Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Zach Charbonnet

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.

Friday, December 20, 4:19 PM

According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, running back Zach Charbonnet (oblique) is off the injury report and cleared for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Charbonnet was battling an oblique injury during the week but was able to avoid an injury designation. With Kenneth Walker III sidelined over the past two weeks, Charbonnet has taken full control of the Seattle backfield tallying 188 yards on the ground with three scores. However, Walker is also off the injury report as well and should be expected to reclaim the starting job given his previous workloads this season. While Charbonnet may see a larger role than a typical backup would, he should not be viewed as a viable option in Week 16 facing a tough Minnesota rushing defense that has allowed the second-fewest PPR points to opposing RBs this season.