a good Rams defense, however he is still a good play in fantasy leagues, as he is in line for most of the touches once again, with Matt Forte still showing no signs of getting back out on the gridiron.
Even when Forte inevitably does return, expect the rookie to maintain fantasy worthy touches – provided he produces in the absence of the perennial Pro Bowler.
Antonio Andrews
If it wasn’t made clear enough on Sunday afternoon, rapid change is occurring in Tennessee. With the sudden firing of head coach Ken Whisenhunt – historically a fantasy nightmare in terms of backfield management – along came interim head coach Mike Mularkey, who swore to change the tide of the Titans' season by shaking things up on the offensive end. His first order of business, to the delight of all fantasy owners, was to do away with this incredibly ineffective running back by committee and to anoint someone as the backfield bell cow. He was quoted last week saying “Antonio (Andrews) is the workhorse,” and he delivered on that statement, by granting Andrews with 20 touches, a number in which he turned into 111 total yards against a porous Saints defense in Week 9.
Which brings me to my next point – the bad news…
The bad news is that Andrews’ production came against one of the all-time bad defenses in Rob Ryan’s 3-4 schemed atrocity. Considering the overall ineptitude of Tennessee’s offensive line this season, it is tough to believe they will all of the sudden turn things around. They have a tough matchup in Week 10 against an undefeated Panthers team that has largely been carried by their top-notch defense, so keep expectations reasonable for the second-year running back. While all of this may be true, it is still not fair to scoff at what Andrews did on Sunday against the Saints.
Right now, fantasy owners are being granted an opportunity that hasn’t been available since the Chris Johnson years – an available Tennessee running back on the waiver wire who is in line for a legitimate amount of touches and potential production. I’m not saying he is going to take the league by storm like Todd Gurley did, but consistent production is a reasonable expectation from Andrews going forward, especially now that he seems to have the full backing of the new head ball coach.
Nostra-DOM-us
I took a big loss in the Nostra-DOM-us category last week, making me second guess my connection to the 16th century French prophetic wizard, who has, from the grave, generously lent me his name for a very opportunistic pun over these past few weeks. This week I plan on picking myself back up, giving you two matchups that can’t miss in Week 10.
DeAngelo Williams vs. Cleveland:
Honestly this one seems almost too easy… Williams, coming fresh off a 170-yard outing against a then top-ranked Oakland rush defense, taking on a Cleveland unit that is ranked dead last against the run this season. Pittsburgh boasts not only a red-hot Williams, but also the top-ranked rush game this season, proving their offensive line is in a grove, too. Give me the Steelers, at home, and in a position where they need to run the ball a ton with Ben Roethlisberger banged up for the foreseeable future and an unproven Landry Jones under center in Week 10. Expect Williams to run the daylights out of the ball against a paltry Cleveland front seven on Sunday. No. 1 rush offense vs. the No. 32 rush defense… Come on that’s a layup, right?
Philly RB’s vs. Miami’s D:
Slowly but surely, this Philly run game is really coming on strong, as DeMarco Murray has started to string together some quality fantasy stat lines, while Ryan Mathews has quietly developed into a weapon as a change of pace back. Just last week, this backfield unit wore down a Dallas defense that was ranked in the top half of the league against the run and in the top-10 overall. Murray and Mathews combined for 150 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, good enough for 5.2 yards per carry, while Darren Sproles added in 23 yards of his own. If they and their offensive line can win at the point of attack like they did last Sunday against, by all accounts, a formidable Dallas defensive front seven, imagine what they can do to a Miami defense that ranks second-to-last against the run so far this season. Again, with Philly at home, hosting the struggling Dolphins on Sunday, I like my chances with Murray and Mathews controlling the pace of the game in Week 10.