This week Leonard Fournette has a dream matchup against the 49ers who have given up the 3rd most fantasy points to running backs on the season. However, he does have a lingering quad issue which makes playing him a risky DFS proposition. I feel like you almost need to play him in season long unless you have two other studs on your team, such as a Kareem Hunt and Todd Gurley duo. If Fournette is active and you play him, you need to hope he takes care of business early, as it’s possible the Jaguars blow out the 49ers and decide to rest him. On the flip side, if Fournette is inactive for the game, Chris Ivory is almost a surefire RB1 on the week, and you need to get him into your lineup. All that being said, I am likely going to fade Fournette out of all of my DFS lineups this week, it’s just not worth the risk, especially with other options out there which carry less risk.

Dion Lewis vs Buffalo Bills – $6,700 Fanduel – $6,000 DK – The Buffalo Bills have been giving up 4.2 yards per carry and 122 yards per game on the ground. The key here is that Rex Burkhead is out for the week, meaning Dion Lewis is almost a lock for 20 touches. Dion Lewis went from a fringe flex play to a borderline RB1 in the matter of 1 week.

Ezekiel Elliott vs Seattle Seahawks – $8,300 Fanduel – $8,000 DK – Zeke Elliott is a stud, plain and simple. However, deciding whether to play him this week in DFS and season long can be a serious question for some, especially if you’re concerned the Cowboys will ease him back in. Look, the Cowboys need to win this game and Zeke is a transcendent talent at his position. Do you honestly think that the Cowboys are going to ease their bellcow back into the mix? Not a chance. Reports from Twitter are that Zeke is in great shape, losing a little of his baby fat, and when you think about it, he’s going to be fresh, facing a Seahawks defense that’s extremely banged up and fresh off a game where they got shredded by Todd Gurley. Get Zeke into your lineups, pay up in DFS and do what you need to do to get him in your season long lineups. Unless you have Le’Veon Bell, Zeke Elliott, Todd Gurley and Alvin Kamara on your roster, you’re getting him in there.

Jordan Howard vs Cleveland Browns – $7,100 Fanduel – $6,600 DK – The Browns haven’t been getting absolutely gashed on the ground lately, but their league leading yards per carry allowed has gone up from 3.1 to 3.3 over the last few weeks. Although the yards per carry isn’t high, teams have been running the ball 29.1 times a game against them. Jordan Howard has disappeared in games that get out of hand from the Bears early, but that shouldn’t be the case this week. The Bears defense has been solid and Kizer shouldn’t be able to slay them up and down the field so the game should remain close throughout on Sunday, meaning Howard should get his usual 20 carries with a decent shot to score.

Jonathan Stewart vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $5,900 Fanduel – $3,700 DK – The Bucs defense is absolutely gross right now, allowing 4.4 yards per carry, 119.5 yards per game and 14 rushing touchdowns on the year. Christian McCaffrey should get it done this week in the passing game, but this matchup smells like a Jonathan Stewart touchdown vulture game, it just makes sense.

“Big Rigg” DK Running Back Special – Duke Johnson @ Chicago Bears – $4,500 DK – The Bears have been giving up 4.0 yards per carry on the year which is around the middle of the pack, but this game should be tight. When the game is on the line and all the chips are down, the Browns will need to rely on their pass catching back, Duke Johnson. If the Bears defense really clamps down on the Browns running game and make Kizer beat them, which they are capable of doing as evidenced by the Bengals game week 14, the Browns may need to abort the mission with Crowell and go with their pass catching back.

I was tempted to recommend Marvin Jones as a must play option this week, but then I remembered the Bengals are out of it and aren’t playing at a high level at this time. That being said, there’s a good chance the Lions defense does work in this one, meaning Marvin Jones and Golden Tate won’t be asked to put up big numbers. If I was confident the Bengals would keep it close, I would roll with Marvin Jones all day long, but I simply don’t see that happening.

JuJu Smith-Schuster @ Houston Texans – $7,000 Fanduel – $6,400 DK – Kareem Jackson is having a Pro Bowl caliber year (sarcasm) and figures to match up on JuJu Smith-Schuster a lot on Sunday. Smith-Schuster shouldn’t have any issues getting open against that brutal Texans secondary and should see a huge increase in target share with Antonio Brown out due to a torn calf. This is a no brainer, get JuJu in your lineup. PSA – it pained me to put this into words because I really dislike him for taunting Vontaze Burfict after a BS crack back block. I would like to see JuJu hit Vontaze when he’s facing him.

Adam Thielen @ Green Bay Packers – $8,100 Fanduel – $8,100 DK – The Packers defense is absolutely decimated by injury and has been giving up major fantasy points to opposing wide receivers all year. The Vikings have something to play for as they are shooting for the #1 seed in the NFC, so they should come out firing in this one. With Brett Hundley back under center for the Packers, this game is less likely to shoot out, but the Packers should still be able to move the ball down the field with the run game and keep the game competitive through at least the 3rd quarter as these division matchups are always tough.

DeVante Parker @ Kansas City Chiefs – $5,700 Fanduel – $4,200 DK I really like Jarvis Landry to come through this week as a safe option. However, just as we are getting to crunch time, DeVante Parker is starting to actually show some relevance in the Dolphins offense. After coming through with 6 grabs for 89 yards against the Bills last week, Parker is set to face Darrelle Revis (who is a shell of his former self) in the fantasy championship round. DeVante Parker is long on talent and athletic ability which poses a major problem for Revis who is a liability in coverage. I don’t know why the Chiefs bothered signing him…maybe Marcus Peters needed a mentor.

Sammy Watkins @ Tennessee Titans – $6,200 Fanduel – $4,400 DK – This week against the Titans, Robert Woods should draw Adoree Jackson, Cooper Kupp should draw Logan Ryan and LeShaun Sims is likely to line up on Sammy Watkins. It’s clear that Robert Woods is Jared Goff’s favorite target in the passing game, but the fact is that Sean McVay’s offense is designed to distribute the ball to the player with the best matchup and it won’t simply force feed its best player with targets. Watkins is a risky play on a week to week basis, but this is setting up for a big Sammy Watkins game. Logan Ryan and Adoree Jackson have been solid this year, and the Rams may look to avoid them. Gurley has been the focal point of the Rams offense this year, but the Titans have only been giving up 3.5 yards per carry, meaning the Rams may need to get it done through the air rather than the ground this week.

“Big Rigg” DK Wide Receiver Special – Jarvis Landry @ Kansas City Chiefs – $6,300 DK – Steven Nelson has been getting absolutely slayed this year and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue this week facing one of the league’s best slot receivers, Jarvis Landry. No in-depth analysis required, don’t overthink this one, get Landry in your lineup.

Follow me on Twitter @Coachriggall

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