The Rams have placed Darrell Henderson the COVID-19 reserve list, and that dramatically changes their running back situation. Sony Michel is now looking like a strong candidate for top-10 running back numbers – he’s about all they’ve got.
Michel has been a backup for most of the season, so he’s perhaps fresher than a lot of other backs. And he looked very good last week, running for 121 yards against Jacksonville. He’ll be getting essentially all of the running back touches for the Rams.
The Cardinals are a quality opponent, of course, and the game is in Arizona. But this defense hasn’t been as strong against the run. The Packers and Panthers beat the Cardinals and the Vikings should have beat them, and all of those teams ran for more than 100 yards (all of those games, by the way, were played in Arizona). Arizona ranks 4th against the pass but just 16th in run defense.
I’m not saying Michel will put up those kind of numbers. The Rams don’t have a great running game, and they’ll also be playing without their starting center. But in general, Michel looks like a strong option for Week 14.
When we published our Friday supplement, we had Michel as the #27 running back in standard and PPR scoring. Right now, I would move him up to 8th in standard scoring and 5th in PPR. For those in TD-only formats, I’ve got him at 14th (up from 30th).
I’ve got the over-under numbers at 86 rushing and 20 receiving yards, with a 69 percent chance of a touchdown.
—Ian Allan