Tyrone Tracy Jr. is going to be the #1 waiver priority in many leagues this week after Cam Skattebo suffered a gruesome ankle injury that ended his season last week. While this injury will certainly increase Tracy’s workload and boost his ranking overall, I think we need to manage expectations a bit before firing him up immediately. Before the emergence of Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy was the de facto starter for the Giants and struggled to get anything going. Tracy is averaging a pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry this season and has logged an explosive run on just 4.4% of carries this season. At least his matchup with the 49ers is fertile ground for fantasy production, allowing a solid 20.0 fantasy points on the ground this season. Obviously, Tracy should move up the rankings, but I don’t think we can rule out the involvement of Devin Singletary. Factoring all that in, I’ve got Tracy listed as as my RB21. –Eric Romoff
Rico Dowdle has once again vaulted up my rankings as the Panthers gear up to face the Packers this week. After 2 weeks of proving that Chuba Hubbard didn’t lose his job to injury, despite clearly being the less-effective back, the Carolina coaching staff heavily suggested that Dowdle has played well enough to earn the starter’s workload this week. Dowdle’s 5.7 yards per carry is the third-most in the NFL this season, and he’ll put that efficiency to the test against a Green Bay team that is among the stingiest against the run this year. The tough matchup and the presumed split with Hubbard work to drag down Dowdle’s rankings, but even with those factors accounted for, he opens the week as my RB17 overall. –Eric Romoff
Zonovan “Bam” Knight is the embodiment of the “smoke ’em if you got ’em” mindset. Knight traversed a very crowded rotation in the Cardinals’ backfield following the injuries to both James Conner and Trey Benson and emerged as the clear workhorse as the Cardinals return from their bye having cut Michael Carter. This expanded workload couldn’t come in a more ideal spot as Arizona heads to Dallas to face a Cowboys team that is allowing 146 rushing yards per game this season. As per usual, this game is projected to be one of the highest-scoring on the slate, and Bam’s touchdown upside should be on full display as he leads the Cardinals in red zone carries despite only playing 3 games this season. Knight is unanimously ranked as a back-end RB2 this week, and I’ve got him as #22 at the position in this juicy matchup. –Eric Romoff