Who Should I Start? Justice Hill or Rico Dowdle

Saturday, October 4, 2:11 PM

Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill had a monster game last week, but should be considered only a RB4/Flex option in deeper formats in Week 5 against the Houston Texans. Hill has appeared with outsized fantasy performances from time to time during his career, but has never had back-to-back top-10 finishes as a fantasy running back. With quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) out, the Ravens are set to lean on the Derrick Henry-led running attack, which could mean fewer targets for Hill, the primary driver of his fantasy value. Against a Houston defense that allows scoring drives at the lowest rate in the NFL, managers should tread cautiously with Hill before expecting a repeat of last week.

Friday, October 3, 9:25 AM

Carolina Panthers running back and former Dallas Cowboy, Rico Dowdle, is set to be the lead back in the Panthers' backfield in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, with Chuba Hubbard (calf) ruled out for Week 5. Hubbard is considered week-to-week, so Dowdle isn't expected to be a hot commodity for a season-long play, but he immediately rises in the Week 5 ranks and becomes a top-25 running back against the Dolphins defense, which allows the seventh most fantasy points to the running back position. Dowdle is no slouch either; last year with the Cowboys, he accumulated 1,328 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. Rookie running back Trevor Etienne becomes the team's RB2 and should also be in line for additional carries.