Who Should I Start? Dare Ogunbowale or Kyle Monangai

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.

Friday, February 6, 10:20 AM

A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai entered his rookie season without much fanfare. However, the 23-year-old impressed in his first campaign, recording 947 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games. Monangai showcased impressive efficiency as a rusher, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. As the season progressed, Monangai was able to steal more and more work away from established Bears RB1 D'Andre Swift. Including the postseason, Monangai recorded at least 11 touches in eight out of his final 10 games. From Week 11 through the end of the regular season, neither Monangai nor Swift played more than 59% or fewer than 41% of Chicago's offensive snaps in any contest. In 2026, Swift will be playing on the final season of his current contract. While the two backs project to share backfield work in the short term, Monangai may have done enough as a rookie for the team to feel confident in him as its long-term answer at running back. Monangai's fantasy value in dynasty formats should be on the rise after his encouraging 2025 season.