New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley looked good in his return to the field against the Buffalo Bills but has been outscored by Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert by 89 fantasy points this season. This begs the question — who is the better option in fantasy football at the RB position in Week 7?
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Saquon Barkley’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Despite returning to the lineup with a backup quarterback under center, Barkley returned to a feature role in his offense against the Buffalo Bills.
Barkley touched the ball 28 times for 98 yards in his first game back after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury.
Fortunately, it does not look like Barkley suffered any sort of significant setback.
According to the Giants’ injury report, Barkley was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. This shouldn’t come as any surprise given Barkley’s heavy workload in Week 6, and the organization is likely trying to manage his injured ankle with limited practices during the week.
Another Giants starter is currently trying to work through an injury, quarterback Daniel Jones, who could miss a second consecutive game while dealing with a neck injury.
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If the Giants are without Jones under center for a second straight week, the offense is likely to lean heavily on Barkley again for their divisional matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Barkley is currently inside my top 10 at the running back position for Week 7.
Raheem Mostert’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Barkley may have had an encouraging 13.8 fantasy performance in Week 6, but he was thoroughly outperformed by Mostert’s 34.2 fantasy points against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday.
Mostert has already set a career high for TDs in a season through the first six games of the season.
The Dolphins’ rushing offense has been firing on all cylinders this season, and Mostert has been heavily involved and playing at the highest level of his career.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense up front could present a challenge, but the way this offense can move the ball through the air should still create plenty of scoring opportunities for Mostert in a potential shootout against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense.
Which RB Should You Start?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer and PFN’s Consensus Rankings, Barkley is the player to start. His projected 15.3 points include a projection of 62 rushing yards, four receptions, and 23 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Mostert (13.5 points).
However, when you isolate my rankings, I see Mostert outperforming Barkley this week, simply because of the sheer amount of scoring opportunities combined with Mostert’s high level of play this season. Start Mostert over Barkley in Week 7.
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