DFS advice: Week 2 start/sit

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DFS Advice: KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 28: Phillip Lindsay #30 of the Denver Broncos breaks in to the open field during the first half of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

DFS Advice: Running Backs to Sit

Kenyan Drake (MIA) vs. NE

I don’t think this will come as much of a surprise to anyone but Kenyan Drake is definitely a running back you should avoid starting this week. The Patriots just shutout a high-octane offense in Pittsburgh which features James Conner as their primary runner.

In fact, the Patriots finished Week 1 in the top-five for the least number of fantasy points allowed to running backs (7.1). During Sunday’s blowout loss to the Ravens, Drake was held to just four rushing attempts for a total of 12 yards.

The Dolphins appear to once again not be heavily using Drake in their backfield, causing concern for anyone who may have him on their rosters. I strongly advise avoiding Drake at all costs, until he can produce more reliably on a lackluster Dolphins’ offense this year.

Phillip Lindsay (DEN) vs. CHI

Hopefully, he can prove me wrong this week, but Phillip Lindsay currently sits on my “Do Not Touch” list as the Broncos welcome into town the Chicago Bears. In Week 1, Lindsay struggled mightily against an Oakland Raiders defense who surrendered the second-most rushing yards in the NFL last year (1,851).

Lastly, as I had feared, Royce Freeman has begun eating into Lindsay’s snap counts as well. In Monday’s loss to the Raiders, their margin of snap count percentages shrunk considerably from Lindsay: 42.18% Freeman:28.7% in 2018 to Lindsay 53.1% Freeman 46.9% this year.

The rumors of the Broncos getting Freeman more involved for 2019 appear to be true for now, which puts quite a damper on Lindsay’s fantasy value. I’m a big supporter of Lindsay and love cheering on the underdog, but right now it’s not worth the risk starting him. He will once again have to prove the nay-sayers wrong to get off this list.

Devonta Freeman (ATL) vs. PHI

Devonta Freeman makes this list mainly because we haven’t seen him do much since 2017. Injuries riddled practically all of 2018 causing much concern heading into 2019.

Well, the concerns continue as Freeman failed to find any kind of rhythm against the Vikings this past Sunday. He only had eight carries for 19 yards, giving him a dismal 2.4 yards/attempt. While the Eagles defense didn’t look all too stellar in Week 1 against a suspect Redskins offense, they were strong in the running game department.

Yes, we can attribute that to Washington not having a solid backfield, but it does make one wonder how can a struggling Freeman find success against any defense, let alone one that shut almost every valve in the run-game. Seek other options at running back this week rather than Freeman.

Honorable Mentions: Aaron Jones vs. MIN