The plot continues to thicken in the Los Angeles Rams backfield as fantasy football owners have the impossible task of deciding which back has higher upside in any given week. Here is a look at Ronnie Rivers and Darrell Henderson’s Week 9 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and what it means for your start-sit decision-making.
Fantasy Football analysis: Rams RBs Ronnie Rivers and Darrell Henderson
With Cam Akers benched, it looked as though Henderson was going to emerge as a top-10 fantasy back, but that just hasn’t happened. He has been injured and L.A. has been forced to put the ball in the air more often than they would like, hampering Henderson’s value. Coming off a four-carry, 16-yard performance against the San Francisco 49ers a week ago, it’s hard to believe in Henderson’s fantasy upside.
Rivers, meanwhile, carried the ball eight times for 21 yards last Sunday to go along with four catches for 15 yards. It was his first meaningful NFL action; his career to that point consisted of one carry for zero yards and one catch for 14 yards. Unlike Henderson, he at least seems to be trending in the right direction in that L.A. appears intent on giving him a chance to prove himself.
The Bucs' run defense has also been suspect after a fast start to the year. Tampa gave up just over six fantasy points per game against opposing running backs over the season’s first three weeks but has since allowed 21 per game over the last five weeks. That trend may continue as it’s reasonable to assume the Rams will want to establish the run in order to buy Stafford more time in the pocket against Tampa’s talented pass rush.
Start or sit in Week 9?
Henderson should sit in both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS. Rivers is worth a FLEX start in deep season-long fantasy leagues and is potentially worth a start in DFS to afford you higher-priced options at other positions.