Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Roschon Johnson

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.

Thursday, December 19, 3:26 PM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (concussion) practiced in full for the second straight day this week and is on his way towards clearing the league's concussion protocol and returning to action this Sunday in Week 16 against the division-rival Detroit Lions. Johnson has missed the team's last two games due to a concussion but is trending in the right direction to return this weekend. He still needs final clearance from an independent neurologist later this week, though, to get the final green light to play. Even if Johnson is active against the Lions on Sunday, he won't have any real standalone fantasy value with a lot on the line in leagues this weekend. He's been the clear backup behind D'Andre Swift on game days and hasn't been a reliable producer, although he has chipped in six rushing touchdowns. Perhaps if Chicago's offense was more reliable.