Miami’s run defense allowed another running back to turn in a top fantasy football performance.
This time it was little known Baltimore Ravens running back Javorius Allen, who is filling in for the injured stable of running backs for the Ravens. Allen notched 23 points last week against the Dolphins, leading all running backs in points during a week where points were hard to come by for running backs.
Allen was the only running back to reach the 20-point mark during a week where wide receivers and quarterbacks dominated.
We’re thinking running backs will have more success in our week 14 start ’em, sit ’em guide for running backs in fantasy football.
Daily fantasy start of the week
Doug Martin vs. New Orleans Saints
Have you heard about New Orleans’ pass defense being really bad? Well, its rushing defense is just as awful.
The Saints own the worst rushing defense in the NFL, giving them by far the worst total defense in the NFL. New Orleans allows 137.8 yards per game on the ground, 1 yard more than the reigning champion of awful rush defense, the Cleveland Browns.
That’s why we’re going all in against the Saints this week with an improving Buccaneers team and a fading Saints defense. Martin has been as consistent as any running back in fantasy football, other than Adrian Peterson.
He has 235, 97 and 95 yards rushing respectively in the past three games. He continues to get several carries per game and the Buccaneers rely on him to move the chains on a consistent basis. He’s not touchdown-dependent to garner fantasy football points, which makes him a solid option in DFS, especially if he can get into the endzone.
Martin offers major upside this week and we can’t imagine the Saints will be able to stop the surging Bucs.
Start
Shaun Draughn vs. Cleveland Browns
There’s likely not many fantasy football owners who knew that Draughn was still even in the NFL at the beginning of this season, but lately, he’s been a solid option.
Since taking over for the injured Carlos Hyde, he’s registered more than 75 total yards in four consecutive games. Last week, he notched his first touchdown, and as long as the 49ers keep feeding him the ball, his success will continue this week against the hapless Browns.
Cleveland is just slightly better than the Saints, allowing 136 yards per game on the ground. The Browns have allowed 11 touchdowns this season, the fifth-most by a defense this season.
We expect Draughn to get several carries, which should maximize his ability to score fantasy points.
Frank Gore vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
We used to believe in the Jaguars rushing defense.
Lately, though, we’re starting to doubt their ability.
The Jaguars have allowed more than 100 yards rushing in two of the past three games. Both of those games have come against the Tennessee Titans, which haven’t exactly been the best rushing the football this season.
Gore, meanwhile, has registered more than 90 total yards in three of the past five games. He hasn’t done much in the touchdown-department, with only two touchdowns since week 5. However, we’re confident that he will generate enough carries this week to have an opportunity to provide touchdown-level fantasy points for fantasy football owners.
Daily fantasy sit of the week
Devonta Freeman vs. Carolina Panthers
We’re all in on two teams this week. We’re going strong against the New Orleans Saints defense, and we’re shying away from members of the Atlanta Falcons.
We’re not starting Matt Ryan in DFS and we’re staying away from his backfield mate Devonta Freeman.
Freeman dominated the touches last week, generating more than 100 total yards. However, this week he’s going against the Panthers, which have dominated opposing rushing attacks this season. Carolina is second-best against the run this season, allowing 87.2 yards per game.
Teams average only 3.9 yards per rush against Carolina, so we’re not expecting much out of Freeman. He’s still a good play in season-long fantasy football, but he’s not worth the risk in DFS.
Sit
Javorius Allen vs. Seattle Seahawks
Did you see what Seattle did against Adrian Peterson last week? That should be enough evidence to sit Allen on your bench this week.
Sure, he tallied the most fantasy points this week, but we’re not expecting near the same output this week. Much like last week against the Vikings, Seattle will force the quarterback to beat them. That will mean Matt Schaub will have to do a better job than Teddy Bridgewater did last week.
We’re not anticipating Schaub to do much, making it even more unlikely that Allen will have any holes to run through. Allen was a nice story for a week, but we can’t trust him against a surging Seahawks defense.
Don’t trust him in your playoff round, just because he managed a few yards against a terrible Miami rush defense.
Alfred Morris vs. Chicago Bears
We thought Morris could be a potential steal for fantasy football owners in the playoffs, with him getting back on track two weeks ago.
However, with his lack of touches this past week against the Dallas Cowboys, we can’t get behind him, even in a solid matchup against the Bears.
Chicago is allowing the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL, and with the Redskins’ struggles on the road, we would believe the Redskins would run the ball often to attempt to control the ball. However, Morris just doesn’t get enough consistent touches, and when he does get action, he can’t even register 100 yards on more than 20 carries.
We’re officially giving up on Morris and any running back for the Redskins this season.
