Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Tyler Allgeier

Sunday, September 29, 9:29 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley took 10 carries for 84 yards and caught two of four targets for 32 yards during the team's 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 27-year-old had another slow start in this game but rumbled for 59 yards on the first play of the second half to set up the Eagles for their second touchdown of the day. It was a play that saved him from having a poor fantasy outing, but if this is the floor for Barkley's production as a fantasy player, then these fantasy managers are in good shape. This was a tough matchup where the Buccaneers were able to key in on the Eagles' star back due to the absence of wideouts A.J. Brown (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (concussion) so being able to extend his 100 or more yards combined streak intact is impressive to say the least. Philadelphia was seemingly blessed with the early bye week, and the team will look to regroup and regain their top two pass catchers before their Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

Wednesday, October 2, 8:02 PM

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier showed he deserves a more significant proportion of the Falcons' backfield opportunities when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5. His performance in Week 4 was his best of the season. He turned just eight carries into 60 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and caught two passes for 20 yards, good for 10.0 PPR fantasy points. The backup running back is highly efficient, averaging 6.15 yards per carry, and had proven his ability to be a solid lead back through the last four games of 2022 before lead back Bijan Robinson (hamstring) was drafted. The Bucs have struggled to stop the run this year, too. Robinson has struggled so far, and Allgeier's runs have been much more successful on average. He shouldn't be started yet, but he is a must-have handcuff for Bijan managers and a fine speculative bench stash. Should Tyler's role continue to grow, he could be start-worthy at some point.