Who Should I Start? Derrick Henry or Christian McCaffrey

Saturday, October 25, 10:27 AM

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry hasn't finished in RB1 territory in half-PPR leagues since Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. The ground game has struggled mightily, especially while Lamar Jackson (hamstring) has been sidelined, due to playing major catch-up as the defense gives up the most points in the league. In Week 8, Jackson may return, but one of the bigger returning names for the run game is Patrick Ricard. The big fullback has been a huge help with both run blocking and pass protection, and has registered multiple seasons with grades of 80 or above in run blocking. With his return and if Jackson can play, that sets up Henry to return to his ceiling. As of right now, he's projected to be a low-end RB1 in his first game since the bye.

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.