Most of yesterday's questions revolved around four running backs: Jerick McKinnon, Aaron Jones, Marlon Mack, and the Cardinals' newly acquired starter, Adrian Peterson. To get my full take on the first two, refer to yesterday's column. To summarize, McKinnon is my favorite of the group because, simply put, he's more talented than Latavius Murray and should could be an 18+ touch guy. There are risks, but the rewards make him worth the #1 waiver pick among RBs.
Jones is more of an unknown--a rookie who was third on the depth chart until forced into major roles the past two weeks. So he's a speculative add with a medium ceiling: a near-term potential RB2 who could find himself in RB3/4 territory once Ty Montgomery returns. Or he could surprise some people and overtake Montgomery as Green Bay's lead back. More risks than McKinnon, and with comparable rewards/upside.
Marlon Mack arguably is more talented than Jones, but the Colts' offense doesn't rival the Packers' (eight fewer points per game), likely meaning fewer TD opportunities for Mack--at least until/unless Andrew Luck gets back to 100% this year. And despite Frank Gore's struggles (3.2 YPC and RB3 numbers driven by volume), the 34-year-old's role is more assured than Montgomery's. So unless the legend retires midseason or is forced into a meager 5-8 touch role, Mack probably won't clear 14 touches a game, putting his ceiling around an RB2/3.
And the Cardinals made a brilliant nothing-to-lose move trading for AP. But let's not overreact: the 32-year-old will be running behind possibly the worst offensive line of his career, and if the team is smart, the highly talented Andre Ellington isn't going anywhere. So there are three scenarios: (1) AP earns 18+ rushes a game, (2) AP earns 12-14 touches a game, or (3) AP ruptures an Achilles in Week 7. Clocking in at 3.0 YPC, AP is a big name with RB2/3 upside and droppable downside. This places him below McKinnon, Jones, and Mack on my pecking order.
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Bye weeks got you down? Desperate for a QB streamer? Joe Flacco is headed toward his best game of 2017 in a home matchup vs. the Bears. Flacco is on pace for 13 TDs and a career-low 5.7 YPC. Ranked 25th in Fantasy Pros' composite of 34 fantasy experts, Baltimore's "franchise QB," Flacco is worth streaming as a top 16 Week 6 performer.
And why would anyone start the 31st ranked Matt Cassel? Well, good question if Marcus Mariota (game-time decision) gets the go. But if Mariota sits, Cassel faces a Colts team yielding the third most passing yards per game. And this isn't a case of Indy simply facing five elite QBs. No, three of those opponents were Jared Goff, DeShone Kizer, and Brian Hoyer, who averaged 300+ yards between them. Kizer had three TDs. Yeah, Indy's D is pretty bad. If they can make sub-par QBs look like QB1s, sure Cassel is worth streaming as a top 16 performer.
Jones is more of an unknown--a rookie who was third on the depth chart until forced into major roles the past two weeks. So he's a speculative add with a medium ceiling: a near-term potential RB2 who could find himself in RB3/4 territory once Ty Montgomery returns. Or he could surprise some people and overtake Montgomery as Green Bay's lead back. More risks than McKinnon, and with comparable rewards/upside.
Marlon Mack arguably is more talented than Jones, but the Colts' offense doesn't rival the Packers' (eight fewer points per game), likely meaning fewer TD opportunities for Mack--at least until/unless Andrew Luck gets back to 100% this year. And despite Frank Gore's struggles (3.2 YPC and RB3 numbers driven by volume), the 34-year-old's role is more assured than Montgomery's. So unless the legend retires midseason or is forced into a meager 5-8 touch role, Mack probably won't clear 14 touches a game, putting his ceiling around an RB2/3.
And the Cardinals made a brilliant nothing-to-lose move trading for AP. But let's not overreact: the 32-year-old will be running behind possibly the worst offensive line of his career, and if the team is smart, the highly talented Andre Ellington isn't going anywhere. So there are three scenarios: (1) AP earns 18+ rushes a game, (2) AP earns 12-14 touches a game, or (3) AP ruptures an Achilles in Week 7. Clocking in at 3.0 YPC, AP is a big name with RB2/3 upside and droppable downside. This places him below McKinnon, Jones, and Mack on my pecking order.
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Bye weeks got you down? Desperate for a QB streamer? Joe Flacco is headed toward his best game of 2017 in a home matchup vs. the Bears. Flacco is on pace for 13 TDs and a career-low 5.7 YPC. Ranked 25th in Fantasy Pros' composite of 34 fantasy experts, Baltimore's "franchise QB," Flacco is worth streaming as a top 16 Week 6 performer.
And why would anyone start the 31st ranked Matt Cassel? Well, good question if Marcus Mariota (game-time decision) gets the go. But if Mariota sits, Cassel faces a Colts team yielding the third most passing yards per game. And this isn't a case of Indy simply facing five elite QBs. No, three of those opponents were Jared Goff, DeShone Kizer, and Brian Hoyer, who averaged 300+ yards between them. Kizer had three TDs. Yeah, Indy's D is pretty bad. If they can make sub-par QBs look like QB1s, sure Cassel is worth streaming as a top 16 performer.