Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs and New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley each have a couple of things in common. For one, they are both arguably playing their best ball of the season. On the other hand, they each play for a team having a disappointing season. Here’s a look at each player’s fantasy football outlook for Week 10.
Should You Start Josh Jacobs or Saquon Barkley This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Barkley is the player to start. His projected 15.3 points include 62 rushing yards, four receptions, and 23 receiving yards. That projected stat line barely outperforms the consensus projections of Jacobs’ 14.2 points.
My ranking for these running backs aligns with the consensus. Although it is a close projection between these two, Barkley’s recent success stretches over more games than that of Jacobs, thereby providing a stronger trust in Barkley’s effort this week.
Fantasy Outlook for Jacobs This Week
Jacobs was a workhorse in last week’s win over, ironically, the Giants. He finished with 98 rushing yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. All three numbers were season highs for Jacobs, who has been struggling for most of the season.
Prior to his Week 9 performance, Jacobs was averaging just 51 rushing yards a game and 3.1 yards per carry for the season, an unexpectedly disappointing performance from a player who led the NFL in rushing yards just one season ago.
MORE: Fantasy Week 10 RB Start/Sit
Fans who support Jacobs can hang their hat on the fact that they know Jacobs will get plenty of chances to produce. He leads the NFL in rush attempts this season with 159.
Jacobs is also getting in the end zone more frequently, with three touchdowns in his last two games, and five touchdown runs in his last six games.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer projects Jacobs to finish with 64 rush yards and three catches for 22 yards.
Fantasy Outlook for Barkley This Week
Since his return from a sprained ankle that forced him to miss three games, Barkley has displayed all the skills that make him arguably the best all-around running back in the NFL.
Barkley has rushed for an NFL-best 388 yards over his last four games, and his 97 rush attempts are not only the most in the NFL over that span, but they are 20 more than the next player on that list.
Barkley has caught at least three passes in all six games he has played this season, and his two touchdown receptions lead the team. The rest of the Giants as a team have three touchdown receptions combined.
There could be some reservations about choosing Barkley over Jacobs, given the fact that the Giants visit the Cowboys this week — a rematch of their Week 1 matchup where the Cowboys embarrassed the Giants 40-0 (and Barkley finished with a season-low 51 rushing yards).
And when the Giants visited Dallas last season, Barkley was held to only 39 yards on the ground.
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