Who Should I Start? Craig Reynolds or Jermar Jefferson

Monday, January 6, 1:13 AM

Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds rushed eight times for 39 yards during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He also commanded two targets but was unable to haul in either pass. The 28-year-old has looked like a solid change-of-pace option in three games since David Montgomery (knee) went down, bringing his season totals to 139 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards. He remains a valuable backup for the Lions and handcuff for fantasy managers, but he can't be started in fantasy football as long as Jahmyr Gibbs is healthy. The highly anticipated return of Montgomery soon would also impact Reynolds, dropping him to third on the depth chart. At the moment, he's not on the fantasy radar for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.

Tuesday, December 31, 9:23 AM

Detroit Lions running back Jermar Jefferson was given just three attempts during their victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday evening. However, all three attempts were within the San Francisco ten-yard line. With David Montgomery (knee) sidelined, Jahmyr Gibbs has been deployed as the workhorse option in this backfield, but with the Lions having little to play for regarding their position in the standings, they opted to give Gibbs occasional rest on Monday evening. While Gibbs still finished the game with 18 attempts and four targets, he would have likely been given this goal line work in a must-win situation. Instead, Jefferson was given some high-value touches but could not punch in any of them as he finished with just nine total yards. In addition, Jefferson saw four fewer carries than the presumed No.2 option, Craig Reynolds. Fantasy managers should expect Gibbs to take on a three-down role during Week 18 and throughout the entire postseason, leaving just a handful of attempts for Jefferson and Reynolds.