Who Should I Start? Cam Akers or Rico Dowdle

Friday, December 20, 5:48 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers remains strictly a handcuff option for this Sunday's road clash with the Seattle Seahawks. Akers scored a touchdown on ten carries (his most in a game since Week 11), rushing for 24 yards in last weekend's 30-12 rout of the Bears. Still, he picked up most of his work on the Vikings' final few drives and was inefficient with his touches. The 25-year-old hasn't garnered a target since Week 12 and hasn't played more than 32% of snaps since joining the team. With lead-back Aaron Jones dominating backfield touches, the Florida State product will not be a recommended option in Week 16. Akers comes in as RotoBaller's PPR RB48 in this week's rankings.

Saturday, December 21, 12:03 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle will be facing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense on Sunday Night Football in Week 16 that has allowed the fewest half-PPR points to opposing RBs in the last five weeks, which includes just one rushing touchdown given up. However, because of the high volume that Dowdle has been seeing of late as Dallas' clear-cut No. 1 RB, he'll carry high-end RB2 value for fantasy managers still alive in the playoffs. The 26-year-old is coming off a a career-best 149 rushing yards on 25 carries in last week's win over the Carolina Panthers after setting a previous career-best with 131 rushing yards the week prior. In the last four games, Dowdle has really been eating, seeing at least 18 carries per game and averaging 5.69 yards per attempt with a touchdown. Fantasy managers may not want to expect another career performance on Sunday night, but Dowdle is certainly trending up.