Getty Denver Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay
There was big news in the late-night info drop ahead of Week 9 of the NFL season for some fantasy football owners. While Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay has begun to emerge as a legitimately solid option in almost all leagues, his stock saw a boost last week due to Royce Freeman being out. And as ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed, it seems Freeman will again remain sidelined when the team faces the Houston Texans Sunday.
Broncos’ RB Royce Freeman, listed as questionable due to an ankle injury, is not expected to play Sunday vs. Texans, per source.
While Lindsay won’t carry the full workload himself, as Devontae Booker will also be fairly busy, he should be the primary option on early downs. Although it is good news for fantasy owners of the Broncos rookie running back, the matchup with the Texans is no walk in the park.
In turn, I’m going to take a deeper dive into the numbers and situation for Lindsay to break down the fantasy start-sit debate this week. On the surface, the answer seems easy enough, but obviously, it’s often that there can be more to a situation than first meets the eye.
Should You Start or Sit Phillip Lindsay?
With Freeman out last week, Lindsay saw the most single-game work of his young NFL career against the Kansas City Chiefs. He received 21 touches, totaling 112 yards and one touchdown. The 24-year-old also averaged 5.3 yards per carry and bumped his rushing total for the season to 531 yards on 93 carries.
What stands out about his workload and production is the fact that he only out-snapped Booker 41-32 in this game, as Football Outsiders shows. Lindsay still producing at that level even with only 56 percent of the snaps is a great sign. He could also wind up seeing slightly more if the Broncos can grab a lead against the Texans.
Although the Texans have allowed just 640 rushing yards on 182 carries with two touchdowns, I still like the workload and upside of Lindsay. He doesn’t catch as many passes as Booker but does still see some work through the air which is where Houston has struggled a bit more. They’ve allowed five receiving touchdowns to opposing backs so Lindsay could have some production there as well.
The Broncos starting running back is in play this week in all formats for 12-team leagues or above and due to the large number of byes he’s worth considering in 10-team leagues also.
READ NEXT: DraftKings Week 9 Fantasy: Top Picks & Optimal Lineups