Bell Cow Updates: RB Touch Leaders and Largest Projected Workloads for Week 7

Bye weeks are necessary, but damn, they suck!

The players get some much-needed rest. Fantasy managers? We’re digging through the waiver wire, trying to convince ourselves somebody is worth starting.

This is supposed to be fun, right?

But this is where seasons can turn. Finding the right replacement can do more than get you through a bye week. It can help you win your league.

Still… we should get to slide one stud on a bye into our FLEX and collect half his season scoring average.

No? Just me?

Fine. But that got me thinking about the points we expect from our studs and what happens when they don’t deliver.

Ahem, Bijan Robinson!

By his standards, it’s been two straight disappointing weeks. Is a Week 7 bounce back coming? More about him later. For now, let’s talk about

RB Touch Leaders and Largest Projected Workloads for Week 7

Tony Pollard | RB | TEN

Mentioning Tony Pollard in fantasy football these days is usually met with hostility.

And rightfully so!

Pollard has taken plenty of strays, and playing on the league's worst offense hasn't helped. But despite the ugly production, the opportunities haven't disappeared.

Since his eight-touch Week 1 performance, Pollard hasn't received fewer than 14 opportunities in a game.

Now, about those Cleveland Browns.

Pollard has scored in both career meetings, including last season when he delivered his fourth-highest fantasy point total ever.

But forget the touchdowns. We're hunting volume!

Pollard had 25 carries that day, the second-most of his career.

Cleveland allows just over 22 rushing attempts per game, and Pollard leads Tennessee's backfield in touches.

Maybe, just maybe, the Titans realize feeding Pollard beats relying on that struggling passing attack.

I'm not expecting fireworks, but with bye weeks here, Pollard deserves FLEX consideration.

Stud alert! No, not me… but these next two are players you are always starting on your fantasy lineups.

Starting with.

Bijan Robinson | RB | ATL

Nothing good comes from underusing an elite talent like Bijan Robinson. Week 6 was another reminder.

In his five games with fewer than nine carries, Robinson has averaged just 4.9 PPR points.

Five games too many, if you ask me.

Now comes a showdown with his friend and favorite RB, Christian McCaffrey. But Atlanta needs more than extra motivation.

The Falcons need sustained drives to keep San Francisco’s dangerous offense on the sideline.

The 49ers allow 23.6 carries per game to opposing RBs, the ninth-most in the NFL. Keep this competitive, commit to Robinson, and a 20-plus-touch day is within reach.

Fantasy managers need those touches back. Talent isn’t the question.

I’m betting on a Week 7 bounce-back. Keep Robinson locked into your RB1 spot.

Give the man the damn football!

Christian McCaffrey | RB | SF

It’s still too early for the 49ers to scale back Christian McCaffrey’s touches, even if the wins keep piling up.

And stop with the Kaelon Black talk.

The rookie has given McCaffrey a useful breather, but he hasn’t topped 10 carries since Week 1. That’s help, folks. It doesn’t mean McCaffrey’s workload is going anywhere.

As San Francisco builds a cushion in the standings, it still needs its best player. With injuries piling up in the 49ers’ WR room, his receiving work becomes even more valuable.

McCaffrey caught a season-high nine passes in Week 6. Nine! That’s a beautiful thing in PPR formats.

San Francisco has every reason to keep him involved through the air. Black might handle a few carries, but McCaffrey should still do the heavy lifting.

Keep him locked into your RB1 spot. Those catches are the cherry on top of a bell-cow workload.