6) Javonte Williams vs. Las Vegas
Williams hit a bit of a speed bump the week before their bye against the Cardinals, with the Cowboys falling behind in the first half and playing catch-up the rest of the game. Williams had just 15 carries but gained a respectable 83 yards. The day was marred by the lack of a touchdown and a lost fumble, but he and his teammates took a week off to recover, and they’ve added a couple of defensive players who might help get Javonte and Dak back on the field more often. I expect a big bounce-back this week in a game the Cowboys should win on Monday night with the world watching. All of those 40+ year old guys sitting at home in their Cowboys pajamas won’t be disappointed again, will they? I think the answer is no—they’ll be fine. The Cowboys usually do really well in games against weaker opponents in prime time. I mean, they can’t lose in this same situation two games in a row, can they?
7) Rico Dowdle vs. Atlanta
He is finally the main guy now in Carolina, and this team doesn’t stink—at least not all the time. Dowdle has finally shown the coaches that he deserves the “bell-cow role,” which only happened three games after he posted back-to-back 200-yard games. We just need to keep an eye on the injury reports because he’s dealing with a sore quad, but he should be ready to go this weekend in Atlanta. He’ll be heavily relied on to beat this Falcons defense, which ranks 29th in the league against the run but is number 1 against the pass. If anyone in your league dropped Chuba Hubbard, grab him as a handcuff because Dowdle might very well be your number 1 back for the rest of the season.
8) Quinshon Judkins vs. Baltimore
The Browns’ defense is very good. They have an elite defense and Judkins, and that’s about it. If they want any chance to stay in this game with the Ravens, they should put Judkins in the wildcat formation and run him every single play against Baltimore’s slow front seven. He’s going to get a ton of touches, and if Cleveland scores a touchdown, it will most likely be this rookie running back out of Ohio State. The game might get out of hand in the second half, but I think you can count on Judkins getting 25 touches and 100 total yards. He’ll need that score to make the top 10, and I believe he has a better than 50/50 chance of doing it.
