Week 17 Running Back Starts & Sits: Can We Trust Rookies Tyler Allgeier & Rachaad White?
In case you’re new to the column, here’s a quick explainer of what we’re trying to do here (skip down if you’ve been here before). We’re here to wrestle with the decisions that are keeping us up at night. Do you bench a struggling player you took in the second round? Do you take a chance on the guy who has seemingly been playing over his head? Do you sit the high-floor/low-ceiling player for the low-floor/high-ceiling player? We won’t know the “correct” answers until the games are over. But we’re going to do our best to talk through it.
With quarterbacks in the books, let’s dive into the Week 17 running back start/sit decisions that are keeping us up at night.
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Running Back
Start ‘Em
START OF THE WEEK: Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
With the Falcons having nothing to play for and looking toward 2023, the Atlanta backfield now belongs to Tyler Allgeier. He’s seen 35 carries over his past two games (last week’s 18 was a season-high) and he’s put up 213 rushing yards in those two games. He also caught a season-high four balls last week and finished as RB12 (after finishing as RB7 the week before) and is firmly in RB2 (maybe even RB1?!) territory heading into a fantastic matchup against an awful Cardinals defense.
Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
Robinson is an absolute efficiency nightmare, so I don’t blame you if you’re a little scared of him this week. However, I’m here to talk you into him this week. The Commanders are still fighting for a playoff spot so they have everything to play for and they’re obviously committed to giving Robinson the rock (as evidenced by his 22 carries last week). Robinson gets a fantastic matchup against an awful Browns run defense this week and should provide solid RB2/flex production.
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Leonard Fournette has continued to hang onto the main running back role in Tampa Bay, White has maintained a large enough role to remain fantasy relevant. He’s finished his last five games as RB9, RB10, RB20, RB46, and RB14. That’s not too bad for a rookie who isn’t his team’s primary running back. While White is a tad risky, he sees enough work in the passing game to stay relevant. I wouldn’t expect him to dominate your fantasy matchup, but White should still be a solid flex play against a bad Panthers run defense.
Sit ‘Em
SIT OF THE WEEK: Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins
If you told me one of these guys would be out this week, I’d tell you to start the other one. However, that is not the case right now. Each player saw 11 touches last week and while Wilson scored, neither one put up more than 11 PPR points. With a matchup against a pretty good Patriots defense this week, I’d expect the game flow to dictate fewer plays for both teams and I don’t think we’ll see more than 10-12 touches for either of these guys. Could one find the end zone? Sure. But good luck figuring out which one.
Zonovan Knight, New York Jets
Well, that was fun while it lasted. Knight had a nice mid-season run when the Jets ran into a boatload of backfield injuries, but I think the wheels have finally fallen off. He’s carried the ball 19 times for a total of 21 rushing yards over his past two games and isn’t seeing much work as a pass-catcher either. While he has a nice matchup against the Seahawks this week, Knight is splitting carries with Michael Carter and Ty Johnson and is just WAY too risky this week.
Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions
While Williams was an absolute stud earlier this season, it’s time to keep him on your fantasy bench. He was extremely touchdown-dependent earlier in the year and it paid off, but he hasn’t scored in three straight games and we just can’t be in the business of chasing touchdowns. Williams only touched the ball nine times last week and has finished the last three weeks as RB45, RB57, and RB56. Williams is just too volatile to be in your fantasy lineup this week.
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