Who Should I Start? Ezekiel Elliott or Kyren Williams

Thursday, September 5, 3:51 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is a risky fantasy play in Week 1 despite having a strong on paper matchup against the Cleveland Browns. The Cowboys backfield is currently one of the murkier ones in the NFL, as Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Dalvin Cook, and even Deuce Vaughn are expected to see the ball. Elliott is a clear Jerry Jones favorite, but out of 49 qualified ball carriers last season, Elliott was 45th in missed tackles and 43rd in yards after contact. He's definitely not the guy he was when he used to play for the Cowboys, leaving him as an RB3 who is likely more of a floor play than anything close to a ceiling.

Friday, September 6, 6:36 PM

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is one of the best fantasy options at his position but faces a tough matchup against the Lions in Week 1. In what should be a high-scoring game, the Rams figure to exploit the passing game against Detroit which allowed 15.79 fantasy points to opposing running backs last season, the best mark in the NFL in that category. Put another way, the Lions were the stiffest test for fantasy running backs last season. That could continue into this season. Williams made some plays in the passing game last season so that could help him a bit in this matchup. The other wild card is the unknown usage of rookie Blake Corum, who theoretically could take away goal-line carries from Williams. Add it all up and this is not an ideal matchup for Williams. Fantasy managers will still likely want to start Williams without a better option in most cases. But expectations should be lowered in Week 1.