Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Tyler Allgeier

Sunday, November 2, 7:23 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle had 25 rushing attempts, 130 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns during Sunday's Week 9 win over the Green Bay Packers. He also caught two of his three targets for an additional 11 receiving yards. Dowdle was named the official lead back ahead of this week's game, and he wasted no time confirming the coaching staff made the right decision with his role. He averaged at least 4.65 yards per carry for the fifth consecutive week, bringing his season total to 5.61 YPC. After being somewhat of a non-factor through the first four weeks of the season, Dowdle has suddenly emerged as a potential league-winner in fantasy football. He is the RB3 in PPR leagues over the last five weeks, as well as the overall RB9 over the full nine weeks since the season began. He has a firm grasp on the No. 1 role in Carolina and should be deployed as a strong RB1 option in fantasy football ahead of next week's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Saturday, November 1, 1:29 PM

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier found the end zone for the fourth time in his last six games last week, although he carried the ball just four times for four yards, adding two catches for 10 yards. Of Allgeier's four scores, three have come in wins, with the 25-year-old mustering just one touchdown on a total of nine rushes for 24 yards in the team's last three losses. If that trend continues, it could be a quiet Sunday in Week 9 for the 5-foot-10 running back, as the Falcons are 4.5-point road underdogs and carry an implied point total under 20 in this one. Not to mention, New England is tough against the run, allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs, and has allowed just 76 rush yards per contest and 3.5 yards per rush (both second-fewest). The BYU product is a touchdown-dependent RB4/Flex this week, who has a very low floor.