2014 Fantasy Football Daily Fix: Week 17 Running Backs
The following values are my recommended running back plays for Week 15 at DraftKings – the best daily fantasy sports site on the Internet. Here are the scoring settings for running backs, and if you have any more questions about DraftKings or fantasy football in general ask us on Twitter@TheFantasyFix or @44AMiller.
It’s obviously too early in the week to know who will or won’t be playing due to teams already clinching playoff spots so I’ll just recommend who I normally would and we’ll see how it plays out later in the week.
Expensive
Marshawn Lynch – $7,300 vs. St. Louis – Lynch averages 23.9 points per game at home this season, seven more than he does on the road. He’s scored 11 times in seven home games, and he’s scored in double-digits in eight straight games this season. For some reason the Rams always play at Seattle in Week 17 and they never show up, so I’d expect Lynch and the Seahawks to continue their dominant run.
Eddie Lacy – $6,900 vs. Detroit – I love rolling with Lacy because he’s the cheapest elite option among the top few running backs. He’s the eighth-priciest back this week, but he’s averaging the sixth-most fantasy points among running backs on the season. This game is at home, where he averages 20.6 points – which would rank him fourth among running backs for the season – compared to 15.6 on the road. He’s averaging almost a yard better per rush at home and he’s scored eight touchdowns in seven home games. Detroit’s a tough matchup, but Green Bay absolutely destroys opponents at home.
Reasonable
Fred Jackson – $5,900 at New England – Jackson’s scored in double-digits in each of his last five games. His rushing attempts have fluctuated weekly, but he’s averaging over 18 touches in those five games. The Pats have been the stingiest defense against running backs in the last five weeks, but Jackson will arguably be the second-best back they’ll have faced since Week 12. This is the priciest Jackson’s been all year, but his role is defined and he’ll see touches whether the Bills are in front or trailing.
Jonathan Stewart – $5,700 at Atlanta – Atlanta has been the fifth-worst defense against running backs in the last five weeks, and Stewart has been on fire lately. He’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry in his last four games, and he’s seen over 20 touches in each of his last three games. He’s averaging 17 points per game in those four games.
Cheap
Matt Asiata – $5,000 vs. Chicago – Asiata is averaging over 19 touches and 71 total yards a game in his last four games, including over four catches per game. The Bears have given up five touchdowns in their past five games, as well as over seven receptions and 55 receiving yards to running backs. That could bode well for Asiata. Asiata’s a good play in the high-payout contests because even though he hasn’t been the full-time back in maybe any game this year, he still has five games of at least 19 points
Andre Williams – $4,800 vs. Philadelphia – Williams has two 100-yard games in the past three weeks, and he’s scored in double-digits in five of his last eight games, which includes four touchdowns. He’s not coming on strong, but he’s shown some ability recently and Philly is ranked just 24th in opponent running back scoring in the last five weeks.