Who Should I Start? Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Israel Abanikanda

Wednesday, August 27, 3:31 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs signed running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Carson Steele to their practice squad on Wednesday, sources tell Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest. Edwards-Helaire was released by the New Orleans Saints on roster cutdown day on Tuesday, but he will quickly land on his feet with the team that selected him 32nd overall in 2020 out of LSU. The 26-year-old ran for 803 yards and four touchdowns on 181 carries in his first year in the NFL, but he never came close to matching those numbers over the next four years before KC cut him last season. While CEH probably should be considered a long shot to find a significant backfield role with the Chiefs again, he does bring experience and knowledge of head coach Andy Reid's offense with him. Steele will return after carrying the ball 56 times for 183 yards and no TDs in 17 games in his rookie season in 2024.

Monday, September 9, 7:44 PM

New York Jets running back Israel Abanikanda is a healthy scratch for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener at Levi's Stadium on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Abanikanda enters the 2024 season as the team's RB4 behind starter and bell-cow Breece Hall and rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. As such, the 21-year-old is obviously off the fantasy radar in most single-year leagues for the time being unless injuries push him into a relevant game-day role. The former fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh last year was also buried on the depth chart in his rookie season and finished with 22 carries for 70 yards while catching seven passes for 43 yards in only six games. Abanikanda has breakaway speed but is once again buried on the depth chart and will have to wait for his opportunity beyond Week 1.