By: Zach Kurt

Many people are in Panic mode 2 weeks into the season and I am going to address 3 Rbs drafted as top 12 RBs in most dynasty startups this year. The three backs I am going to highlight are Saquon Barkley, Clyde Edwards-Helaire (CEH), Antiono Gibson (Gibby). These are some high-profile guys who have had a less than stellar start to the 2021 season. As a dynasty owner, what are you supposed to do with these assets? I will tell you!

Saquon Barkley (RB-NYG) BUY!!

This one is the easiest decision of the three for me and it’s not particularly close. Saquon is the best running back in the NFL when healthy. He is a great pure runner of the ball and a pass-catching savant. He can turn any play into a TD and you don’t get that ability from many RB’s in the NFL (CMC, Henry, Dalvin, Saquon). He has been on a slow start this season. The man is coming off an ACL tear.

Let’s get some perspective here. Jamaal Charles tore his ACL in 2011 and in 2012 his first 2 games totaled 25 touches. Saquon in his first 2 games tallied 26 touches. It is okay to start slow as a skill player coming off this injury. If people are worried about him you absolutely should buy him he is the best running back in the NFL when healthy and he is a few weeks from being there. Buy! Buy! Buy!

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB-KCC) Hold

CEH was heavily hyped a lot this offseason with the upgrades to the Chiefs O-line. Through two games in pass-heavy game scripts, CEH has been involved but not what you want for the workhorse back we were expecting him to be. It has been ugly for CEH thus far and despite the game scripts not being in his favor, he hasn’t impressed on any front. I believe that his trade value has taken a gigantic hit in the last two weeks that it is not smart to trade him right now. I have a few shares of CEH and have sent some offers out and the return I have been looking at is Chase Edmonds and Myles Gaskin. He is absolutely not worth selling for that. Wait for him to get a great majority of touches in a positive game script and his price will rocket back up because he is on the Cheifs.

Antonio Gibson (RB-WFT) SELL

Over this offseason, Antonio Gibson may have been the most hyped player in the fantasy community. People have been calling him CMC 2.0, Believing he would get a similar role to CMC. I had a lot of red flags when it came to this claim with Gibby and through a two-week sample, they seem to be coming true. J.D. McKissic was still there and was going to be the 3rd down back, Gibson was in for touchdown regression, and the more touches he saw his efficiency started to drop. All of those things have been happening two weeks in and I am a firm believer that they continue to happen. If you can sell Gibby for Saquon, Chubb, or David Montgomery I would sell Gibson for any of those guys very quickly. 

These first two weeks of NFL action have been peculiar but I believe that some of the evidence we have seen on the field is telling. None of what I have laid out here is a guarantee however sometimes it pays to buy low and sell high. Like I always say, send trade offers because Dynasty Never Rests.

The post Buy, Hold, Sell: Elite RB edition appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot had a career-low single-season performance in the 2020 season. Elliot muscled out a career-low rushing yards per game (65.3), career-low rushing yards per attempt (4.0), and a personal career-low single season rushing touchdown mark (6). It’s safe to say that Zeke’s signature “feed me” gesture wasn’t regularly used. 

Zeke will have his sights set on a stronger rushing effort next season and hope to successfully prove his six-year – 90 million contract extension signed in 2019 was worth it. Zeke should prove to be a reliable, talented RB for his Cowboys offense led by the healthy Dak Prescott at QB. However, there is a question worth pondering: will we see the 2019 Zeke (1,378 rushing yards) or a RB closer to the 2020 version? Is Zeke truly going to show he’s a Top 5 back again? 

With that being said, I’m going to outline the Top 10 RBs heading into next season and where I believe Zeke stands amid the NFL’s top RBs. 

1. Derrick Henry 

The clear top RB in the league is 2020 Offensive Player of The Year Derrick Henry. Henry joined fellow Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson as the second Titans ball carrier to have a 2,000 yard rushing season. Henry was just recently named as ESPN’s top RB in the league. The 6’4 240 RB will not see even see fewer defenders in the box with Julio Jones at the wideout position.

2. Christian McCaffrey

The second-best RB in the league belongs to one of the few RBs ever to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. CMAC will be healthy and seeking vengeance with his new QB in 2021.

3. Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is one of the most electric RBs to play the game in the last decade. Cook has battled nagging injuries, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most productive RBs in the NFL. Cook is coming off a very impressive (1557 yds, 16 TDs), despite missing two games. 

4. Alvin Kamara

Cook and Alvin Kamara are both coming off fantastic seasons and appear to be at the utmost prime of their careers. Kamara proved his contract right with 1,688 total yards and 21 total touchdowns last season. AK was even named ESPN’s second top RB in the league. 

5. Saquon Barkley

ESPN had Saquon Barkley pinned as the No. one RB headed into the 2020 season, but Barkley suffered a devastating leg injury in just Week 2. Barkley fell to number sixth on ESPN’s top ten RB list heading into the 2021 season, but I believe his talent at this stage in his career is enough to keep him labeled as a top 5 back. 

6. Nick Chubb

It doesn’t matter who Nick Chubb has next to him in the Browns backfield, he will be a very efficient RB at all times. Chubb averaged a whopping 5.6 YPC, unleashed 1,067 yards, and cranked out 12 touchdowns in 12 games last season. Chubb’s rushing success over the past few seasons is why an NFL exec boldly stated that he is the best pure runner in the league. 

7. Josh Jacobs

I believe that Josh Jacobs is right in the prime of his career. He’s consistently hard to bring down and he doesn’t slow down when defenses adjust to make him the priority. Jacobs may not be on a sexy team, nor coveted by a season of All Pro honors, but he’s shown to be an elite, reliable talent. Jacobs is 23 years old and he’s due to unveil a career season in 2021 or 2022. 

8. Ezekiel Elliot 

The Cowboys RB is surely a Top 10 RB headed into the 2021 season. ESPN puts Zeke at number seven, but I don’t believe he’s the same player he was and he’s capable of returning to a 1,300+ rushing yard season. The RB with 979 rushing yards last season should be around a 1,100 yard back moving forward, but I believe his prime is behind him and Dak’s return would justify him over the names mentioned above him. 

9. Joe Mixon 

I like Joe Mixon’s pure RB ability and his outlook moving forward. Mixon should capitalize off the improved Joe Burrow in the offense. I believe the RB that missed 10 games last season but unleashed 1,100+ yards in each of the previous two seasons, should be placed in the Top 10. 

10.  Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor and Aaron Jones are tight for this spot, but the Colts RB with 1,169 rushing yards, 5 YPC, and 11 rushing touchdowns deserves to grab a spot. Aaron Jones is a talented all-around back, but It’s very possible that the strong Colts RB ousts a 1,300 yard+ season in 2021.

The post Is Zeke still a Top 10 RB in the NFL? ranking the Top 10 RBs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Zach Owen

Before jumping into the players, I want to address a pretty big change for the upcoming season. The 2021 NFL season will have 17 games this year. One game might not sound like much but it will impact all kinds of statistics this year. The obvious takeaway is that more games means more yards, passes, receptions, touchdowns, etc. for everyone. Don’t get too excited though; it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Football is a tough sport and most teams aren’t going to run their big money players into the ground, especially if they are playoff hopefuls. Expect some amount of snap management from coaches, especially for RBs. More NFL teams are already starting to move towards a RBBC setup anyways. Now with an extra game, I only expect that type of usage to go up. You can also expect some more injuries with an extra game. That could happen to anyone at any time though so trying to predict them will be very difficult. With those notes, let’s look at some players.

Javonte Williams

Bottom line up front, I expect all rookies to get used more often this year due to the extra game. They are younger, fresher, and generally have had less injuries than the vets. So, despite joining Melvin Gordon, a strong veteran RB, Javonte Williams is in a position to break the 1,000 yard mark this year. They will definitely start off in a timeshare but I expect the ball will get spread out enough for him to get there. I am also a pretty big fan of Williams in general and expect him to take over a majority of the snaps as the season goes on. This isn’t so much a knock on Gordon as it is praise for Williams. Gordon performed well last year, coming in at 986 rushing yards while missing a game. The return of Courtland Sutton should also open up the Denver offense which helps. So the opportunity is there for the Denver RBs to get a lot of yards in.

Mike Davis

On the other end of the age spectrum is Mike Davis. In games where he started last year when Christian McCaffrey was injured, Davis averaged 53 yards per game. Now that is short of what he would need this year to break the 1,000 yard mark (59 is the number to get) but he’s on a team to do it. First, the Falcons have one of the most dangerous passing games in the league. Matt Ryan is still a great QB and his receiving weapons are insane with Julio, Ridley, Pitts, Gage, and Hurst. Teams are going to have to defend the pass or get torched. That leaves the running game wide open for Mike Davis to pump out some extra yards each game. The Falcons new head coach Arthur Smith, previous OC of the Titans, also knows how to use a RB. Derrick Henry ran for 2,000 yards last year under Smith. While Davis is obviously not Henry, Smith will take advantage of Davis’ skills. Davis will get a lot of receiving work in, which he excelled at last year, but he’ll be a solid threat on the ground as well.

Chris Carson

Chris Carson is another veteran that I could see taking advantage of a hopeful situation. Not counting the game he got injured, Carson averaged 58 yards per game last year. This was right on the cusp of where he would need to be this year to break the 1,000 mark. He’s another RB in a strong passing game offense with Wilson, Metcalf, Lockett, and the newly added Eskridge and Everett. Also, Pete Carroll (their head coach) said he wants to run the ball more which is good news for Carson. Now the return of Rashaad Penny could be good news or bad news for Carson but I see it as a positive. Penny has dealt with injuries for most of his career. So despite his abilities, I don’t expect him to take the reins away from Carson. Carson got paid $10M over the next two years which to me is not backup money. So Penny, if he plays, should actually help Carson out to help keep them both fresh and hopefully injury free.

The post 3 Surprise 1,000 Yard RBs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.