2021 Super Wild-Card Weekend Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Running Backs - Fantasy Football Sleepers, Fades, Matchups, DFS Bargains

Start 'em and sit 'em running backs for super wild-card weekend from senior fantasy football expert Michael Fabiano.

Super Wild-Card Weekend Start ‘Em: Running Backs

David Montgomery at Saints (Sun. 4:40 p.m. ET, CBS): Montgomery finished the regular season on an absolute tear, scoring 20+ fantasy points in each of his last six games. This week he faces the Saints, and the Bears will want to keep that offense off the field. The way to do that is to feed your lead runner, in this case, Montgomery. New Orleans has also allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to enemy running backs since Week 14, so it’s not been as formidable.

J.K. Dobbins at Titans (Sun. 1:05 p.m. ET, ESPN): Dobbins, a huge fantasy breakout player looking ahead to next season, is coming off a monster performance in the Ravens’ regular-season finale. Not only did he score 28 points, but he also played 32 snaps and averaged a bananas 2.2 fantasy points per touch. He’s in a good spot to find success against the Titans, who have allowed 20 total touchdowns and the seventh-most fantasy points to runners.

DFS Bargains

  • J.K. Dobbins at Titans (DraftKings: $6,600)
  • Antonio Gibson vs. Buccaneers (DraftKings: $5,700)

Super Wild-Card Weekend Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

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MORE: Super Wild-Card Weekend Rankings, Articles, Reports & Tools Hub

Super Wild-Card Weekend Sit ‘Em: Running Backs

Chris Carson at Rams (Sat. 4:40 p.m. ET, FOX): Carson is a tough player to sit, but I would be mindful of a tough matchup against the Rams. Their defense has been tough on runners, allowing just 11 total touchdowns and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the position. What’s more, Carson has failed to score more than 10.9 points in each of his last three games (and that came against the Rams in Week 16). Don’t be surprised if Carson struggles again this week.

Cam Akers at Seahawks (Sat. 4:40 p.m. ET, FOX): Surprisingly, Akers led the Rams backfield last week with 25 touches despite dealing with the effects of a high-ankle sprain. He didn’t do much on the ground, rushing for a mere 34 yards, but Akers was effective as a pass-catcher as the dump-off option for John Wolford. If Wolford is back under center this week, I’d beware Akers against a Seattle defense that’s allowed 20 fantasy points per game to backs since Week 12.

DFS Fades

  • Chris Carson vs. Rams (DraftKings: $5,900)
  • James Conner vs. Browns (DraftKings: $5,000)

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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for all of the latest breaking fantasy football news and the best analysis in the business!


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Michael Fabiano
MICHAEL FABIANO

Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy Dirt Podcast on SI. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.