Who Should I Start? Brian Robinson Jr. or Trey Benson

Tuesday, December 30, 9:27 PM

Across 16 games this season, San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. has recorded 90 carries for 391 yards and two touchdowns. The 26-year-old has spent the entirety of 2025 in a secondary role behind star 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who leads the NFL with 399 touches heading into the team's Week 18 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Robinson Jr. has been fairly efficient when given the opportunity so far this season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He's also proven to be a productive lead back at certain points in his career, recording 2,720 rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns across 57 career NFL games. However, his production upside in San Francisco is firmly capped as long as McCaffrey remains healthy. Robinson Jr. should not be on fantasy radars heading into Week 18.

Wednesday, December 10, 12:00 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) will not be activated off Injured Reserve for the team's Week 15 matchup against the Houston Texans, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Since Benson will not return within his 21-day activation window, he will revert to season-ending IR and will not be eligible to return in 2025. Benson suffered a knee injury in Week 4 that was serious enough to land him on IR, but was not thought at the time to be season-ending. It's unclear whether the 23-year-old suffered a setback once his activation window was opened, or if the 3-10 Cardinals are simply choosing to be cautious with their potential running back of the future. Either way, Benson should now be completely off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the remainder of 2025. His absence ups the value of Cardinals running backs Bam Knight and Michael Carter, who should continue to see the majority of the team's backfield snaps. Emari Demercado (ankle) could play a role in Arizona as well once he returns from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since Week 11.