Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Tyler Allgeier

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.

Saturday, December 21, 11:25 AM

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier has been the recipient of double-digit carries just four times all season and has yet to record those outings in back-to-back weeks. In Week 15, the 24-year-old carried the ball 12 times, so is he due for a return to single digits? With rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. under center on Sunday, the Falcons may need to rely on the run game more than usual. The team is favored by nine points in this game against the Giants, so they could be looking to kill the clock late as well, meaning more action for the running backs. The Falcons haven't been shy about giving goal line carries to Allgeier, so the 8:3 TD split for Bijan Robinson and Allgeier doesn't tell the whole story. Allgeier has received six carries inside the five while Robinson has received eight, so it's a near-even split. Nevertheless, fantasy managers still alive in the playoffs won't be using the BYU product as an RB1 or RB2, but one could make the case for an RB3/Flex play this week, albeit a risky one.