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Go with Carlos Hyde over C.J. Anderson in fantasy drafts

San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) carries in front of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Kyle Wilber (51) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Now that we’re a dozen head-to-head matchups in, including nine on wide receivers, I thought it was a good time to return to a different position. After putting a poll on Twitter, the results of who you wanted to hear about were clear.

Today we will be looking at two of the most polarizing players in all of fantasy football at the running back position — Carlos Hyde vs. C.J. Anderson. Whether it be his massive breakout performance in Week 1 last year, or the fact that Chip Kelly is now his head coach, Hyde has gained some steam in the fantasy community and is being drafted as an RB2.

But Anderson has a resume of solid play, when he actually gets the ball. The problem with him has been usage since his breakout in the second half of the 2014 season.

Will Anderson get enough carries to sneak into RB1 territory, or will it be a similar situation to what it was in 2015? Can Chip Kelly turn Hyde into a consistent option, despite being on a bad overall team? Let’s get these questions answered, and more importantly, find out why Carlos Hyde is the (slightly) better option for your fantasy team.

Volume

Let’s not dance around it — volume is everything to today’s running back. Of the top 11 running backs last year, 10 of them averaged more than 15 touches per game. The only one who didn’t was David Johnson, and he scored a touchdown every 12.4 touches, which is just out of this world.

Looking at Hyde, there are not enough people talking about the likely increase of plays for this offense and what they mean to him. While some are questioning how much Shaun Draughn will be involved, Hyde can succeed even if Draughn gets some extended playing time.

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