Top 5 Rushing Matchups Week 7
To view all of our Week 7 Matchup content, please see the links below:
Top 5 Passing Matchups Week 7
Bottom 5 Passing Matchups Week 7
Top 5 Rushing Matchups Week 7
Bottom 5 Rushing Matchups Week 7
Rushing Matchup Chart Week 7
Passing Matchup Chart Week 7
Green Bay at Houston
The Packers have run the ball effectively here in 2020, producing 5.0 yards per rush (seventh in football) and 139 a game (also seventh). It's probably fair to disregard their Week 6 showing, as virtually no one finds running room against Tampa Bay's powerful front. Instead, the fantasy community should focus on prior weeks, which saw great success in more neutral matchups. Aaron Jones averaged 6.3 yards per rush over the previous three; he remains one of football's most dynamic runners both inside and out. Jones isn't the only component in the backfield, either, with Jamaal Williams and rookie A.J. Dillon chiming in situationally. Their effectiveness fluctuates, but all three benefit from playing behind an elite front line. With left tackle David Bakhtiari likely back healthy for Sunday, our Matt Bitonti ranks it fifth league-wide, with an A- run-blocking grade.
The Texans run defense has been one of football’s weakest - and fantasy’s most fruitful - through the season’s first six weeks. They’ve faced a daunting slate of runners, but no team has allowed more yardage per rush than their 5.4. They dearly miss nose tackle D.J. Reader - now on IR with the Bengals - who used to make this unit at least passable. P.J. Hall and Brandon Dunn have been subpar replacements inside, which always spells doom for a poor linebacking crew that leans on them. The Texans’ second level is a mess of the ineffective (Zach Cunningham) and the injured (Benardrick McKinney) and has struggled to stop virtually anyone. Derrick Henry’s 94-yard touchdown romp through two wide, vacated lanes was a perfect snapshot of this unit’s 2020 season thus far. Four opposing runners have topped 100 yards in this matchup, and it’s frankly a solid bet Jones becomes the fifth.
Cleveland at Cincinnati
The Browns are, to the surprise of no one, grounding the ball furiously under new coach Kevin Stefanski. They're running on 50% of their snaps, the league's second-highest rate, and Nick Chubb's absence hasn't slowed that a bit. Even in last week's rout at the hands of the Steelers, the Browns came out of halftime pounding the ball at a 24-7 deficit. Stefanski's goal is to keep things safe and controlled for Baker Mayfield, who's struggled mightily with too much on his shoulders. He still puts his trust in Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson, and the Browns' rebuilt front line more often than not. He'd love to get back rising star guard Wyatt Teller, who's week-to-week with a calf strain but could easily suit up Sunday. Either way, though, the depth of the Cleveland line should be enough to handle their easiest test of the young season.
The Bengals run defense remains, after all these years, badly undermanned and undertalented. Through 6 games, they’ve already allowed 5 different runners to top 60 yards - including a pair (Hunt and Chubb) when these teams met in Week 2. The duo turned 32 rushes into 210 yards and 3 touchdowns that day, simply churning through the Bengals front seven. And with nose tackle D.J. Reader now on the shelf, there’s little by way of a run-stuffing front line here. Christian Covington and Xavier Williams make for poor substitutes, while Geno Atkins now plays almost exclusively on passing downs. The second level is even messier, sporting a handful of ineffective names that all grade near the bottom of the league. They’ve ramped up rookie Logan Wilson’s snaps in search of a spark, but he’s yet to respond. If any NFL unit is need of a talent infusion, it’s this one, and the Browns don’t make for a welcomed sight. It’s hard to not see a sizeable mismatch here, both in the trenches and in the open field.
Pittsburgh at Tennessee
The Steelers are keeping their offensive gameplan balanced wherever possible, letting game flow - usually positive thus far at 5-0 - dictate their scripts. That’s made James Conner into a consistent workhorse (15+ carries in 4 straight games), even with a handful of rotational backs the team seems to like. Benny Snell is a capable grinder, and rookie Anthony McFarland has shown flashes, but they’re strict reserves. Conner isn’t a special runner, with below-average speed and elusiveness, but he’s a great fit behind the Steelers’ dominant front line. With All-Pro right guard David DeCastro in the lineup - he looks probable for a Sunday return - few units can set up their runners with the power and creativity of this one.
The Titans have built their defense on pass-game playmakers and haven’t yet found the formula to stop the run here in 2020. Apart from the stellar play of second-year nose tackle Jeffery Simmons - he returned last week to a full snap count - there’s little to slow opposing runners in the box. They’ve allowed near-effortless days to ball-dominant backs, like Jacksonville’s James Robinson (16 rushes for 102 yards and 1 touchdown) and Dalvin Cook (22 for 181 and 1), in recent weeks. Simmons is on the rise as a run-stuffer, but he hasn’t found much support on the second level, where the mediocre linebackers tend to struggle to stay with the play. The team was certainly hoping for more from safety Kenny Vaccaro, but he’s been a disappointment in both phases of the defense. All told, this run defense doesn’t look to offer much resistance to Conner and company. Lead runners are averaging a whopping 5.3 yards per rush, and the Steelers will trot out the best front line they’ve faced thus far.