Arizona Cardinals
No matter what the Cardinals say and even if he’s not on their Week 12 injury report, you can’t start David Johnson until he’s shown you that his injury woes are behind him. He needs to convince us by his performance on the field. At this point of your fantasy football season too much is on the line for you to take a chance on starting DJ against the very tough 49ers run D this week.
Cincinnati Bengals
Who knew that Bengals turning to rookie QB Ryan Finley would result in such an increase in opportunities for RB Joe Mixon ? Mixon played 76 percent of the Bengals offensive snaps in Week 10, compared to 51 percent in Week 8 (the Bengals had a bye in Week 9). He didn’t have a banner day, but still ran for 114 yards on 30 carries (3.8 YPC). If the Bengals continue to ease Finley into their offense, Mixon will continue to be an integral part of their offense moving forward. You’ve also got to love his favorable Week 16 matchup against the Dolphins. Mixon could win you a fantasy football championship.
Cleveland Browns
Kareem Hunt made his long awaited season debut in Week 10, playing 54 percent of the Browns’ offensive snaps. He played just over 20 percent of his snaps out of the slot position and ended up being a fairly big part of the Browns’ passing game. He caught seven of his nine targets for 44 yards. As we mentioned last week, you can run the ball against the Bills, and Nick Chubb owners must have been relieved as he rushed for 116 yards and 5.8 YPC last week. Chubb still played 81 percent of the Browns’ offensive snaps, even with Hunt in the mix. Browns Head Coach Freddie Kitchens suggested that Hunt will continue to be a big part of the Browns offense. At this point you should continue to start Chubb every week. Hunt appears to be startable as well, especially in PPR scoring formats. Unfortunately for Dontrell Hilliard , his role will be diminished.
Kansas City Chiefs
LeSean McCoy was a healthy scratch in Week 10, finding himself in Andy Reid’s doghouse ever since his Week 8 fumble. Damien Williams has been the Chiefs’ primary back for the past two weeks, but he did fumble the ball in Week 10. McCoy’s banishment has meant more snaps played for Darrel Williams , but he does not have any fantasy value right now. Stay tuned…
New York Giants
The Giants will be on their bye in Week 11 which is just as well for Saquon Barkley owners, because it’s obvious that he is not 100 percent healthy. Barkley defied the odds by returning to game action after missing just three games due to a high ankle sprain. However, maybe he’s human after all and came back too soon. In his first two full games of the season he averaged 113 rushing yards per game and 7.83 YPC. In the four games he’s played in since returning from his injury he’s averaged 41.3 rushing yards per game and 2.58 YPC. Barkley sustained an injury to his shoulder in Week 10, but it is not expected to keep him out of action for Week 12. While the best course of action may be for the Giants to shut him down until he’s 100 percent healthy, Barkley has insisted that he will not let that happen. What’s best for fantasy football players owning shares of the second year RB? Having him play every week, but not produce as expected due to injuries? Or, having him miss a couple of games until he’s 100 percent healthy and able to guide fantasy teams through their playoff run?