Alfred Morris

Week Seventeen Analysis: Heading into the final week of the season, Alfred Morris ranks third in the NFL in carries, and fourth in rushing yards. Not bad for a sixth-round rookie! In his last five games, he's averaged 24 touches for 112 total yards and a score, and his worst fantasy outing over that span was a scoreless 124-yard effort against the Giants. Morris ran for 113 yards and a touchdown against Dallas last month, and while the Cowboys are a neutral opponent in terms of yardage, only four teams have allowed more than the 14 touchdowns they've surrendered to the position. As always, Morris is a rock-solid option.

Week Sixteen Analysis: Slow and steady wins the race. In a week where numerous big-name fantasy stars flopped, Alfred Morris churned out one of his best performances of the year. He touched the ball a career-high 29 times for 93 total yards, and notched his first two-touchdown effort since the opener. In his last four games, he's averaged 113 total yards and a touchdown per contest. Coincidentally, this week's matchup suggests that he'll stay on that identical pace, as the last three starting backs to face Philadelphia have averaged exactly 113 total yards and a score. Morris hasn't dipped below 21 touches in his last five games, so he's one of the safest backs in all of fantasy.

Week Fifteen Analysis: Alfred Morris has quietly been one of the most consistently productive fantasy backs this season. He currently ranks top-five in both rushing attempts and yardage, and he's carried over 21 times for at least 113 yards in each of his last three games. He's also scored in two of those three outings, and there's no reason to think he can't stay hot against a middling Cleveland run defense. The Browns have given up five rushing scores in their last five games, and last week Jamaal Charles became the second back this season to rush for at least 165 yards against them. Expect another strong effort from the blue-collar rookie.

Week Fourteen Analysis: Alfred Morris had really slowed down heading into his bye, but he's now eclipsed 20 touches in each of his three games since. The rookie has rushed for 113 and 124 yards the last two weeks, so the only issue at this point is that he's only scored once in his last six games. Baltimore is a bottom-10 run defense in terms of yardage, but they've allowed just one rushing score in their last five outings, so the yardage trends are favorable and the touchdown trends aren't. All things considered, Morris should push triple-digit yardage, and his hefty workload probably gives him somewhere around a 50-50 chance at a score.

Week Thirteen Analysis: After a month-long skid, Alfred Morris got back on track on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas. Not only did he crack 100 rushing yards for the first time in his last four games, but he also scored for the first time in his last five, and his 24 carries were his highest mark since the opener. While the Giants are average in terms of yardage, they've only given up four touchdowns to the position all season. Morris ran for a season-best 120 yards in the teams' first meeting, so consider him a safe option without a ton of upside.

Week Twelve Analysis: Alfred Morris is trending the wrong direction heading into his Turkey Day showdown with the Cowboys. He's now gone four straight games without a touchdown, and he's averaged an ordinary 15 carries for 70 yards in his last three. Dallas allows just 3.9 yards per carry to opposing backs, but they've ceded six rushing scores in their last six games. Expect the blue collar Morris to chip his way to modest yardage totals, with a solid chance of snapping out of his scoring draught. Just don't expect any pumpkin pie a la mode.

Week Eleven Analysis: The bye week came at a good time for Alfred Morris. In his first seven games, Morris scored five times and averaged 20 touches for 99 combo yards. However, in his last two games before the break, he averaged just 13 touches for a scoreless 68 yards. The rested rookie will look to get back on track this week against a flailing Philadelphia run defense. Over the past three weeks, the Eagles have given up an average of 165 combo yards and a touchdown per game to Falcons, Saints and Cowboys running backs. Morris has logged 78% of the backfield touches for Washington this season, so he should be very productive.

Week Nine Analysis: After scoring five times and averaging 99 combo yards in his first seven NFL games, Alfred Morris finally dropped a clunker in a tough road matchup against the Steelers last week. Clearly, he's earned a pass, and he should get right back on track this week against Carolina. The Panthers are giving up over 172 combo yards per game to opposing backs, and their two worst games of the year came against similar, straight-ahead power backs. Andre Brown totaled 130 combo yards and two scores, and Michael Turner went for 171 and a touchdown.

Week Eight Analysis: After eclipsing 110 rushing yards for the third time in his last four weeks, Alfred Morris now trails Arian Foster by just one yard for the league lead. The rookie has been remarkably consistent regardless of opponent—he's scored and/or posted at least 89 yards in every game this year, so while his ceiling may be a touch lower than other top fantasy backs, his floor continues to be very high. Running backs have scored in four straight games against Pittsburgh, with opposing starters averaging 95 combo yards over that span, so there's absolutely no reason to shy away from Morris this week.

Week Seven Analysis: Through six games, Alfred Morris ranks fourth in both rushing attempts and yardage, and only Arian Foster has scored more than his five rushing touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who was the 54th running back off the board in August mock drafts. This week he'll look to continue his Cinderella season against a Giants run defense that's given up just two touchdowns and 3.8 yards per carry to opposing backs through six weeks. It's a tough matchup, but Alf has proven doubters wrong every single week, including last week when he became the first runner to puncture the Vikings run defense.

Week Six Analysis: This week will be the first real test for Alfred Morris. So far, he has faced four of the leagues' bottom ten rushing defenses along with the Buccaneers who were the worst in the league against the run last year. The Vikings on the other hand have allowed only three running back touchdowns in their last 15 games, and only four backs have topped 75 yards during that span.  Morris has shown enough this year to think he could produce decent numbers, especially with the copious carries he's getting, but he seems unlikely to get to his usual numbers.

Week Five Analysis: About a decade ago, long before Mike Shanahan had earned the dubious title of "The Dark Lord of Fantasy Football," he was using his zone-blocking scheme to turn replacement-level talents into fantasy stars. There was Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Rueben Droughns, and who could forget Quentin Griffin? Through four games, Alfred Morris owners must feel like they're riding shotgun in the DeLorean. The sixth-round rookie ranks third in carries, is averaging a touchdown per game, and has yet to dip below 75 rushing yards. Atlanta is a below-average opponent that's giving up 4.9 yards per carry and a touchdown per game to opposing backs, so keep riding Alf.

Week Four Analysis: Alfred Morris is just a guy, but as one of only four backs with over 60 carries, he's averaging a touchdown per game and churning out modest-yet-consistent yardage—he's rushed for 96, 89 and 78 yards. With Roy Helu placed on I.R., Evan Royster ailing and Ryan Grant adapting, Morris has an absolute stranglehold on the job. Last season, Tampa Bay's bottom-ranked fantasy run defense allowed 5.1 yards per carry to opposing backs, but they've trimmed that number down to a stunning 2.8. Consider this—they've ceded a total of 134 rushing yards this year; opposing backfields eclipsed that three-game mark on nine separate occasions last year. Temper your expectations for Morris.

Week Three Analysis: With RG3 spinning heads, Alfred Morris is taking full advantage of distracted defenses. He's one of only four backs to rush for at least 85 yards in each of his first two games, and while RG3 will poach his share of rushing scores, it looks like there will be plenty to go around in Washington. Cincinnati's defense has given up a pair of scores to both Ray Rice and Trent Richardson, and they've looked completely lost in the process. Of course, any recommendation of a Washington running back comes with the Shanahan Caveat, but Morris looks like a great play this week.

Week Two Analysis: After a whopping 28 carries for 96 yards and a pair of scores in the opener, Mike Shanahan has reconfirmed that Alfred Morris is his starting running back. With a juicy matchup in St. Louis on the docket, the table is set for a classic Shanahan bait and switch. For now, we'll assume that Morris will continue to dominate the workload despite his mundane skillset. St. Louis ranked bottom-three against opposing backs in both yardage and scoring last season, and Kevin Smith totaled 91 yards and a pair of scores in the opener. It's a great matchup for Alf, as long as he's not deactivated or cut Sunday morning.

Week Two Add: There's no such thing as a safe running back in The Dark Lord Of Fantasy Football's stable, but Alfred Morris is the current king of the hill, for whatever that's worth. Morris picked up a whopping 26 carries on Sunday as the Redskins held on to upset the Saints. He chipped in a couple short touchdown runs which is great, but he averaged only 3.4 yards per carry, which is lousy, and definitely keeps the door open for Evan Royster or Roy Helu to make an appearance at an unspecified future date. Free agent running backs with a pulse are hard to find. I'd bid $15 on him, despite the circus in Washington's backfield.

NEXT- #18 BENJARVUS GREEN ELLIS