3) Derrick Henry vs. Bengals
He doesn’t really deserve to be this high based on his fantasy point totals from the last 2 weeks, but I think this is an opportunity for John Harbaugh to correct a major error from two weeks ago. The last time the Ravens and Bengals met, Henry had just 60 rushing yards on 10 carries in a game that the Ravens ended up losing. How can you not feed your big back when he’s averaging 6 yards per carry against the league’s worst run defense? He’s going to get more than 10 carries this week, and he’s going to score a touchdown.
4) Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Jets
Etienne had us a bit worried after seeing his touches reduced for a second straight week back in Week 13 against the Titans. As it turned out, the Jaguars just didn’t need their top back to handle Tennessee, and he bounced back last week against the Colts with 20 carries and two rushing scores to finish as the overall RB4 for the week. There is some risk that a similar situation awaits them this week against a weak Jets run defense, but it feels like Jacksonville is trying to set the tone in these last four games to establish what kind of team they will be come playoff time. They are a defense-first team that is going to try to establish the run each week, and this is a great matchup to prove that.
5) Saquon Barkley vs. Raiders
As bad as Jalen Hurts was on Monday night, Saquon had one of his best games of the season. He should be able to follow up on that 122-yard and a score rushing game with an even better game against a Raiders team that is ranked #22 in the league against the running back position in fantasy. Fire him up and expect at least 100 yards and a score.
