Who Should I Start? Antonio Gibson or Trey Benson

Wednesday, September 18, 7:07 PM

New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson has emerged as an intriguing fantasy option ahead of his Week 3 clash against the New York Jets. Gibson was particularly productive last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, rushing for 96 yards on 11 carries. Typically viewed as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, Gibson has been almost exclusively used on the ground with the Patriots this season. He offers great burst and change of pace behind lead back Rhamondre Stevenson. The big concern with Gibson is playing time. He registered a dozen touches last week, but he only played 24 percent of offensive snaps. It's difficult to play less than one-quarter of the snaps and have consistent fantasy relevance. Nevertheless, Gibson proved last week that he's capable of producing fantasy points, putting him on the radar as a fringe top-36 running back this week. Interestingly, for perhaps the first time in his career, he might rank higher in standard leagues than in PPR formats.

Saturday, September 14, 4:14 AM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson had as quiet of a debut as they come in the team's season opener last week against the Bills. The third-round pick out of Florida State saw just three rushing attempts to James Conner's 16. Benson gained 13 yards on the ground and caught one pass for another five yards. The rookie didn't take the field until the Cardinals' third drive and was outsnapped by fellow backup Emari Demercado, 14 to eight. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing referred to Conner as the team's "bell cow" in comments to the media ahead of Week 1 and there's little reason to believe they will move away from him in Week 2. Benson is still worth stashing in case the injury bug bites or the team starts utilizing their backs differently, but he should be on fantasy benches on Sunday against the Rams.