DFS: Short-Term Forecast - David Cobb
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Titans activated David Cobb, their rookie fifth-round running back, from the short-term injured reserve where he had been residing since suffering a preseason calf injury.
Now healthy, Cobb will look to break into a running back rotation that's been headed by Antonio Andrews, Dexter McCluster and Bishop Sankey. The Titans rank 20th in rushing, averaging 101.6 yards per game, so there's certainly room for some fresh blood to contribute.
Andrews has been the lead back as of late, and registered a season-high 88 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's win over New Orleans. Andrews has an overall rushing line of 73-290-2, averaging four yards per carry. He's only caught nine passes for 100 yards in seven games, with McCluster primarily filling the passing-down back role, with 21 receptions for 177 yards and a TD.
In Cobb's final two seasons at the University of Minnesota, he combined for only 33 receptions, so he may not be the all-purpose back needed to supplant both Andrews and McCluster. Sankey, meanwhile, has seemingly been phased out of the offense, having failed to record a touch in each of the last two weeks.
As seen in the table below, Tennessee's schedule isn't exactly promising, as far as the strength of its upcoming opponents' rush defenses are concerned.
| Week | Opponent | Rush Defense Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | vs. Carolina | 15 |
| 11 | at Jacksonville (Thurs.) | 7 |
| 12 | vs. Oakland | 8 |
| 13 | vs. Jacksonville | 7 |
| 14 | at New York Jets | 1 |
| 15 | at New England | 3 |
Granted, these ranks will change over time, but as of Week 10, the worst run defense the Titans are set to face in the near future is that of the undefeated Panthers, with the five teams to follow currently ranking in the top third in rush yards allowed.
One reason for optimism would be that the Jaguars and Raiders rank in the bottom third of pass defenses, with Oakland dead last, so it may be that teams are having so much success throwing the ball against them that it doesn't make sense to even try running the ball.
Sunday's win over the Saints was only interim coach Mike Mularkey's first in charge, and also represented QB Marcus Mariota's return from a two-game absence. The Titans have the league's 28th-ranked offense, and while there's a possibility that things will improve in the coming weeks with all the new blood, Cobb isn't stepping into an ideal situation for fantasy success.
The rookie is likely to be eased in with a medium-sized workload, and even if he receives more carries than anticipated, he'll face some difficult matchups on paper. Cobb isn't worth taking a flyer on this Sunday against Carolina, and the following week presents a Thursday game that's excluded from the majority of DFS contests.
Starting in Week 12, though, the question of whether Cobb is a viable fantasy option should be easier to answer.