Who Should I Start? A.J. Dillon or Kyle Monangai

Wednesday, July 23, 9:39 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back AJ Dillon was seen taking first team reps during the first day of training camp on Wednesday. It's only the beginning of camp, but it is interesting to see Dillon getting first team snaps over Will Shipley. Dillon was brought in on a one-year deal this offseason to replace Kenneth Gainwell who departed in free agency. Dillon did not play last season due to a neck injury, but appears to be at full health again. He posted three seasons with 600 rushing yards or more during his time with the Green Bay Packers. The 27-year-old is certainly capable of being a viable backup to Saquon Barkley. Neither Dillon nor Shipley figure to have weekly value with Barkley healthy, but both could be on the radar if Barkley ever misses time. Whoever wins the backup job could be a solid stash option.

Monday, September 15, 5:31 PM

Chicago Bears rookie running back Kyle Monangai logged seven carries for 28 yards and added one catch for eight yards in the team's 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions. More importantly, Monangai appeared to leapfrog Roschon Johnson in the backfield rotation, playing 41% of the snaps while Johnson saw zero offensive snaps. Most of Monangai's work came in garbage time with quarterback Tyson Bagent, but head coach Ben Johnson singled him out as one of three players who impressed in the loss. There's even speculation that Monangai could start carving into D'Andre Swift's workload as the season progresses. For now, Monangai looks locked in as Chicago's RB2 and should be stashed in deeper formats. If his role continues to grow, he could emerge as a fantasy sleeper with contingent upside.