Heading into Week 2 of the fantasy playoffs it seems that there are more backfields you should be looking to avoid as opposed to those that can be trusted to help you in your quest for a fantasy championship.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been slumping over the past two weeks and has a very tough matchup against the Saints in Week 15. The Steelers haven’t been able to run the ball all season, and you should avoid starting a Bengal RB if you can. On the other hand, the Ravens love to run the ball, and their rookie RB J.K. Dobbins has a three game TD scoring streak. Even Dobbins’ backup, Gus Edwards , has some value with three TDs in his last three games.
Unanticipated injuries and having players unexpectedly placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list are always a possibility these days, and Fantasy Alarm will keep you up to date on all the latest breaking fantasy football related news as it happens. In the meantime, the following analysis provides a closer look at a few of the NFL backfields that deserve your attention. We hope that it helps you better manage your fantasy football team(s). Good luck this week!
Dallas Cowboys
Who would have ever imagined that you were essentially wasting your overall top three pick when you drafted Ezekiel Elliott this preseason? Based on PPR fantasy points per game Zeke is RB15 on the season, and an even worse RB28 over the past five weeks. There are several possible reasons for Zeke’s disappointing season. While losing QB Dak Prescott in Week 5 was the final nail in the coffin for the Cowboys’ offense, their run game was already severely hampered due to the poor play and the number of injuries to their offensive line. Despite all that, in simply using the eye test, Elliott just doesn’t seem to have that normal focus or that burst of speed that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him. Zeke’s 3.9 average YPC is a career low. While you can blame that anomaly on his offensive line, his backup, Tony Pollard, is running behind that same line and he’s averaging 4.5 YPC. Elliott has already tied his career high with six fumbles (he’s lost five), and he’s dropped seven passes. He’s been dealing with a calf injury of late, and we sometimes forget that it was reported that Zeke tested positive for COVID-19 back in June. Although reports from back then said he was “feeling good”, the medical community is still learning about the virus’ long term effects. Could Zeke’s season long slump be due in part to the lingering effects of the coronavirus? Zeke had just one more carry (12) than Pollard (11) in Week 14. Neither is startable in the fantasy playoffs.
Indianapolis Colts
It took a while, but rookie RB Jonathan Taylor has finally come into his own. With 14 missed tackles and an average of 26.5 PPR fantasy points in Taylor’s last two games, fantasy players who kept him on their rosters through all of his lean weeks, are being rewarded with breakout performances right in the middle of their fantasy playoff runs. After averaging just under 13 carries and 2.79 YPC in his first nine games, Taylor has taken off, averaging just over 18 carries and 6.02 YPC in his last three games. Taylor, who had been dealing with a nagging ankle injury, is finally healthy and if he continues rake, could be responsible for helping several fantasy teams win their league championships. Nyheim Hines still has value in PPR scoring formats, but he has clearly taken a back seat behind Taylor on the Colts’ depth chart.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are running out of healthy offensive players. RBs Myles Gaskin (reserve/COVID-19) and Salvon Ahmed (shoulder), WRs Preston Williams (foot), DeVante Parker (hamstring) and Jakeem Grant (hamstring) are some of the players who could be out for the Dolphins this week. You can use the fact that so many Dolphins players may be on the sidelines in Week 15 to your advantage by grabbing Lynn Bowden, who is eligible at both RB and WR in some leagues, off of your league’s waiver wire. With 13 targets and 11 receptions over the past two weeks he could be a monster in PPR leagues. As this article is being written, he’s rostered in just two percent of CBS leagues and only three percent of Yahoo! leagues. Bowden played out of the slot in Week 14 and had seven receptions for 82 yards as well as one carry for two yards, but in many cases you’ll be able to slip him into your lineup as a RB!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite the Bucs’ early season addition of Leonard Fournette , Ronald Jones has carved out a prominent role in their backfield, averaging just under 14 carries per game. Head coach Bruce Arians recently reiterated Jones’ importance to the Bucs’ overall offense, stating that when game script allows, he should be getting 20 carries a game. Jones had a productive Week 14, but unfortunately he broke his pinkie finger and underwent surgery to have a pin placed in that finger. Watch his progress as game time approaches, but there’s a good chance that Jones will miss at least one game. Under normal circumstances with Jones out, you’d expect Fournette to be the lead back in his absence. However, with Fournette being a healthy scratch and LeSean McCoy and Ke’Shawn Vaughn active in Week 14, we might be looking at a potential running back by committee in Week 15.