Week 6 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Phillip Lindsay split time with Deon Jackson last week in relief of the injured Jonathan Taylor. Expect a similar role this week, with Jackson getting the bulk of the work, but Lindsay being busy enough to be relevant. We have him ranked as a low-end RB3 option or deeper flex play.
Week 17 at Tennessee Titans
Phillip Lindsay returned to the lineup last week, and finished with 13 carries for 36 yards with no touchdowns and no targets. He matched Duke Johnson in carries and practically matched him yards, all while Myles Gaskin saw five targets. The Dolphins will likely continue to get all three backs involved, which isn't great when they're all headed into a tough matchup against the Titans. We wouldn't really recommend playing any of them unless you're truly desperate for a flex option.
Week 13 vs. New York Giants
Phillip Lindsay made an impact in his first game with the Dolphins, carrying the ball 12 times for 42 yards. He saw no targets, so he's pretty much filling the Malcolm Brown role in this offense before Brown was placed on IR. While 12 carries seem like a lot, nine of them came on the Dolphins' final two drives of a blowout win over the Panthers. In other words, they weren't overly valuable touches, but rather garbage time touches to run out the clock late in the game. Lindsay shouldn't be viewed as a fantasy asset in Week 13.
Week 11 vs Titans
Phillip Lindsay tied his season-high in Week 9 with eight carries, so maybe Houston is going to turn to him a little more. But he faces a very tough matchup this week against a fierce front seven of Tennessee. Lindsay just cracks our top 50 half-PPR running backs for the week, but you'd have to be quite desperate if you're digging to start Lindsay.
Week 9 vs Dolphins
You'd be in quite the desperation mode if you're forced to start Phillip Lindsay, especially in a PPR league. Lindsay has a whopping three catches on four targets. Best of luck if you're starting any Texans back. Or even having to sit through this game in general.
Week 8 vs Rams
Phillip Lindsay has been sprinkled into the Texans running game from time to time through seven games. He should see more work now that Mark Ingram was traded to New Orleans. Still, Lindsay hasn't even reached 100 rushing yards yet this season and has four games with under 10 yards rushing. He's still behind David Johnson in the pecking order and Rex Burkhead still lurks from time to time as well. Lindsay is a desperation play this week, especially against the Rams.
Fantasy Upside
Phillip Lindsay agreed to a one-year deal with the Texans worth $3.25 million with $1 million guaranteed. Lindsay joins veterans David Johnson and Mark Ingram (along with Buddy Howell and Dontrell Hilliard) on Houston's depth chart. The Texans' running game of Johnson and backup Duke Johnson struggled in 2020 and the Texans' running game was ranked last in the NFL in Football Outsiders' DVOA. Johnson was released earlier in the offseason. Lindsay, who made the Broncos' roster as an undrafted free agent in 2018, rushed for 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns in his rookie season. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl. He followed that up with another 1,000-yard season in 2019, rushing for 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns. Despite his success, the Broncos signed running back Melvin Gordon to a two-year, $16 million contract in free agency the following offseason.
Fantasy Downside
His production dipped to 502 yards and a touchdown in 2020 due to having to share the load with Gordon and a combination of injuries that ultimately landed him on injured reserve.
2021 Bottom Line
Now that Lindsay finds himself in a three-way split, fantasy managers are going to have a difficult time assessing value in advance of the season -- an issue that will likely continue well into the season. But if, at the end of the season, Lindsay is the most productive Texans running back will anybody be shocked?
Week 16 at Los Angeles Chargers
In the loss to the Bills last Saturday, Phillip Lindsay received the same number of carries as Melvin Gordon, 11, but finished with only 45 total yards. The last time he was in the end zone was in the Nov. 1 comeback win versus the Chargers when he rushed for 83 yards. Don’t expect a repeat performance, so Lindsay should remain on your bench for the rematch.
Week 15 vs. Buffalo Bills
In the balanced-attack win against the Panthers last Sunday, Phillip Lindsay was held to only 24 yards on 11 carries. Even though he continues to share the workload with Melvin Gordon, over the past three weeks Lindsay is averaging just over 25 scrimmage yards and hasn’t found pay dirt since Nov. 1. He just hasn’t been producing enough to warrant a fantasy start in this crucial part of your season.
Week 14 at Carolina Panthers
Although he battled a knee injury all week, Phillip Lindsay played at Kansas City last Sunday night but was held to just 26 yards on 14 rushes, as Melvin Gordon was the more productive RB in the loss. In his last five outings, Lindsay hasn’t found the end zone and failed to eclipse 30 yards in four of those contests. Even though the Panthers are average at stopping the run Lindsay is just an RB3/flex option due to his recent lack of productivity.
