Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Rico Dowdle

Sunday, October 26, 8:20 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for just 25 yards on eight carries during Sunday's Week 8 loss against the Houston Texans. He also caught three of his six targets for an additional 43 receiving yards. McCaffrey had his worst game of the season; his 9.8 points in PPR leagues marked the first time he scored fewer than 22 points in a single game this year. This was a rare dud for McCaffrey, and part of the blame can be attributed to the quarterback position, as Mac Jones (59.4% completion rate, 193 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) struggled to put together many quality drives in place of Brock Purdy (toe). McCaffrey is still one of the most talented running backs in recent NFL history, and he should have no trouble bouncing back against a struggling Giants squad in Week 9.

Saturday, November 1, 12:40 AM

Rico Dowdle is a risky option in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers, but with four teams on a bye, you may not have a viable alternative. The Packers' run defense has allowed 16.73 fantasy points per game to RBs this season, ranking third-best in the league. Dowdle was in a timeshare with Chuba Hubbard through the last two weeks, with Hubbard getting the majority of snaps. Head coach Dave Canales said that Dowdle will be the starter and will get the bulk of the touches this week over Hubbard. While Hubbard will be a part of the Carolina running game this week, Dowdle outperformed him at 5.7 yards per carry to Hubbard's 2.5 over the last two weeks, despite having the lower snap count. The matchup against Green Bay is not favorable, but with Dowdle expected to see the majority of snaps, he is a fantasy RB2 for Week 9. The potential volume signals that he should be kept in lineups.