Who Should I Start? Craig Reynolds or Patrick Taylor Jr.

Thursday, July 31, 11:24 PM

Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds led his team in rushing yards during the team's 34-7 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night. Reynolds finished with 10 carries for 38 yards and one touchdown as a rusher, adding one catch for 10 yards as a receiver. The 29-year-old running back is entering his seventh NFL season and has been with Detroit since 2021. In 34 games for the Lions since the start of 2023, Reynolds has logged 72 carries for 318 yards and one touchdown. He appears to be fairly locked into the RB3 role in Detroit behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Reynolds would need an injury to one of those two backs to be relevant in fantasy, and even then, he would likely be a fringe flex option at best.

Sunday, August 10, 5:35 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. scored the team's first points of the preseason on Saturday. Taylor ran it into the end zone from five yards out to seal the deal on the Niners' first drive. The touchdown ended up being the 49ers' only offensive score in their 30-9 loss to the Broncos. The fifth year back was otherwise unimpressive, finishing the game with seven yards on five carries. He also caught his sole target of the game for a four-yard gain. Taylor ranks fourth on San Francisco's early depth chart but drew the start with coach Kyle Shanahan opting to preserve Christian McCaffrey's health, and with fellow backs Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and Jordan James (finger) already ailing and expected to miss multiple weeks. Taylor will have to overcome this week's inefficiencies when the 49ers face the Las Vegas Raiders next week if he wants to maintain his position.