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Fantasy Football Week 8 Start or Sit: Anthony Dixon

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By @Will_Gellman

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As soon as running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller went down with injuries last week, fantasy owners flocked to the waiver wire, picking up the next man in the Buffalo Bills‘ pecking order – Anthony Dixon. While Dixon is likely to see a decent amount of work right away, (at least until Jackson is able to return) that is not enough to trust him in your fantasy football lineup in Week 8. Let’s examine why.

First of all, while he is expected to see more carries than backup Bryce Brown in the game, there is no telling how many carries he will see in total. Dixon has yet to carry the load for an NFL team and it’s not out of the question for him to be eased into action. The Bills could also decide to throw the ball more often, especially given the presence of emerging players like Sammy Watkins and Chris Hogan in their receiving corps.

Even if the Bills decide not to increase Kyle Orton‘s passing attempts, Dixon could see just a few more touches than Brown per week. The Bills’ backfield could then be little more than a fifty-fifty timeshare. A worst case scenario for fantasy owners could be that Dixon struggles, Brown comes in and then outshines him, leading to a lesser share of the pie for Dixon right off the bat.

Besides possible workload concerns, Dixon has a very unfavorable matchup this week. He faces a New York Jets defense that has allowed just two 100-yard rushers this season. They have given up just one rushing touchdown thus far and are ranked 10th in the league overall in run defense. Given the uncertainty associated with Dixon this week, fantasy owners would be wise to see how things play out in the Buffalo backfield for at least a week. That is why benching him in Week 8 is the best initial play.

Will Gellman is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Related Links:

Week 8 Injury Report For Bills vs. Jets

5 Bold Predictions For Bills vs. Jets

Anthony Dixon Fantasy Football Week 8 Projection

 

 

 

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