Who Should I Start? Antonio Gibson or Kyle Monangai

Monday, February 23, 11:28 AM

The New England Patriots released running back Antonio Gibson (knee) on Monday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. Gibson had a lost season in 2025 with New England, suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 5. The 27-year-old finished with a career-low 25 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown in his five games last year in his second season with the Pats. He'll head to the open market this offseason, most likely searching for a depth role in the backfield. Gibson's lone 1,000-yard season in the NFL came in his second year in the league in 2021 with the Washington Commanders. Since his first two years in the league, Gibson has struggled to be productive, gaining a total of 1,455 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns on 359 carries over four seasons. Gibson also has experience as a return man on special teams, which will make him more attractive on the open market.

Friday, February 6, 10:20 AM

A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai entered his rookie season without much fanfare. However, the 23-year-old impressed in his first campaign, recording 947 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games. Monangai showcased impressive efficiency as a rusher, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. As the season progressed, Monangai was able to steal more and more work away from established Bears RB1 D'Andre Swift. Including the postseason, Monangai recorded at least 11 touches in eight out of his final 10 games. From Week 11 through the end of the regular season, neither Monangai nor Swift played more than 59% or fewer than 41% of Chicago's offensive snaps in any contest. In 2026, Swift will be playing on the final season of his current contract. While the two backs project to share backfield work in the short term, Monangai may have done enough as a rookie for the team to feel confident in him as its long-term answer at running back. Monangai's fantasy value in dynasty formats should be on the rise after his encouraging 2025 season.