Start Emari Demercado vs. Zack Moss vs. Chuba Hubbard vs. Rhamondre Stevenson vs. Jerome Ford | Fantasy Football Week 6 RB Start Decision
The running back position has been absolutely decimated by injuries so far this NFL season. It’s been hard to overcome for many fantasy owners, but has created some interesting start/sit decisions on the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool.
For this discussion, we’ll focus on Arizona Cardinals’ Emari Demercado and the decisions he’s a part of. At the time this article was written, Demercado was part of trending decisions with Indianapolis Colts’ Zack Moss, Carolina Panthers’ Chuba Hubbard, New England Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson and Cleveland Browns’ Jerome Ford.
Let’s talk about each back, their matchups this week and then list the order in which we’d start them.
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Why You Should Start Emari Demercado
Demercado was one of the hottest waiver wire pickups this week. That’s because Arizona starter James Conner went down with an injury and was then placed on injured reserve.
Demercado showed some good things in relief of Conner last week, rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. He also caught a pass for 12 yards. The rookie ended up playing 44 snaps.
Even after the solid showing, Demercado is not listed as the starter. Keaontay Ingram has that honor despite missing the last few weeks with a neck injury. Coach Jonathan Gannon noted earlier in the week that Ingram is expected back.
What exactly does that mean for Demercado? How will the snaps and playing time be distributed? Those are wonderful questions, and ones that likely won’t be answered until the game is played.
If I had to take a guess as to how things would shake out, I’d say Ingram and Demercado are destined to split snaps and the workload. If one of them starts having a better day, maybe the team leans on them for a while, but I don’t expect either guy to dominate the snaps or touches.
Keep an eye out for any extra news regarding the Arizona running backs. If Ingram is out, that’s when I could see Demercado being the workhorse, with Tony Jones receiving a few snaps and touches as the backup.
Arizona takes on the Los Angeles Rams this week. LA’s defense has been above average against opposing running backs, allowing 16 fantasy points a game.
Why You Should Start Zack Moss
We’ve written about Moss a couple times already this week, but when you play as well as he did and have Jonathan Taylor hoping to get his old starting job back, you’re going to create some headlines.
Moss has been the team’s starting back since week 2, rushing for 445 yards and three touchdowns on 89 carries and adding 72 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. Taylor played in his first game in week 5, and Moss tried to prove he still deserves lots of playing time and touches after tallying 165 yards and two scores on 23 rushing attempts and 30 receiving yards on two catches.
I don’t think Moss is about to relegate Taylor to the bench, but his strong showing should at least keep him involved for the next week or so.
Indy takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend, with first place in the division on the line. Jacksonville’s defense has been one of the best in the NFL in stopping opposing running backs, allowing an average of 15 fantasy points a contest.
Moss is the 26th-ranked running back in our projections, three spots behind Taylor.
Why You Should Start Chuba Hubbard
Unlike Demercado and Moss, there’s no question which running back will lead the Panthers’ backfield this weekend. Miles Sanders has been ruled out with a shoulder injury, so that means Hubbard should get the start and majority of the workload.
Sanders and Hubbard have been the only two Carolina backs to play all season. Wide receiver Laviska Shenault should handle most of the backup carries, as he’s attempted 11 runs this season. Raheem Blackshear is also on the roster.
Carolina will take on the Miami Dolphins this weekend. Miami’s defense sits near the middle of the league when it comes to stopping opposing running backs, allowing an average of 21 fantasy points a game.
Hubbard is the only Carolina back in the top 58 spots of our rankings, coming in 32nd overall.
Why You Should Start Rhamondre Stevenson
Much like the Patriots’ offense as a whole, Stevenson has struggled to get going so far this season. He’s averaging just 2.8 yards a carry and has one total touchdown.
Stevenson has played 221 snaps, nearly 100 more than backup Ezekiel Elliott. Stevenson has rushed for 188 yards on 68 carries and added 87 receiving yards on 12 catches and 18 targets.
New England takes on the Las Vegas Raiders in the afternoon slate of Sunday games. The Raiders’ defense also is average in stopping running backs, allowing 21 points a contest.
Stevenson is the 22nd-ranked running back in our week 6 projections, while Elliott slots in at 36th.
Why You Should Start Jerome Ford
Ford has served as the Browns’ starting running back since Nick Chubb was lost to an injury.
Ford was on the team’s injury report this week with a knee injury, but has no game status designation, so he should be a full go.
The Browns will be taking on the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. It’s a tough matchup for opposing running backs, who are averaging just 17 points against the Niners a contest. Backs have fared a touch better as receivers, so it’s possible Ford could make up some points there.
Ford is the 27th-ranked back in our weekly projections. Teammate Kareem Hunt is a distant 49th.
Final Numbers and the Recommended Start
Since the focal point of these start/sit trending decisions is Demercado, let’s see how fantasy owners are choosing to set their lineups when the Arizona back is part of it. Demercado is the preferred starter over Hubbard, but not over Moss, Stevenson or Ford.
Moss is the highest-ranked back of this discussion, but I actually would prefer Stevenson as the top option. I like the Patriots’ offense to show some signs of life this week and Stevenson to perform to the expectations of the fantasy owners that drafted him.
I’d take Hubbard next of the four guys remaining. His stock takes a huge bump over the others as he’s destined to be the lead back. I’d put him above Stevenson, but I’m worried that Carolina might be playing from behind and need to pass a lot.
I’d roll with Moss next. I think the workload is split more evenly between him and Taylor this week, but the way Moss has performed, especially last week, I can’t drop him any lower.
I’d take Ford over Demercado for the last spot in this discussion. The Browns’ matchup with the 49ers scares me, especially with quarterback Deshaun Watson and several other offensive players out, but Ford will at least be getting the majority of the work.
I like Demercado, and think he could be featured more than Ingram in the Arizona offense this week, but not knowing how the snaps and touches will be distributed, I can’t put him above anyone in this conversation. I’ve seen some reports saying Demercado might only play on third downs, and then he’d have to bust a big play or two to even have the chance of outscoring any other back in this discussion. It’s a risk too big for take for me.
