Who Should I Start? Dare Ogunbowale or Jordan James

Tuesday, December 16, 1:31 PM

Houston Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale has largely been a special-teamer during his nine-year career, but he has seen more work as a runner in the past two weeks. With Nick Chubb (ribs) and Woody Marks (knee) dealing with injuries, Ogunbowale scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 14. He handled a season-high eight touches in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, with five carries for two yards and three receptions (four targets) for 32 yards as a receiver. The 31-year-old was in just a complementary role after Marks exited against the Cardinals, though, with second-year running back Jawhar Jordan seeing the bulk of the carries. Jordan handled 15 carries for 101 yards, becoming the first Texans running back to go over the century mark in rushing yards this season. Ogunbowale profiles as the receiving back if Chubb and Marks remain unavailable in Week 16 against the Raiders, limiting his fantasy appeal to just deeper PPR leagues.

Tuesday, February 17, 9:22 AM

The Athletic's Vic Tafur writes that it seems as though the San Francisco 49ers "have big plans" for second-year running back Jordan James. Brian Robinson Jr. had a nice season as the backup to star RB Christian McCaffrey, carrying the ball 92 times for 400 yards and two touchdowns in 17 regular-season games, but the 26-year-old will be a free agent in March. James, 21, was taken in the fifth round out of Oregon last year, but he played in only three games and didn't have a single touch out of the backfield. Isaac Guerendo is an obvious cut candidate, but James probably will only see a significant role in San Fran's backfield in 2026 if Robinson walks in free agency. James was a healthy scratch for the first 14 games of the 2025 season and only played on special teams to close out the year. If Robinson isn't back next season, James will be an obvious handcuff for the oft-injured CMC.