Who Should I Start? Craig Reynolds or Patrick Taylor

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.

Sunday, January 5, 10:09 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. produced well filling in for rookie Isaac Guerendo (knee), who was carted off the field in the first quarter. The former Memphis Tiger took 17 carries for a career-high 109 yards and caught one of four targets for 12 yards through the air. Taylor Jr. looked much better on Sunday than in any other of his limited opportunities in 2024 with physical, one-cut running. The fact that he got any game time at all this year was an improbability in the preseason, as he had four running backs ahead of him on the depth chart before they all went down with injuries at various times. Taylor Jr. finishes the year with 39 carries for 183 yards and one touchdown. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.