Getty Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay
We all heard the whispers out of the Denver Broncos camp this offseason. The chatter was that the new Broncos coaching staff had taken a keen liking towards a second-year running back. However, that second-year back wasn’t rookie pro-bowler Phillip Lindsay. No, instead it was Lindsay’s backup from a season ago Royce Freeman being berated with love this offseason.
Still, we figured come game time, Lindsay would once again assert himself as the team’s go-to option at running back. However, week one did nothing but spew question marks on the Broncos backfield moving forward.
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Phillip Lindsay Fantasy Outlook: Matchup vs. Bears
Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay struggled in his 2019 season debut
There is very little to like about Phillip Lindsay in fantasy football this week. Lindsay and his 10.6 fantasy points from last week will be welcoming the Chicago Bears to town, a matchup no running back would wish on their worst enemy.
Chicago allowed the fewest points to opposing running backs a season ago, with just 12 points per game. Not good news for Lindsay considering his struggles vs. the Oakland Raiders in week one. The Raiders forfeited the seventh-most fantasy points to backs last year.
Chicago’s defense seems to have picked up right where they left off in 2018. The Bears D held all Packers running backs to a combined PPR total of just 8.4 fantasy points in week one.
Lindsay’s likelihood of finding the endzone this coming week is extremely bleak. The Bears allowed just four rushing touchdowns in 2018 and blanketed Packers running backs to kick-off 2019.
If the matchup isn’t bad enough, it’s fair to question whether or not Lindsay will be the lead dog in the backfield for Denver moving forward. Lindsay played just four more snaps than his running counterpart Freeman a week ago.
Royce Freeman was drafted to be the Broncos lead back of the future. Last season, Lindsay came out of nowhere to unseat the Oregon product atop Denver’s depth chart. However, it seems like Freeman may end up doing the same exact thing to Lindsay this time around.
Should You Start or Sit Phillip Lindsay in Week 2?
Lindsay received just four more touches than his “backup” Freeman in Monday’s loss to Oakland. The backfield in Denver has the makings of a full-blown committee, and it may very well be leaning heavier on Freeman as the season goes on.
It’s hard enough to have faith in a stud running back when he’s going into a matchup with the new Monsters of the Midway, let alone a running back who’s fantasy stock is plummeting as we speak.
Lindsay will not see the touches, nor the running room to warrant a start in week two. Lindsay is a sit, and should only be inserted into lineups as a last resort.
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