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You won’t find any insider information that goes more in-depth to discover trends and information pertinent to your fantasy football success.
RBs to Perform Above Expectations:
Alfred Morris (vs. Baltimore Ravens): Morris continues to defy all odds and surpass all expectations. Due to Morris’ average draft position; he is likely the most valuable player of the fantasy season. Morris has not showed any signs of wearing down, as he has averaged nearly five yards per carry over the last four weeks. Baltimore’s defense has also been permeable to the run on the road. Compared to 107 yards per game allowed at home, Baltimore surrenders 144 yards be game on the road. That stat is good for third-highest in the NFL. In addition to that, the Washington Redskins love to run the ball at home, where they generate a league-leading the 48.97% of their offense on the ground.
Frank Gore (vs. Miami Dolphins): Since my brother is a Dolphins fan and he gave me grief for calling Miami’s secondary pedestrian, I will start by clarifying that this recommendation is less about the Dolphins front seven and more about the strength of the San Francisco 49ers run-blocking. San Francisco ranks as the #1 run-blocking line and Frank Gore seems to be in his element at home this year. Gore has run for 5.8 yards per carry at Candlestick Park compared to just 4.0 yards per carry on the road. After last week’s upset at the hands of the St. Louis Rams, San Francisco will be looking to return to their strengths which are power football and dominating the trenches.
Ahmad Bradshaw (vs. New Orleans Saints): Bradshaw is the undisputed feature back in New York and fantasy owners are golden with his newly obtained goal line duties. The New York Giants will look to control the game on Sunday in order to keep Drew Brees and the Saints offense on the sideline as much as possible. This bodes well for Bradshaw, whom has the delight of running behind the league’s second ranked run-blocking line. Bradshaw has hit his stride lately and has averaged five yards per carry over the last four weeks. Giants’ running backs have also found the end zone 14 times this year (third most in the league) and will all belong to Bradshaw from this point forward.
RBs to Perform Below Expectations:
Steven Jackson (@ Buffalo Bills): Jackson has seen a rejuvenated role in the St. Louis Rams offense over the past four games and has carried the ball 20+ times in three of those games. Jackson is not a back that I feel confident in this weekend, however, Buffalo’s defense has absolutely stonewalled opposing running backs as of late. They have held their opponents to a mere 65.7 yards rushing yards per game over their last four contests. The stinginess of Buffalo’s run-defense, combined with Jackson’s failure to score in all but two games; creates a situation in which Jackson is almost guaranteed to get shut out of the end zone once again. Jackson does not meet the credentials of an RB2 this week.
Jamaal Charles (@ Cleveland Browns): Charles is likely to see the ball at least 20 times this weekend, which is certainly enough to warrant starting him. However, if you are looking for a big yardage game to result, you are likely to be disappointed. The Cleveland defense has been stout, limiting opponents to 65.7 yards rushing per game over the last four weeks and a minuscule 19.81% of their opponent’s offense on the ground. Being forced to take to the air always ends in disaster for the turnover-prone Kansas City Chiefs, so the team is likely in for another poor result on Sunday.
Ryan Mathews (@ Pittsburgh Steelers): Nothing makes me cringe quite like the mentioning of the name Ryan Mathews. The San Diego Chargers system is partially to blame for limiting Mathews, but he has shown zero burst of big-play ability. In 82 rushing attempts on the road this year, Mathews has managed to register a long run of 18 yards. In addition to that, San Diego has abandoned the run over their last three games with less than one-third of their play calls coming on the ground during that span. The icing on the cake is that the Chargers will likely be running without three starting offensive linemen. This is a situation to avoid at all costs.
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