Who Should I Start? Craig Reynolds or Phil Mafah

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.

Wednesday, December 17, 4:56 PM

The Dallas Cowboys announced on Wednesday that they have opened the 21-day practice window for rookie running back Phil Mafah (shoulder). Mafah has missed his entire first season in the NFL so far due to a shoulder injury that landed him on Injured Reserve in August. The 23-year-old will return to practice this week, though, and he could be in play to join the Cowboys offense in the final three weeks of the season. The Clemson product would provide insurance in Dallas' backfield, but he probably wouldn't be anything more than the RB3 behind Javonte Williams and Malik Davis if he plays to close out the 2025 campaign. The Cowboys must officially activate Mafah from IR if they want him active this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mafah had 1,115 rushing yards, 103 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns in his final year in college in 2024.