RADIO
Fantasy football owners will not be happy to hear that Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart has been ruled out for Week 15 against the New York Giants.
He’s not going to play this week. We are going to be very cautious with this," head coach Ron Rivera said, according to Panthers.com. "The MRI came back negative, but there was some swelling. We’re going to be smart."
That’s not great news about a running back who has likely helped several people get into their fantasy football playoffs this year. Through 13 games this year he has 242 carries for 989 yards and six touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.1 yards per carry. In addition he has 16 receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown in the passing game.
With Stewart out, the team will rely on Fozzy Whittaker, Cameron Artis-Payne and Mike Tolbert to carry the load. I would consider both Whittaker and Tolbert as RB3s this week.
Another running back that has helped lead several people to the fantasy football playoffs is T.J. Yeldon and unfortunately he is out of action this week as well. He is suffering from a sprained MCL. However, he hopes to be back next week.
"Hopefully I can get back this week," Yeldon said, according to Florida Times Union. "but we’ll see."
Outside of St. Louis Rams’ rookie Todd Gurley, Yeldon has been the best rookie running back in the league this season. He has 182 carries for 740 yards and two touchdowns through 12 games. He is averaging 4.1 yards per carry. He has also been a big help for Blake Bortles in the passing game with 36 receptions for 279 yards and another touchdown.
Denard Robinson will take over this week in Yeldon’s absence. I would consider him a RB2 against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15.
In other running back news, Denver Broncos’ C.J. Anderson expects to play this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers after sitting on the sidelines during the team’s Week 14 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Assuming he’s 100 percent healthy, Anderson should lead the team in carries. However, the Broncos are also expected to use Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson in the backfield.
Through 12 games this season, Anderson is averaging 4.3 yards per carry with 538 yards on 124 carries and three touchdowns. He also has 22 receptions for 174 yards.
I would consider Anderson a RB3 this week against the Steelers.
