We have not seen anything very “beastly” from Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch in the last two games. Lynch started the season well with 92 total yards in Week 1 and 45 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown in Week 2. Since then Lynch has been held under 20 yards rushing in back-to-back games.
Fantasy football start/sit, Week 5: What to do with Marshawn Lynch?
The Raiders need Lynch to go full beast mode with other offensive weapons sidelined with injuries. We look at the fantasy implications.
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The Raiders need Lynch to step up big this week with starting QB Derek Carr out with a hamstring injury. Oakland hosts the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. The Ravens are missing two key players in their run defense: Brandon Williams and Brent Urban. In the last two games without Williams, the Ravens defense gave up at least 60 yards and a touchdown to opposing rushers. Last week Le’Veon Bell lit them up for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Fantasy impact: Time to take Lynch off the bench and put him in your lineups. There are too many upsides for Lynch this week to count. For starters, he is playing at home. He has only one score so far this season and that was in the Raiders home opener. Another plus: Lynch is drawing an easy matchup. The Ravens run defense is depleted and vulnerable. Lastly, Oakland has to run the ball more to help backup QB EJ Manuel. Lynch will get a lot of touches against a soft defense at home. This is the matchup owners have been waiting for.
