Suddenly, the New York Giants have figured out that the best usage of their backfield isn’t to rotate a cavalcade of running backs through so that nobody, in particular, gets a rhythm. This development should prove fruitful this week for Rashad Jennings’ fantasy football owners. He is in line to get the bulk of the touches this weekend as the Giants take on the Browns, but is that enough for you to get him into your fantasy football lineups?
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Rashad Jennings has gotten 15 or more rushes just three times this season, and each time he has gotten at least 75 rushing yards (75, 87 and 85). He isn’t a great back, but he performs when he gets the opportunity. The main problem this year is that the Giants haven’t provided him with said opportunity (he’s spent the season between 9 and 13 rushes a game). While the last two weeks have also seen the second and third time this season that Jennings has seen at least 15 carries, he has back-to-back season highs in targets (six each of the last two games) as well.
The Giants are primarily a passing attack, so him seeing increasing rushes and targets means that Jennings is both staying on the field and becoming a bigger part of the Giants’ game plan. This late in the season a solid RB2 with consistent opportunities may be all that you need, so if you have a ton of great other options, the 80 yards Jennings is likely to get you this week (regardless of matchup) will be a good play.
However, the Giants take on a pathetic Browns team that moves Jennings from a decent play to a great play. The Browns have yielded the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs on the season.
They’ve yielded 15 touchdowns to running backs so far this season in just 11 games. They’ve also yielded 150 yards to running backs in six of the last eight games they’ve played. No matter how you want to slice it, the Browns have been hemorrhaging production to running backs this season, and Sunday should be no different.
Provided the Giants don’t suddenly switch course and go back to a running back by committee approach, Rashad Jennings is a solid play this week. He has wrested control of the Giants backfield away from potential usurpers in the last couple of games, and takes on one of the most pathetic defenses against running backs this season.
He will be in RB2 consideration, and given the bleak landscape of running backs, that is likely good enough to get into your lineups as at least a flex.