The Washington Commanders have a chance to play spoilers in Week 18 as they host the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys will be the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win, but a loss could put them in as a wildcard team.
The offense of the Commanders hasn’t been that bad this year, and quarterback Sam Howell is back in as the starter. Could the running gameplay be a factor in this game?
If so, can fantasy football managers trust either Brian Robinson Jr. or Antonio Gibson in the matchup against Dallas?
Should You Start Brian Robinson Jr. in Fantasy This Week?
Robinson hasn’t scored a touchdown in any of the Commanders’ last five games, which has hurt his fantasy value. On the season, he has rushed for 708 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry.
What also makes him valuable in fantasy football is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. On the season, he has 33 catches for 358 yards and another three touchdowns. A big issue with the Commanders’ offense is the fact that there has been a different player each week having a big game.
Consistency has been a big issue for the Commanders’ offense, and because of that, I would be hesitant to start Robinson. If you are having some Flex issues because of guys resting or something like that, he could be a decent pivot option.
However, it is more likely he struggles against a Cowboys team that should be motivated to help lock up the No. 2 seed. When these two teams played earlier in the year, he had 15 carries for 53 yards.
Should You Start Antonio Gibson in Fantasy This Week?
As mentioned above, the best-case scenario for Robinson is that he is a Flex option for Week 18. While I am not extremely high on Robinson, I am even lower on Gibson being able to do much this week.
In the previous game against the San Francisco 49ers, Gibson was able to get the ball only four times for 19 yards.
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This has been a common theme for Gibson, as he hasn’t finished a game this season with more than 35 yards on the ground in a game. He has been more prominent in the passing game, as he has 45 catches for 361 yards and two touchdowns.
When these two teams played earlier in the year, he had six carries for 21 yards. It is very hard to trust anyone in the Commanders’ offense, and right now, there are just much better options than Gibson.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Gibson is the player to start. His projected 8.4 points include a projection of 23 rushing yards, three receptions, and 20 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Robinson (7.7).
I am going to go against the Optimizer on this one. Honestly, I don’t feel very confident with either of these two having a big game.
The Cowboys right now are playing for the No.2 seed in the NFC, and I expect them to come out ready to play in this game.
If you are going to go with either one of them, then I think Robinson is the play, but I wouldn’t count on either of them having a big game.
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