RB Rankings
- Why am I ranking James Robinson as the RB9 this week? Robinson has out-snapped Carlos Hyde 71% to 24% on the season, and with Hyde scratched due to injury last week Robinson saw a robust 95% of the Jaguars running back snaps. That gives Robinson the sixth-highest snap share on the season among running backs, and this Jaguars offense seemed to be figuring out their running game in Cincinnati last Thursday night before the wheels fell off in the second half. Robinson is the RB11 on the season even on this miserable Jaguars team, and he’s racked up 21 and 19 touches over the past two weeks after struggling out of the gate. Urban Meyer may be a joke of a head coach right now, but even Meyer seems to have realized that Robinson is their best option on the ground. Facing a Titans team that just lost to the Jets last week, Robinson is a clear start in Week 5.
- I’m ranking the Panthers backfield as if Christian McCaffrey isn’t playing, because duh, start CMC if he plays. So the real question is what to do with Chuba Hubbard if McCaffrey sits again with his hamstring injury. Hubbard flashed big time to start the game last week, ripping off 10+ yard runs until the more talented Cowboys team swallowed up the game script and forced the Panthers to lean on the passing game. Hubbard lead the backfield with just 47% of the snaps, a disappointing number, but that was with Rodney Smith playing 37% and soaking up a 12.8% target share. I wouldn’t expect Smith to see the field as often in what should be a more even matchup against the Eagles, a game where Carolina is favored by more than a field goal. Start Hubbard with confidence if McCaffrey sits again — he may not have the passing game role that Mike Davis did last year, but he should be more explosive on the ground in games where Carolina is favored.
- I professed my love for Samaje Perine on the Sit/Start podcast this week, and maybe I should temper expectations a bit after the coaching staff said that this will be a committee if Joe Mixon is out. I’m skeptical how much the rookie Chris Evans will be involved, however. Perine had worked himself into the third-down role, which was especially noticeable last week as the Bengals were trailing in the second half. Perine played on 27% of the snaps while Evans played just 2 snaps total, and Perine has out-snapped Evans 44 to 9 on the season. Perine is likely the better pass blocker as well as the better between the tackles runner, and while Evans will see the field and potentially have some passing plays drawn up for him, I’d be surprised if Perine doesn’t see around 70% of the snaps. In what could be another come-from-behind shootout against the Packers, I like Perine to have a solid week, and he is my RB23 if Mixon sits.
- Be careful trusting J.D. McKissic based on his gamelog alone. His five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown last week were bailed out by a fluky 30-yard touchdown in the final moments. And even McKissic’s big Week 2 performance was spiked by a 56-yard reception and a rare rushing touchdown (McKissic has rushed for 3 TDs in his 6-year career). And in the other two weeks, we’ve seen McKissic’s floor, posting 0.8 PPR points in Week 1 and 5.8 in Week 3. He’s a fine desperation flex, but don’t start him over the more talented players in the league.
- Chris Carson has been ruled out for Thursday Night Football. Alex Collins is a touchdown-dependent RB2.
Green=Strong Starter, Yellow=Solid Starter, Red=Look for Better Options
Week 5 RB Rankings