RADIO
Injuries have plagued NFL locker rooms and fantasy lineups all season. Why should championship week be any different? Luckily, this is the last time I will write about one of these running back situations this season, while two others look to produce again in their newly acquired starting roles.
According to New Orleans Times-Picayune, Drew Brees is listed as questionable, and will be very limited at practice on Thursday. Whether he takes the field or not, expect the Saints to rely heavily on the run game, with Brees battling a very painful torn plantar fascia, and with either Matt Flynn or rookie Garrett Grayson set to take his place against Jacksonville.
Tim Hightower has filled in nicely for the injured Mark Ingram and has out-touched C.J. Spiller 45 to ten in two games. He has picked up 41 carries for 139 yards in that span, with one touchdown, and four catches for 41 yards. Hightower heads into a favorable matchup against the Jaguars who give up the tenth most fantasy points to running backs, according to Yahoo! Sports, and allow 101.0 rushing yards a contest. He is a RB2 with a lot of upside.
Oh, Eddie Lacy. This week he is listed as questionable, on a more day-to-day approach to recovery. The Lacy-talk has all but exhausted itself, however, if he doesn't lace up, James Starks can once again find himself carrying the bulk of the load against the Arizona Cardinals.
I'm not sure either are trustworthy at this point in the season, especially against a stingy Cardinals defense that allows the eighth fewest fantasy points to running backs, according to Yahoo! Sports. The Cardinals relinquish only 86.7 yards on the ground a game and less than four yards a carry. The only way Starks should be given a look is if Lacy sits and fantasy owners are in need of a desperation start. He remains nothing higher than a RB3/last minute FLEX option in PPR formats.
Jonathan Stewart did not practice on Wednesday and is unlikely to take the field Sunday. The Panthers appear to be playing it safe with their starting tailback, and will once again look to rookie Cameron Artis Payne for production. Artis-Payne didn't turn any heads last week against the Giants, but the first year running back did look impressive, cutting corners with bursts of speed. He finished the day with 59 yards on 11 carries and two catches for 34 yards.
Anyone playing for the undefeated Panthers should be appealing, especially in an intriguing matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Falcons give up the fourth most fantasy points to running backs, and have surrendered 18 touchdowns on the ground.
Starting Artis-Payne is risky but it's clear that he will get plenty of touches out of the backfield. With Stewart's injury, Artis-Payne is a borderline RB2 and should be considered as a last minute replacement for the abundance of injured running backs.
