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There are some good options to pay up for at running back this week. Dalvin Cook says he will play and in a great matchup. I left him off this list due to his injury and potent backup Alexander Mattison, but he still should pay off in the end. Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry have smash spots, but I left them off due to lack of receptions. I still like them, but in this space I want floors to be as high as they can be. Salaries via DraftKings.
Christian McCaffrey, Panthers ($10,300)
The last time McCaffrey played the Falcons was in Week 11 and his team was throttled 29-3. You would think McCaffrey had a down game, as he didn’t score a touchdown and nobody else did on his team, but he ended the day with 34.3 DK points! After a down game last week, where he scored 17.2 DK points, he is likely to get back to his 31 DK points average.
Melvin Gordon, Chargers ($6,400)
The Jaguars run defense is in shambles and they also lost Myles Jack for the season. They rank sixth-worst in allowing running back fantasy points on the year and the worst of the worst over the last four games, as they’ve given up an average of 204 yards per game to running backs and seven total touchdowns in that span. Carlos Hyde put 160 rushing yards on them. The Colts had two backs top 100 rushing yards. Derrick Henry did Derrick Henry things and even Peyton Barber scored two touchdowns.
Leonard Fournette, Jaguars ($7,800)
Fournette has turned into a PPR back with touchdown and rushing upside. He is the only running back in the Top 10 PPR back with fewer than seven touchdowns and he’s RB5 in PPR with three total touchdowns. So you know he is getting the job done based on his base yards and reception stats consistently. And his base touches per game ranks second only to Christian McCaffrey at 23.8. The Chargers also make for a good matchup, as they give up the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs.
I am an avid fan and user (my username is cogresha) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.