The Houston Texans will play the Baltimore Ravens on the road Sunday. Who is the better Texans running back option in the flex: Duke Johnson or Carlos Hyde?
The Houston Texans have a huge game on Sunday afternoon against the Baltimore Ravens on the road Sunday afternoon. Both teams lead their respective divisions, thanks to great play out of their young franchise quarterbacks in Deshaun Watson of the Texans and Lamar Jackson of the Ravens. But what about the running backs in this game? Who should you start in fantasy?
Well, the Ravens have Mark Ingram Jr., who is a must-start every week he’s available. As for the Texans, that’s not as easy of a delineation for you to make. Do you start Duke Johnson or do you start Carlos Hyde in the flex this week? Fortunately, the Fantasy Footballers have you covered.
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Mike Wright of the Fantasy Footballers says if you’re playing in a half-point league, that Hyde is the better option because of his powerful rushing ability. However, if you are playing in a standard PPR league, you might want to go with Duke Johnson, who has proven to be a more reliable pass-catcher out of the Texans backfield this year.
In truth, you’re probably not going to get a great game out of either Texans running back on Sunday afternoon. The reason for this is that the Ravens have one of the best all-around defenses in football. They can stop the powerful running style of Hyde, as well as limit Johnson’s effective as a dual-threat playmaker out of the Texans backfield.
Overall, you should anticipate Watson to be the one to carry the Texans offense in this game if Houston is going to win on the road. He could draw up his own version of the plus-one offense on Sunday if he’s willing to make a few extra plays with his legs.
At the end of the day, if you need to pick one Texans running back to start if you have them both as a handcuff, let’s go with Johnson because he is significantly more likely to grab a few balls out of the backfield. Even if he gets tackled for a loss by a swarming Ravens defense, that will still be a point for you as a reception in a standard PPR league.