Fantasy Football Week 11 Running Back Start/Sit: Nick Chubb, Alexander Mattison, James Cook and More

Start 

Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

We have been particularly low on Chubb all year and insisted you didn't count on him as a key piece upon his return. That knee injury he suffered last year was devastating and he had dealt with another major knee injury prior to being drafted.

Depending on a running back coming off of that injury in his year 29 season was always going to be a fools errand. It's actually shocking the percentage of the work that they've given him. Despite seeing plenty of volume, he's played about as well as expected, averaging 2.7 yards per carry and maxing out at 52 total yards from scrimmage which is his season-high yardage total by 15 yards. However, there are some games when he'll be a viable flex option and this week is one of them. 

In week 11, the Browns take on the New Orleans Saints, who have been awful against running backs this season, allowing the fourth-most points in the league to the position. Most importantly, they have allowed the second-most rushing TDs to running backs this season.

When Chubb does have his occasional big game, it will be fueled by him falling into the end zone. This is the perfect game for him to do just that and his efficiency should see a boost against a bad rush defense. Chubb should be considered a solid flex option on Sunday.     

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Brown has a brutal matchup this week against the Los Angeles Chargers, who are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs. Khalil Herbert has also had almost two weeks now to get acclimated to offense and soak up some of Zack Moss' work as well.

This has led to Brown's name coming up in more start/sit questions than it should, which leads us to believe that a lot of fantasy owners haven't taken notice of just how good he has been. He is a must-start this week and should even be considered a low-end RB1 or a very high-end RB2.

In the past two games since Moss went down, he has totaled 40 carries, 14 receptions, 251 yards from scrimmage, and two TDs. He's also scored seven TDs in his past seven games. There is no chance that you have two running backs and a flex option better than him this week.   

Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders

Despite a strong matchup against the Miami Dolphins, who have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to running backs this season - and that number has jumped since Tua Tagovailoa returned and they started scoring points again - there are still concerns with Mattison in this game. His volume took a dip the last time we saw him in Week 9 and Ameer Abdullah started getting some work.

There is also the concern that this offense won't be able to move the ball at all with Desmond Ridder under center. We are going to view this through a different lens. We believe they will have to run it more and Ridder will be dumping the ball off to his running backs a lot. There was also a reason why Mattison won this job and it's because Abdullah and Zamir White aren't very good. That will ultimately lead to an increase in volume for Mattison moving forward, who also isn't all that good but still their best option. 

Sit

James Cook, Buffalo Bills

Cook has been a bit up and down this season and surprisingly touchdown-dependent. This week he takes on the Kansas City Chiefs, who have boasted the best defense in the league this season and are allowing the fewest fantasy points in the league to opposing running backs by more than 2.5 points per game.

This entire season, they've only allowed backs to rush for 473 yards and three TDs. It's a brutal matchup and we don't see him breaking through this defense. We understand that some people won't have another option, but those owners should temper expectations and perhaps shoot for some more upside elsewhere in their lineups.

Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins

Last week, we predicted that Mostert could be in danger of losing his job after displaying fumbling issues and that's exactly what happened. Rookie Jaylen Wright stepped into the RB2 role with five carries, while Mostert wasn't handed the ball even once.

The saving grace for Mostert is that Wright didn't take advantage of the opportunity and only rushed for three yards. However, even with an incredible matchup against the Raiders this week, Mostert is just too risky of a play.

Wright retaining that RB2 job is still very much in the cards and probably more likely than not. According to ECR, Mostert is still an RB3 this week but we'd look elsewhere. He's not worth the risk. 

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

Dowdle has a tough matchup this week on an offense that may not be able to move the ball at all with Cooper Rush under center. The Texans are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season.

Last week with Rush at QB, Dowdle carried the ball 12 times for 53 yards and caught three passes for three yards. He should maintain that volume, however, his upside is severely capped by a team that will likely be playing from beyond and rarely find themselves near the goal line. From here on out, he will be very matchup-based with limited upside.