By Pro Football Focus’ grades, two of the NFL’s three best running backs are rookies, and both were late round draft picks. PFF’s second-graded running back is seventh round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and right behind him is fourth round pick Cam Skattebo. Skattebo, a former Arizona State star, has been one of the few bright spots in what has been an awful New York Giants season.
As the 1-4 Giants prepare to take on the 4-1 Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET, the team has gotten some mixed injury news. While wideout Darius Slayton has been ruled out for the contest, leaving New York desperately thin at receiver after Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending torn ACL, running back Tyrone Tracy was cleared to play after suffering a dislocated shoulder on September 21 in the team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He was the Giants’ preferred back in Week 1, playing 73.5% of the team’s snaps, but he quickly entered a time share with Skattebo, garnering fewer carries than him in Week 2. At the time of his injury late in the first quarter against Kansas City, he had taken seven rushing attempts to Skattebo’s two.
Despite their similar snap shares when both were healthy, Skattebo has looked comfortable in his starting role, and I’d be surprised if New York operated a true committee approach tonight. In that Chiefs game, he turned his eight carries into 50 yards and a score and five catches into 57 yardsafter Tracy’s injury before taking 27 touches for 90 yards the following week and 21 touches for 104 yards in Week 5. While he hasn’t yet found the end zone as a full-time starter, he’s demonstrated strength and tenacity and proven himself to be a capable target for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Skattebo has been better as both a runner and a receiver than Tracy was in each of his two seasons, so there’s no reason to operate anything other than a traditional starter-reserve split.
I don’t see a world in which two running backs are fantasy-viable against Philadelphia. Though the Eagles’ defense hasn’t been quite as dominant this season as the unit that helped win the Super Bowl last season, allowing the 11th-most rushing yards, they’ve still posted the league’s sixth-highest run defense grade at PFF and have held opponents to the 12th-fewest rushing touchdowns. Because he lacks top-end speed, Skattebo tends to run through the middle, and Philadelphia has two of the league’s best linebackers in Zack Baun and rookie Jihaad Campbell. Regardless, Skattebo remains fantasy-viable because of his value as a receiver — the Eagles have allowed the eighth-most receiving yards to running backs — and because big defensive tackle Jalen Carter is questionable with a heel injury. Tracy also likes to run up the middle and doesn’t provide as much value as a receiver.
Start or Sit: Start Cam Skattebo, Sit Tyrone Tracy Jr.
