Many people were paying attention to rookie running backs Najee Harris and Javonte Williams coming into the 2021 season, but there’s another rookie back that has made a fantasy football splash — Michael Carter of the New York Jets has taken over his backfield and appears to be here to stay.
Carter was the overall RB1 in Week 8. What should we expect from him on Thursday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts?
Michael Carter has taken control of the backfield
Last week, Carter led the team with 15 carries for 77 yards and 9 receptions on 14 targets. Not only did he dominate the backfield opportunities, but he was also the focal point of the offense, outpacing the leading wide receiver (Jamison Crowder) by 5 targets.
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This was a massive breakout for the rookie running back out of the University of North Carolina. To be fair, this game came in Mike White’s first career start without Zach Wilson under center. But White is expected to start at least one more game while waiting for Wilson to make his return. When Carter is doing what he’s doing, it’s pretty hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. He has carved out his role in the offense, and it should stay that way.
The Colts are not an easy matchup
Few teams have been better against the run than the Colts, who have a stout defensive line and a linebacking corps that already has two linebackers with over 60 tackles apiece. The Colts are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs, holding the position to only 13.6 points.
Fortunately for Carter, he is also the beneficiary of a healthy amount of receiving work, as evidenced by his 14 targets last week. White, while under center, was more than happy to check the ball down to his running back, which is golden for Carter’s fantasy value. Even if Carter struggles to get it going on the ground, he should still have a safe floor in the passing game while White is at quarterback.
Michael Carter’s fantasy outlook
It shouldn’t be expected that Carter will finish as the overall RB1 again this week, but it should absolutely be expected that he’s a healthy part of their game plan on a weekly basis. Furthermore, he’s currently seeing an uptick in receiving work with the current quarterback situation.
While the Colts have been holding opposing running backs down in the fantasy points department, they’re still giving up 108.8 rushing yards per game, which is almost directly in the middle of the pack across the league.
Carter figured to be a featured part of the offense once again, and he’s an easy choice to start as an RB2 with RB1 upside again this week. Ride the Mike White experiment while you can.
