Getty Gallery: 5/7
Start: RB Chris Carson vs. Raiders
Sit: RB Kenyan Drake vs. Bears
For the second straight week, Carson rushed for more than 100 yards. Carson did not score a touchdown to really make his fantasy outing a massive success, but he is getting the carries to make him an RB2 with upside going forward. He has one of the best matchups in Week 6 of any running back as the Seahawks square off with the Raiders.
Oakland is giving up the fifth-most rushing yards in the league, allowing 127 yards per game. Carson is poised for his third straight 100-yard game. Carson carried the ball 51 times over the last two weeks. Despite the Seahawks losing to the Rams, head coach Pete Carroll sounds optimistic about the run game.
“We ran the football like we wanted to,” Carroll said per Seahawks.com. “We controlled the field like we needed to; third downs were terrific. We took care of the ball, ran it for a bunch, really gave us a chance to be in the game against a team that has a loaded offense on the other side.
Carson noted he is starting to find his groove this season.
“We’ve never believed that this team couldn’t run the ball,” Carson told the Seattle Times. “So all the time we always thought that, given the chance, we could make something happen. So we’re starting to show people that.”
Carson has an opportunity to be an RB1 this week if he can find the end zone. The Seahawks have made it clear they want to run the football, and Carson is the head of the committee.
Fade Kenyon Drake With the Bears Defense Coming to Town
Drake owners finally saw signs of life against the Bengals thanks mostly to his involvement in the passing game. Now, I am telling you to leave him on your bench. The two main reasons are the matchup combined with his inconsistency this season.
The Bears have the best rushing defense in the league, allowing just 64 yards per game. Drake has not rushed for more than 60 yards this season. His fantasy relevance depends on how much he is used in the passing game. Drake rushed for just three yards in two of his five games so far this season. Heading into the Dolphins matchup with the Bengals, head coach Adam Gase remained non-committal to Drake.
“I mean we’re four games in,” Gase explained to USA Today. “Let’s not everybody get all riled up about the first four games of the season. We’ve got a long ways to go. If we get our play count up, I think things will get a lot better as far as dividing the touches up and guys having more opportunities to make some plays. Really, the run game, it’s all about efficient runs. We’ve just got to do a good job of making sure we stay ahead of the sticks. We keep putting ourselves in bad situations with being third-and-7-plus. We need to live in third-and-5 or less. And we can do that by getting positive plays, whether it’s in the passing game or in the run game."
Last week, Drake ended up with the most carries he has had this season with 14, but did not do a lot with the opportunity. Most of his fantasy production came in the passing game. Sit Drake as the Dolphins face a difficult Bears defense.