Running Backs
START: Alex Collins, Baltimore Ravens
The former Arkansas running back was drafted in the fifth round in 2016. I graded him out to be a second-round talent the same off-season. Hmmmm.
Now he’s about to win you a fantasy football trophy, or congratulatory Facebook post. Maybe just a meaningless week of bragging rights to be followed up by another month of bragging leading up to your 2018 league draft.
The Ravens have learned what I already tried to tell everyone. Collins is good. In fact, in games where the second-year back has been given at least fifteen carries, he’s finished with less than a 3.8 yard per carry average just once.
He’s really gotten going in recently, scoring in four of the last five contests and getting involved in the passing game ever so slightly.
You may be discouraged about his performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. But, the Browns are actually the 11th best defense against running backs in fantasy football in 2017. The Colts on the other hand, are the 5th worst.
Must Read: Bucs Talk: Panthers Preview
SIT: Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers
Packers fans are not used to seeing this. But here we are, in the closing weeks of the NFL Season, and their players are just not very valuable moving forward.
Williams has been a solid contributor for the second half of the season. But he isn’t a superstar yet. Potential is there, just not realized.
Against Cleveland and Carolina in the past two weeks, Williams has combined for 25 carries and 79-yards with one rushing touchdown. He did add seven catches against the Browns for 69-yards and a score, so that makes things a bit better.
The Vikings defense has been the hardest on running backs in fantasy football this season.
This isn’t going to end well for Williams or the Packers.
SLEEPER: Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts don’t have much more to play for than to get Gore his tenth 1,000-yard rushing season of this career.
They helped him surpass Ladanian Tomlinson and Jerome Bettis on the all-time rushing list, so let’s see if Indianapolis wants to help him bolster his Hall of Fame resume a little more.
In early December, Gore went on record saying he wants to hit the century mark again. He’s got two games to gain 207 more yards to get there.
Week 14 saw the Colts give him 36 carries to help set up his eclipsing performance last week. I predict they’ll try and set him up nicely for a final game to get over the 1,000-yard mark.