Although Stevan Ridley did score a TD against one of the best rush defenses in the league on Monday, he did so in the 4th quarter after The Patriots had already solidified a victory. He also had 39 of his 72 yards on one drive in the 4th quarter. Now he plays against The San Francisco 49ers who are also one of the best at guarding against the run. The Patriots are still battling for the top spot in the AFC as well as a first round bye so they won’t be sitting Ridley just yet, but they might lessen his load a bit so if you’re looking for Ridley to extend his streak of 6 straight games with a TD, I wouldn’t bet on it.
Frank Gore owners are also in a bit of a difficult spot. The Patriots are capable of being beat by the run, but if they play like they did on Monday night, Gore may not have many opportunities to beat them. He only received the ball 12 times last week against Miami, in part thanks to Colin Kaepernick’s own legs and that was in a game San Francisco was mostly ahead. Gore has scored in each of his past 2 games, but this matchup spells trouble. Gore’s value is in whether he scores this week since the yardage will likely be limited. He’s still a mid-grade RB2, but if you have a lot of options at RB, you should drop your expectations for Gore a bit.
Michael Turner owners who rolled the dice for his game in Carolina were rewarded with a TD, but not much else. Yes, he has scored in each of the last four weeks, but against The Giants, that streak will likely come to an end. If The Giants are going to lose to The Falcons, it’s going to be because of Matt Ryan and his plethora of talent to throw to. Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers are sharing limited duties on the field and although Turner may have gotten a few people into the fantasy playoffs, he’s not going to keep you there. Turner is a flex play at best this week.
Lastly on the bad side, Vick Ballard may finally meet his match in Houston this week. With Donald Brown done for the season, many Ballard owners rejoiced, but in a must win game for most teams, Ballard is a low end flex play at best. With 104 all-purpose yards and no touchdowns against one of the worst teams in the league and Delone Carter stealing the goal-line carries, Ballard’s value against one of the best defenses in the league is drastically limited.
There are a ton of great matchups for RBs this week, however. Adrian Peterson against The Rams, Doug Martin against The Saints, Arian Foster against The Colts, Marshawn Lynch against The Bills, Jamaal Charles against The Raiders, Alfred Morris against The Browns, the list goes on.
Darren McFadden should finally be back to normal against a weak Chiefs defense this week and is likely for 100+ yards with a score. Even Reggie Bush, who has consistently been disappointing for fantasy owners should see solid numbers when Jacksonville comes to town.
For those looking at the waiver wire, Joique Bell and David Wilson both have serious upside this week with question marks surrounding Mikel Leshoure and Ahmad Bradshaw. Keep an eye on things with both The Lions and Giants this week, but they both have nice matchups for RBs if they start.
