Last week’s slate was unique, with so many great running back plays to choose from. Most teams played three running backs, even in large-field contests. In small-field tournaments, almost every team played both D’Ernest Johnson and Mark Ingram. Just having the Josh Allen–Stefon Diggs stack in that environment was enough to get you close to the top of the leaderboard.
This week looks like another slate in which late-breaking news will determine many lineup decisions. It’s all about the running back news again this week. Elijah Mitchell ($5800) did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. If he sits, that would open up things for Jeff Wilson Jr. ($5100) to have a massive workload.
Alvin Kamara ($8100) looked like he could be trending toward a return with a limited practice on Wednesday but then was downgraded to DNP on Thursday. If Kamara can’t go, that makes Mark Ingram ($5400) a must play again.
Finally, we need to know if Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($5200) is returning this weekend. If he is out, Darrel Williams ($5400) becomes a massive value.
All these plays, plus A.J. Dillon ($6200), would be among the best plays on the slate if they open up.
As always in this space, I will recommend the stacks I like the best and what constructions make the most sense. I put most of my money each week into very small field tournaments (500 people or fewer). I prefer these types of contests because it is not necessary to get all parts of the lineup right. In these small fields, you may only need to get one or two things right to give yourself a chance to get to the top.