Blake Corum Start or Sit Advice for Week 3
The Rams bounced back nicely from their Week 1 loss Down Under with a convincing win on Monday Night Football over the Giants. In both of their games, the team has been giving plenty of work to backup running back Blake Corum, who is gatherins some momentum as a fantasy football sleeper play for Week 3. Should you put the former Michigan bellcow back into your lineup or leave him on your bench or waiver wire in Week 3’s Sunday Night Football visit to Denver? Let’s take a look at what to expect from Corum in Week 3.
Corum has gotten double-digit carries in each of the first two weeks of the season and has looked effective in his role, so it’s easy to see why people are buying in. He racked up 54 yards on 10 carries for 5.4 FPTS in Week 1, averaging an impressive 5.4 yard per carry. In Week 2, he was even more efficient with 12 carries for 79 yards (6.6 yards per carry). He even added a 13-yard reception on his one target to rack up 10.2 FPTS.
Corum played 23% of snaps in Week 1, but that timeshare jumped to 45% in Week 2, when he got the exact same number of carries as his teammate and lead running back Kyren Williams. Williams is still the top goal-line and passing-down option, and Corum’s upside is capped unless he can start getting a few of those chances in scoring situations. However, his catch last week could be the start of a larger role in the passing game.
At this point, he’s definitely worth owning in all formats with good upside if he continues to play as a legitimate 1a option behind Williams. The question is now, though, if you should start Corum withhis current workload. He definitely is on the radar enough for deep-league FLEX usage, but he’s probably not quite a top-30 running back option just yet.
This week, Corum has good upside against the Broncos, who usually have a good defense but have struggled against the run in the first few games this season. Kenneth Walker III lit them up in Week 1 for 191 total yards and two scores, and last week, Bhayshul Tuten had 65 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. They have allowed the fourth-most FPTS to RB this season, so it’s a favorable matchup for Corum on Sunday night.
Ultimately, with this start/sit, it comes down to who your alternative to Corum is. He definitely brings potential, but he’s limited by the fact that he’s still sharing time and not getting key scoring chances. In standard-sized leagues, I’m still not ready to start him over more established options, but he can definitely work in an emergency situation. He’s also a good DFS option if you’re playing in the NFL Showdown $1M Sunday Night Showdown [$250K to 1st] (LAR @ DEN) or other single-game contests. I am high on Corum’s long-term potential, though, so hold him on your bench if at all possible.
