Getty Frank Gore of the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are returning from a bye this week to face off against a downright bad Miami Dolphins team. Also returning to the playing field will be running back Devin Singletary in the Bills backfield. The rookie out of FAU has not seen the field since Week 2 after injuring his hamstring.
Does the return of Singletary to Buffalo’s lineup sour a mouth-watering matchup for Frank Gore and his fantasy football owners this week? Or, has Gore already locked down his role as the majority shareholder in the Bills backfield? Let’s discuss.
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Frank Gore’s Fantasy Outlook vs. Miami Dolphins
While many fantasy owners were clamoring over the prospect of drafting Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary to their teams this offseason, Frank Gore was mostly a forgotten man. However, the creature of consistency went on his jolly way, kept his head down, and has done what he’s done for the past 15 years, stake claim to lead-back duties and produce.
Over the Bills past four games, three of which Singletary missed with injury, Gore averaged 16 rushing attempts with a nearly 5.0 yards per carry average. Over the timespan of Singletary’s absence, Bills running backs not named Frank Gore totaled just 10 carries.
Gore’s numbers have to undoubtedly decrease with the return of Singletary right? Well, not so fast. Despite his brilliant showings early on in the season, Singletary was sparingly used in favor of the veteran Gore. The rookie averaged an insane 12.7 rushing yards per carry over the first two weeks of the season, but he touched the ball in the ground game just five times on average over that time. In games that Singletary was active this season, Gore dominated in terms of touches, 32 to 15.
So with Gore’s role seemingly set in stone, at least for the near future, what does his fantasy outlook look like heading into a Week 7 matchup with the Miami Dolphins? Well, as you may have guessed, the Dolphins have struggled mightily defending the running back position this season.
The Dolphins currently allow the most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs in 2019, with a whopping 32.26 points per game average and nine total touchdowns to the position group. Starting running backs have averaged a healthy 18+ points against the ‘Phins. Even better for Gore’s prospects, opposing offenses have leaned heavily on the run game when facing off with Miami this season. The oppositions’ starting running back averaged 19 carries per game against the Dolphins this year.
Should You Start or Sit Frank Gore in Week 7?
Devin Singletary’s presence is certainly cause for concern, but one that I believe is more pressing later on down the road. Frank Gore owns the lead back role in the Buffalo backfield, and with a 5.36 ypc average over his past three games, there’s no reason to displace him from those duties.
A born and raised Miami native, Gore may have a little more motivation to prove to his former team that letting him walk this offseason was a mistake.
Frank Gore is a rock-solid RB2 on Sunday vs. the spiraling Dolphins.
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