Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Rico Dowdle

Saturday, December 13, 12:30 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of last week's game against the Chargers, finally snapping his four-game scoreless streak. This play also boosted him to his second-highest rushing yards count in a game this season with 122, his second time surpassing 100 yards on the ground. He'll try to carry this momentum into Week 15's matchup with the Raiders, who allow the ninth-most fantasy points to RBs in the league. Las Vegas is also tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns given up this year, letting up 18 scores to runners over 13 games. While he has left some to be desired in the passing game lately, Barkley is primed to find the end zone this weekend, which should make up for any lack of catches. Consider him a low-end RB1.

Saturday, December 13, 12:11 PM

In Week 13, Rico Dowdle totaled 58 rushing yards on 18 carries and 21 receiving yards on two receptions against the Rams. Dowdle finished the game with 9.9 PPR points, which was his lowest since being named the starting RB for Carolina in Week 9. Chuba Hubbard also outperformed Dowdle in that game, registering 20.4 PPR points on 124 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown. Hubbard also took the most snaps (59%) between the RBs. Head coach Dave Canales confirmed that Dowdle would be the featured back on early downs and at the goal line. This week, the Panthers face the New Orleans Saints for the second time this season. Against the RB position, the Saints rank 18th in Fantasy Points Per Game Allowed. In Week 10 against the Saints, Dowdle had 53 rushing yards on 18 carries with one touchdown. With a continued shared workload, he is likely to remain an RB2 starter with a decent statistical fantasy floor. Over the last four weeks before the bye, Dowdle averaged 12.9 PPR points per game.