Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Emanuel Wilson

Friday, November 21, 10:11 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley set his season high for attempts last week against the Lions, carrying the ball 26 times for 83 yards. Given the opportunities, it wasn't a very productive game for Barkley and he'll try to turn things around this weekend against the Cowboys. One of his four rushing touchdowns this season came against Dallas in Week 1-a game where he also accounted for four catches and 84 total yards. The Cowboys have had trouble stopping the run this year, allowing 11 touchdowns through 10 games as well as giving up an average of 131.4 yards on the ground in those contests. They also allow the fifth-most fantasy points to RBs. The Eagles clearly trust Barkley to handle heavy workloads at this point in the season, giving him 62 rush attempts over the last three games, which should make managers optimistic about possible boom performances going forward. Consider him a solid RB1 in Week 12.

Sunday, November 23, 5:49 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson had 28 carries for 107 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns during Sunday's Week 12 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He also caught each of his two targets for an additional 18 receiving yards. Wilson was very impressive was handling a large workload on Sunday. With Josh Jacobs (knee) sidelined, he accounted for 78% of the backfield's rushing attempts. The 26-year-old's ability to be efficient while handling heavy volume should earn him more opportunities going forward, even if Jacobs returns to action next week. The Packers face the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, giving Jacobs four days to recover. If the veteran back suits up, Wilson could still carve out standalone value as an RB3/flex. If Jacobs misses a second consecutive game, though, the Fort Valley State product could jump to the high-end RB2 tier against Detroit.