Saturday, December 17, 2011

Cowboys vs. Buccaneers: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em, Felix Jones or LeGarrette Blount?

The Dallas Cowboys travel down south to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on a special Saturday night installment of Thursday Night Football (NFL Network 8:20 p.m. EST).

Both teams feature running backs, Felix Jones and LeGarrette Blount, that can alter the course of the game and score you valuable fantasy points for your personal playoff push. 

The Dallas Cowboys lost DeMarco Murray to a fractured ankle in their Week 14 loss to the New York Giants. What this means for fantasy owners is that Felix Jones will be an active player who's probably looking at 20-25 touches.

The Buccaneers are terrible at stopping the run, giving up almost 140 yards per game (28th in the NFL). Even more compelling is the evidence that the Buccaneers defense have the 31st ranked scoring defense in the NFL, giving up over 28 points a game.

All of the evidence points to one thing: You must start Felix Jones.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers feature one of the most punishing runners in the NFL not named Adrian Peterson. LeGarrette Blount has highlight reels of his highlight reels. 

Still, the young runner is only gaining 67 yards per game, and he has only scored five rushing touchdowns this season. The Buccaneers offensive line has been terrible this year, and Blount's fantasy numbers have suffered.

The one consolation might be that the Giants haven't exactly shown a propensity to be tough against the run. They rank 22nd in the NFL at stopping the run, giving up almost 128 yards per game.

There isn't enough evidence available for me to give Blount a green light, though. You must sit LeGarrette Blount.

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