Who Should I Start? De'Von Achane or Chase Brown

Thursday, January 1, 11:12 PM

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (shoulder) missed a second straight practice on Thursday due to a shoulder injury, per the team's official website. Achane is firmly up in the air to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival New England Patriots, unless he can return to the practice field on Friday. Not having the 24-year-old available this weekend would be a huge blow to fantasy managers still competing for a championship, as Achane is the RB6 in half-PPR scoring this year, with 1,350 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 238 carries in 16 games. He's added 67 receptions for another 488 yards and four touchdowns through the air. If Achane is not cleared, Jaylen Wright would be a plug-and-play RB2 in fantasy football, with rookie Ollie Gordon II also seeing an increased role in Miami's backfield as the backup.

Thursday, January 1, 3:04 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (illness) was not seen at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday due to an illness, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. It's the second straight day of practice that Brown has missed this week, leaving fantasy managers to wonder if he'll play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Cleveland Browns. We'll know more about the 25-year-old's status on Friday. If the Bengals hold Brown out in a meaningless game this weekend, Samaje Perine and rookie Tahj Brooks would split the work in Cincy's backfield in a less-than-ideal matchup against Cleveland. There's plenty of personal incentive for Brown to play in Week 18, though, as he currently sits at 947 rushing yards on the season. Brown is probably plenty motivated to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career.