Fantasy Football Week 12 Running Back Who Should I Start? Sean Tucker, TreVeyon Henderson, Aaron Jones, and More
Comparing Sean Tucker to four running backs who he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP start/sit tool.
Sean Tucker had a huge game last week, leading the Tampa Bay backfield with 19 carries, 106 yards, and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 34 yards and another score, finishing as the top fantasy back in standard scoring and second behind Christian McCaffrey in PPR.
He had been working in a secondary role behind Rachaad White (who had 10 carries for 51 yards) prior to Week 11, so there's a real question as to whether Tucker has earned himself more of the work or if things might swing back toward White (or a 50/50 split). With so much uncertainty, Tucker has been showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool.
Let's look at Tucker and four running backs who he has been compared to often on the start/sit tool. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit exercise to determine the best starter in each situation. Most stats are from NFL.com.
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Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams
Tucker ran nine time for 53 yards the week before last, so he now has two straight efficient games. Other than that, he has topped out at just 42 rushing yards and two receiving yards in any game this year, leaving him off the fantasy radar.
Bucky Irving might be back next week, which would push Tucker into the third back role, but he is still in line to get more touches here. The question for fantasy owners is whether you trust that Tucker will get most of the carries again; White will still be involved either way to steal some work.
The Rams present a really tough matchup, allowing the sixth-fewest yards per rush attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. LA's defense is stout in every facet, and they have regularly stifled backs, allowing only Derrick Henry to top 100 rushing yards.
Tucker is an intriguing player, but he is likely to split work and has a terrible matchup. I'm not expecting a repeat of last week and see him as probably a better bench player, though you could consider the flex spot depending on your roster.
TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals
Henderson is another guy coming off two straight good weeks, combining for 243 total yards and five touchdowns in the span of five days (Sunday in Week 10 then Thursday in Week 11). With Rhamondre Stevenson was out, Henderson led the way. Stevenson is set to return for this one, but he could be limited coming off the injury, and it's impossible to ignore what Henderson did as the top guy.
The Bengals offer one of the best matchups available, as they have given up the fourth-most yards per rush attempt and the most fantasy points per game to running backs. Cincinnati is bad defensively; just bad. They can't stop the run or the pass, and there's a likely scenario in which New England handles this game and gives plenty of work to their backs, giving Henderson some nice upside.
Advice: Start TreVeyon Henderson over Sean Tucker. Both guys have the worry of splitting touches, but Henderson has the much better matchup and has been more successful over the full season.
Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns
After being drafted sixth overall, it's impossible not to look at Jeanty as a disappointment in his rookie year. That doesn't mean he can't find success in the future or that he'll be a total bust, but this awful Raiders' offense isn't helping him, and Jeanty is averaging 55.4 rushing yards per game on just 3.7 per attempt.
He does a little work in the passing game and has scored seven total touchdowns, helping put him inside the top 20 RBs in both standard and PPR, but more was expected; the best thing would have been for Vegas to focus on a more premium position early in the draft rather than putting a back (who is dependent on so much else) in the middle of a below-average group.
The Browns also offer a terrible matchup, allowing the seventh-fewest yards per rush attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. Despite their ineptitude on offense, Cleveland continues to host a productive defense.
Advice: Start Ashton Jeanty over Sean Tucker. After all the bad things I just said about Jeanty, he is still the bell cow in Las Vegas and will get plenty of touches, while Tucker could see his work limited. Since both have really bad matchups, I'll go with the guy likely to get the ball more.
Aaron Jones Sr., Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
After missing a stretch of games, Jones has now been back for the past four and led the Minnesota backfield during that time. There was talk before the season that Jordan Mason could eventually take over the top role, and while Mason has looked good at times, Jones has mostly taken the top spot since his return and been more productive. He has averaged nearly 70 total yards since returning, though he has only scored once, something that could be a problem in Minnesota's offense.
The Packers are a brutal matchup, allowing the second-fewest yards per rush attempt and the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. RBs are able to find a little space in the passing game, averaging five catches and 29 yards per game, but Green Bay hasn't allowed a receiving touchdown to any back and has only given up six rushing touchdowns.
Advice: This is another tough one because Jones doesn't have a great outlook, but he is likely to lead the backfield, and Tucker has more uncertainty. While this one is close, I'll again give the very slight advantage to Jones, as both guys have tough matchups.
Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Knight is another popular name on the start/sit tool this week, as injuries just won't stop piling up in the Arizona backfield, leaving Knight as essentially the last man standing. He leads the team in carries, though his 3.4 yards per carry are well below average, leading to just 181 yards.
The Jaguars have given up the eighth-fewest yards per rush attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. Everyone listed in this column has a negative matchup aside from Henderson, leaving it more about the players in question.
Advice: Start Sean Tucker over Bam Knight. While Knight will likely lead the way here, the Cardinals have been throwing it way more than running it, and that could be the case again, as Jacksonville is worse at defending the pass. I don't like trusting Knight if I don't have to, though he is worthy of low flex consideration.
