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Fantasy Football Week 8 Sit or Start: Bryce Brown

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By @JordanWevers

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The running back position was loaded full of hot waiver wire pickups for Week 8 in fantasy football. Denard Robinson, Tre Mason and then of course, the two Buffalo Bills running backs in Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown round out the list of coveted names. Given that you probably had to use a top five waiver priority to claim these guys, you owe it to yourself and your team to start any of them and see where it takes you.

Brown will be remembered by most fantasy owners for 2012, even more so if you owned LeSean McCoy that season. In Weeks 12 and 13, both losses for the Philadelphia Eagles, Brown absolutely exploded for 30.9 and 32.3 points in those games, respectively.

There is appeal to Brown, but there are also red flags. First, the flags. In those two games where he played like an All-Pro for the Eagles, Brown lost a combined three fumbles. Another red flag is that despite the Bills giving up a 2015 fifth-round pick for Brown (the Eagles used a seventh-round pick to draft him in 2012), he has yet to suit up for the Bills in 2014. Lastly, despite the devastation in the Bills’ backfield, he still appears to be behind Dixon on the depth chart.

Fast forward to 2014 and his time with the Bills. True, he has had roadblocks in Buffalo. C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson are both household names with that organization. Most NFL teams only dress three active RBs on a week-to-week basis. Dixon has veteran status in the league over Brown, so that could explain him getting to dress.

Spiller, now out for the remainder of the season, is a free agent in 2016. The 33-year-old Jackson’s contract with the Bills expires after this season. It’s possible the franchise views Brown as their premier back moving forward. Week 8 will be the beginning of his opportunity to prove himself.

The New York Jets have an admirable run defense, but the Bills’ offense is a different animal with Kyle Orton at quarterback. He is already getting Pro-Bowl caliber play out of rookie WR Sammy Watkins. That should open up running lanes for Dixon and Brown. My guess is, Dixon gets the start and some red zone work, but Brown will out-touch him 2:1.

If you picked up the 23-year-old Brown in a keeper league, you very well could have found yourself a legitimate RB1 for seasons to come.

Jordan Wevers is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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