Who Should I Start? DeeJay Dallas or Patrick Taylor

Friday, December 20, 3:14 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back DeeJay Dallas (undisclosed) was added to the final injury report on Friday for Week 16 action and is considered questionable to play on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Rookie Trey Benson (ankle) has already been ruled out, and Emari Demercado (back) was placed on Injured Reserve, so starter James Conner is now the only healthy RB on the team's roster at the moment. At this point, it would be a surprise if Arizona didn't promote both Michael Carter and Tony Jones from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster for the weekend. The 26-year-old Dallas had a season-high four carries for 15 yards in last week's win over the New England Patriots with Benson getting injured. Even if Dallas manages to get the green light to play on Sunday in Carolina, he will not have any standalone fantasy appeal.

Friday, December 20, 10:01 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. is expected to draw his first career start filling in for the ruled-out rookie Isaac Guerendo (foot, hamstring) in Miami on Sunday. With Guerendo healthy enough to play, the undrafted 26-year-old Taylor Jr. received neither touch nor target in last week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The last time Taylor was involved was in Week 14 versus Chicago when he took seven carries for 25 yards, one touchdown, and one unfulfilled target. On the surface, Taylor Jr. may seem like a must-start since head coach Kyle Shanahan always rides his lead back heavily, but it's appropriate to temper expectations. If one includes Elijah Mitchell -- who was ruled out for the year in the preseason -- San Francisco is down to their fifth-string running back whose career YPC (3.9) is significantly below all four backs ahead of him. As a result, Shanahan may be compelled to use some combination of Taylor Jr., Israel Abanikanda, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Taylor Jr. is also less likely than his injured teammates to produce as a receiver. Miami's D is ranked 14th in running back half-PPR points against. The talent and usage questions place Taylor Jr. firmly in RB3/FLEX territory, even in a decent matchup.