Who Should I Start? Ameer Abdullah or Kimani Vidal

Monday, August 11, 8:41 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have placed running back Ameer Abdullah (ribs) on season-ending injured reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Abdullah, who just joined the 49ers as a free agent on July 31, suffered a rib injury in a preseason-opening 30-9 loss to the Denver Broncos this past Saturday. While the 32-year-old was unlikely to make much of an impact this season (if any), it's another hit to San Francisco's depth in the backfield. The team is already set to go multiple weeks without injured Christian McCaffrey backups Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and Jordan James (finger). The 49ers brought back Jeff Wilson Jr. in free agency on Sunday in the wake of Abdullah's injury to provide some much-needed healthy depth behind McCaffrey.

Friday, October 24, 12:17 AM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal totaled 23 carries, 117 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown during Thursday's Week 8 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He also caught one of his two targets for an additional 10 receiving yards. The 24-year-old capitalized on a positive game script and turned in a high-volume, high-efficiency performance on primetime. He has been quite effective since taking over for Omarion Hampton (ankle), averaging 16.7 rushing attempts, 2.7 receptions, 100 scrimmage yards, and 0.7 touchdowns per game over the last three weeks. Los Angeles is rumored to have serious interest in an external running back addition, but until that comes to fruition, Vidal will remain the Bolts' lead back. He has firmly established himself as the preferred option over Hassan Haskins, who had just one carry for three yards on Thursday Night Football.