Tyrone Tracy Jr. Start or Sit Advice for Week 7

After some rather spectacular and confusing and spartan treatment of the Giants’ running back room, HC John Harbaugh seems inclined to bend the depth chart back toward where it was in the preseason. Looks like Skattebo will be the starting back, today.

So where does that leave Tyrone Tracy, who, despite his fumbling issues, often looks like the most explosive back in that room? I get into how i’m treating Tracy for fantasy below.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. Start or Sit Advice for Week 7

I’d sit Tracy in a typical 12-team PPR league. He led the Giants’ backs with a 41.7% snap share last week, yet finished with six carries and three targets. Harbaugh gave him access to several valuable situations without handing him a dependable rushing workload.

Tracy rushed for 18 yards against the Saints and finished 17 rushing yards below tracking expectations (-17 RYOE), failing to force a missed tackle on any of his six attempts. New York’s blockers struggled, and Tracy offered little help once Saints defenders got him in their sights. Against a defense that had been hemorrhaging rushing production, he needed touchdowns to turn a sluggish afternoon on the ground into 18.5 PPR points.

Tracy scored on a 17-yard catch and a five-yard run while collecting just three high-value touches: his two receptions and a carry inside the 10-yard line. Harbaugh has a reason to use him in scoring range again. Managers starting Tracy would nevertheless be leaning heavily on those scarce chances while hoping he earns more ordinary carries.

Houston makes that rushing improvement difficult. Through six games, the Texans have allowed just 3.4 yards per carry, limited opponents to the third-lowest explosive run rate and frequently met backs at or behind the line of scrimmage. Tracy will have fewer chances to rescue a small workload with one long run, and Houston can force him to fight for yards before he escapes the front.

Harbaugh has praised fellow Giants back Cam Skattebo’s practice work and expects him to remain involved after last week’s touchless appearance. Veteran back Devin Singletary also retains a substantial passing role: he ran routes on 43% of New York’s dropbacks against the Saints. Tracy can lose opportunities in both phases even after Harris’s departure.

Tracy will also have to fight for targets if New York falls behind. Giants receiver Malik Nabers and tight end Isaiah Likely have drawn 78 combined targets over the past three games. Tracy still has to compete with that pair and Singletary for throws from quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who makes his first Giants start Sunday.

Fantasy Outlook for Tyrone Tracy Jr. in Week 7

I’d classify Tracy as an RB4 and a speculative bench addition. Harbaugh has given him valuable work near the goal line and a chance to earn more carries. With Skattebo and Singletary still competing for snaps, however, I’d project another modest workload against a defense capable of smothering it.

In a deeper PPR league, managers short on healthy backs can gamble on his passing-down and scoring work. In a typical 12-team lineup, I’d keep Tracy on the bench while Harbaugh sorts out the rotation.

Verdict: Sit Tyrone Tracy Jr. in Week 7