2012 Fantasy Football, Week 10 Free Agent Fix: Can Redman Run Over The Chiefs?
Isaac Redman | RB | Pittsburgh
With regard to the Steelers’ backfield, we told you earlier this year that we were higher on Jonathan Dywer than Isaac Redman. We still feel that way, but the circumstances surrounding Monday’s matchup with the Chiefs indicate that it could be a big night for Redman.
For one thing, Dwyer is nursing a quad injury. While he will probably suit up, it’s anyone’s guess how effective he’ll be and how much punishment Mike Tomlin will allow him to take. For another, even if Dwyer is healthy and active, the perception is that Tomlin will ride the hot hand. And right now, the hot hand is Redman, who gashed the Giants last week for 147 yards on 26 carries.
Furthermore, even if Redman and Dwyer end up sharing carries, there should be plenty of yardage to go around against a Kansas City run defense that has allowed 126 rushing yards per game on 4.6 per carry.
Redman is still available in 40% of Yahoo leagues. We generally limit this column to players that are available in at least half of Yahoo leagues, but the matchup was just too tempting to ignore. If you have the space, you could even roster both Redman and Dwyer (40% owned) and make a gametime decision.
Taiwan Jones | RB | Oakland Raiders
Thanks to his huge performance against the Bucs – eight catches for 95 yards and a score – Marcel Reese has been fantasy football’s most added free agent this week by a large margin. The prevailing wisdom in fantasy circles is that Reese will handle the starting RB duties on Sunday, with Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson both nursing high ankle sprains.
But I’m not so sure.
You could definitely make the argument that Oakland’s offense would retain fluidity by keeping both Reese (FB) and Taiwan Jones (RB) at their natural positions. And Jones, in his second year out of Eastern Washington, does have enough speed to make him a big-play threat in the running game. Plus he’s available in a whopping 94% of Yahoo leagues.
So if you missed out on the Reese sweepstakes, we think Jones is worth an add in 12-team leagues. We would recommend keeping an ear to the ground in the coming days, just in case Dennis Allen drops any hints as to who his starter will be. If it’s Jones, he’s far from a safe bet, but he would have legitimate upside upside against a Ravens defense that has been uncharacteristically bad against the run.
Written by Aaron Schuldiner exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. For more great fantasy analysis, follow Aaron on Twitter @SheaLivesOn.
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