We lost of really good men out there. So many good men.
But here we are in Week 3. Somehow, we have to put the pieces back together. As an owner of Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson, I’m hurting so the RB help on the wire is welcome. Here are my top targets.
- Ahmad Bradshaw
- Knile Davis
- Khiry Robinson
- Bobby Rainey
- Stevan Ridley
- Matt Asiata
- Donald Brown
- Isaiah Crowell
Bradshaw looked explosive and far and away the best option in the running game for the Colts, but we all know that. He’s worthy of the top pick if you don’t need immediate help because his value could continue to grow this season. Don’t be afraid to go big with a 40% bid here if you need the RB help.
If Tiny Darren somehow isn’t owned in your league, make him the first off the board.
Knile Davis gets to play in Jamaal Charles’ absence, but it’s not clear exactly how long that will be. We can at least expect him to be a borderline RB1 this week with Charles out, which is worthy of the price.
Khiry Robinson will take over lead duties as the true running back of the Saints offense with Mark Ingram out at least a month. I secretly like him a little more than Davis the way the Saints have been running the ball, but the situation is sure to get murky when Ingram returns. We also can’t say for sure yet if the effectiveness in the run game was Ingram’s new-found explosion or the fact that defenses are more concerned about stopping Drew Brees. We’ll find out in Week 3.
Bobby Rainey might not start, but he’ll still get plenty of work with Doug Martin back on the field. Coaches don’t forget the kind of “shot in the arm” he has provided when in the game for the Bucs.
Stevan Ridley lands here, just in case he’s available in your league. He was dropped in one of mine last week. Some might argue with ranking him so low among this group, but this spot is more about distrust of the Patriots running game than it is Ridley’s true value when productive. He has a dream matchup this week against the Raiders if the Patriots continue to ride him.
As little enthusiasm as Matt Asiata generates, he did get a score in his first appearance as the lead back in Minnesota, and he will get a chance to show us what he can do while Adrian Peterson is away from the Vikings. Jerick McKinnon is currently stuck behind Asiata, but I’d be more excited to see him get his shot.
Donald Brown will pick up a role in the Chargers offense while Ryan Mathews recovers from his latest injury. Week 3 will show us what Brown can do for us, but I am still a little concerned Danny Woodhead could steal more of the spotlight than most expect.
Crowell was mentioned last week, and even with West playing well, I’m still going to sit on him in hopes his talent shines while Ben Tate recovers.
More help available from FantasyPros, ESPN, Rotoworld, and SBNation’s Keepers.
