New York Giants - Fantasy News

Should I Start Orleans Darkwa in Week 10?

by Derek Norton

11/11/17

NFL

New York Giants

Orleans Darkwa

The 2017 NFL season is pretty much over at this point for the New York Giants, though one thing the team can hang its hat on is an improved running game.

After not getting more than 42 yards from a running back in the first four weeks of the year, the Giants turned to Orleans Darkwa, who has made them somewhat respectable with his increased role. The Giants are still 27^th in rushing offense, but Darkwa is worth considering against the comparably horrendous San Francisco 49ers this week.

Why Should I Start Orleans Darkwa?

Darkwa’s usage in his last three games is more than respectable. He’s averaging 17.3 touches per game since Week 6, which ranks 16^th among running backs. New York’s other running backs, Wayne Gallman and Shane Vereen, average nine and three per game, respectively. If this trend continues and Darkwa gets another 17 touches against the 49ers, he’ll be in excellent position to surpass his projection (9.5 Dober points).

That’s because the 49ers have arguably the worst run defense in the league. They’re 32^nd in yards per game (135.7) and tied for 30^th in touchdowns (nine). They’ve given up at least 85 yards from scrimmage to a running back in every game, and a rusher has scored in six of nine contests. Only divisional opponents (Seattle and Arizona twice) have not put a running back in the end zone.

Another factor working in Darkwa’s favor is that game flow may not affect him. When the Giants were getting blown out 51-17 last week, it would have been reasonable to assume Darkwa would turn the reins over to Gallman and Vereen. But Darkwa was still New York’s leading rusher with 71 yards on 16 carries. He also has at least one reception in every game this season and has five receptions in his last two games. It looks like he’ll be involved in New York’s offense no matter what.

Why Should I Bench Orleans Darkwa?

The old “don’t trust a running back in a bad offense” cliché applies here. The Giants are 28^th in yards per game and tied for 28^th in points per game. As much as this looks like a good matchup for Darkwa, it’s also a good spot for San Francisco’s defense. Darkwa may barely be on the field to take advantage of the yardage the 49ers typically allow.

Darkwa is getting plenty of touches since Week 6, but he’s only on the field 44 percent of the time. Gallman (30 percent) and Vereen (26 percent) also get plenty of snaps. Gallman got nine carries against the Rams and, with the season all but lost, New York could switch to him at any time to see what they have. Darkwa isn’t the answer long-term, but Gallman could be.

Though the 49ers allow 135.7 rushing yards per game, the numbers are misleading. Since opposing teams are constantly leading the Niners, they have a league-leading 314 carries against them. That’s 42 more than the next team on the list (Baltimore). The 49ers give up a respectable 3.9 yards per carry, which is tied for 12^th in the league. The Giants are not particularly likely to have a big lead, so they may not get to run the ball as much as other teams have against San Fran.

Should I Make Orleans Darkwa a Week 10 Fantasy Starter?

Yes. Darkwa is averaging 10.85 Dober points over his last four games and is facing a team that, one way or another, tends to give up huge games to running backs. Darkwa should be involved enough to see that trend continue. It won’t be pretty, but Darkwa is worth using in Week 10.

Week 10 Fantasy Prediction: Orleans Darkwa Over 9.5 DFPs