Who Should I Start? Demond Claiborne or Seth McGowan

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
1.5 7.1 0.1 0.3 2.1 0.0

Demond Claiborne News

Demond Claiborne Drawing Rave Reviews from Vikings Camp

Saturday, July 25, 7:31 AM

Minnesota Vikings "executives, coaches, and teammates quietly raved" about rookie running back Demond Claiborne's movement skills this spring, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. A sixth-round pick out of Wake Forest, Claiborne recorded 2,350 scrimmage yards and 23 touchdowns across his final 24 games for the Demon Deacons. He enters 2026 firmly behind veterans Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason on the team's running back depth chart and may even be behind Zavier Scott for Minnesota's RB3 job. However, neither Jones Sr. nor Mason is under contract with the Vikings beyond 2026. Claiborne profiles as the highest-upside athlete of the Minnesota running backs. If he can prove himself capable of handling the finer points of the running back position, Claiborne could carve out a role in the Vikings' backfield sooner rather than later.

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
1.4 6.5 0.1 0.3 1.9 0.0

Seth McGowan News

Seth McGowan Needs the RB2 Job to Matter

Friday, July 24, 11:59 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan has a simple path to fantasy relevance: beat DJ Giddens for the job behind Jonathan Taylor. The seventh-round rookie ran for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns at Kentucky, with another 126 yards on 19 catches. There is some appeal here. McGowan has the size for short-yardage work, and Taylor handled 323 carries last season. The problem is that Indianapolis has not promised meaningful weekly touches to its backup, and Giddens owns better draft capital after going in the fifth round a year earlier. RotoBaller still has McGowan at rookie RB11, but neither Colts reserve is being drafted inside the top 70 backs. That makes McGowan a deep dynasty stash, not a redraft sleeper. Until he wins the RB2 job, he is mostly an insurance bet with no standalone value.

Demond Claiborne vs. Seth McGowan

Still trying to decide between Claiborne and McGowan? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Demond Claiborne is projected to score 1.5 points this week while Seth McGowan is projected to score 1.4 points.