Honorable mention Starts: Kareem Hunt (KC), David Montgomery (DET), Nick Chubb (CLE)
Honorable mention Sits: Najee Harris (PIT), Alexander Mattison (MIN), Audric Estime (DEN)
Start: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
I mean, yes, I recommended him as a sit last week, but none of you listened (and yes, I also started him). I loved what I saw, however – 19 touches, 100+ total yards, and an RB11 finish. And in his first week back from an extended IR stay, no less. This week, it’s the Seahawks, and my guess is there are no restrictions on his workload, which – as you all know – has faired well for him and us. While the Hawks looked good against the Rams backfield before the bye, check the tape on the previous weeks – 31.0+ in four of the five previous games. And, BTW, those were all backfields with RBs that catch passes.
Start: Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
Joe Mixon has been really good this season, and I didn’t see it coming. I thought he was cooked. Done. Finished. But guess what? He’s absolutely not. In fact, if he hadn’t missed three weeks, he might even be RB1 on the season. That was a huge miss on my part. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in my lack of prognostication here. Top 10 finishes in all but two games and five games over 21 (including three over 30). He’s basically averaging 25 carries a game over his last four, including a crazy inefficient game against the Lions (27 total touches). Nico Collins should be back this week, which should create space for Mixon. All in on what could be a huge week.
Sit: James Cook, Buffalo Bills
James Cook has been a solid option for most of the season. Take a couple of 30-burgers, sprinkle in eight touchdowns, add a fair amount of receiving work, and you’ve got RB10 on the season. But this is just a terrible matchup. The Chiefs are basically a brick wall when it comes to opposing running backs – one touchdown in the last seven weeks (three all season), never more than 75 rushing yards in any game this season, and less than 10 fantasy points in six of nine games. This should be a really fun game to watch, but for the first time in the franchise, this tilt may be more about the defenses and which quarterback can come out of Orchard Park with a win this week.
Sit: Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
On one hand, Zack Moss is lost for the season, creating a massive opportunity. On the other hand, it’s the Chargers this week who have been nearly as good as the aforementioned Chiefs against opposing RBs. While more generous in terms of yardage, they’ve only given up one rushing touchdown, which is absurd considering we’re entering Week 11. This Bengals team loves to throw the football, and when they have a guy like Ja’Marr Chase, why wouldn’t they? Plus, I’m going to take a shot here and say that Khalil Herbert – a historically efficient back – is going to start working himself into the fold. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Herbert is going to matter significantly this week, but I bet they still get a look at him. I love the ROS outlook for Brown, but he’s in for a long afternoon out there in the City of Angels.
