Who Should I Start? Elijah Mitchell or Kyle Monangai

Friday, September 5, 7:20 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Elijah Mitchell is a healthy inactive for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Friday night in Brazil against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN. It's bad news for Mitchell heading into his first year with the Chiefs, as it looks like he's the RB4 to open the year, behind starter Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith. The 27-year-old was getting some first-team reps early in training camp, but that was a long time ago in late July. Mitchell signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with KC in the offseason after spending his first three NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. In his three years in the Bay Area, the former sixth-rounder in 2021 out of Louisiana averaged 4.7 yards per tote on 327 rush attempts for 1,523 yards and nine touchdowns (five in his rookie season).

Saturday, December 13, 7:49 PM

Chicago Bears rookie running back Kyle Monangai has taken on a significant role in the team's backfield over the second half of the season. The rookie seventh-rounder posted only one game with more than 10 carries over the first eight weeks of the season, but has cleared that mark in five out of six games since Week 9. Monangai has working in tandem with D'Andre Swift and has been a key part of one of the best rushing attacks in the league. The workloads between the two backs have been similar since Week 9, with Monangai averaging 16.3 touches per game to Swift at 16.6. Swift earns more work as a receiver, while Monangai's bruising running style has granted him more opportunities near the goal line. The Rutgers product has a tough matchup on Sunday against a stout Cleveland Browns run defense, but Monangai can still be viewed as a viable flex play in Week 15.