Who Should I Start? Braelon Allen or Woody Marks

Monday, February 9, 6:45 PM

New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (knee) saw his 2025 season come to an abrupt end after he suffered an MCL sprain back in Week 4. New York left the door open for him to return, but that never came to fruition. He ultimately finished his second pro season with 18 carries, 76 rushing yards, two catches, 17 receiving yards, and one touchdown through parts of four games. It was a frustrating setback for a young ball-carrier who was projected to eat into Breece Hall's workload. While that didn't pan out in 2025, we could still see Allen step into a much larger role next season. Hall is headed for free agency, and if the Jets don't franchise tag him, he could quite possibly sign elsewhere. That would leave Allen and Isaiah Davis, who had 422 yards and one touchdown across 16 games last season, sharing a rung atop the depth chart. The fantasy surge of Allen and Davis hinges on New York letting Hall walk and failing to replace him, which is far from a guarantee. However, there's certainly a path to Allen being a top-36 fantasy running back next season. Managers should pay close attention to the Jets' free agency plans when evaluating the 22-year-old's fantasy future.

Monday, March 2, 6:41 AM

Houston Texans running back Woody Marks saw his outlook worsen on Monday after the team acquired David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions. While it's too early to tell how Marks and Montgomery will split snaps and touches, it's fair to say that the veteran might be the early favorite for the lead-back role. Montgomery had 908 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns last year, ranking as the overall RB27 in PPR leagues. He posted an impressive 4.53 yards per carry, a mark that is significantly higher than Marks' 3.59 YPC as a rookie in 2025. Even with Joe Mixon sidelined and Nick Chubb taking a major step back, Marks was limited to just 911 scrimmage yards, two rushing touchdowns, and three receiving touchdowns. The USC product will continue to offer a change of pace and figures to play passing downs, but he will likely lose an enormous amount of early-down and goal-line work to Montgomery. Entering the 2026 NFL season, Montgomery ranks a bit higher in redraft leagues than dynasty formats due to his age, but he's still a strong RB2 or RB3 in both. Meanwhile, Marks drops to the low-end RB3/flex tier in redraft leagues. If there's any consolation here, Marks could be an intriguing buy-low candidate in dynasty leagues if the trade prompts managers to panic sell.