Who Should I Start? Emari Demercado or Brashard Smith

Friday, September 26, 9:44 AM

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado had four touches for 21 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals' Thursday night loss to the Seahawks. His score came by a seven-yard reception to tie the score at 20 with 28 seconds to go before eventually falling to the Seattle Seahawks 23-20. Demarcado had two rush attempts and two receptions, and Trey Benson operated as the team's primary running back on Thursday with James Conner (foot) out for the season. Demercado mostly found himself in the game on third downs and in the two-minute offense. With the Cardinals down by a few scores in the fourth quarter, he played a decent amount late in the game, which ultimately led to a touchdown. Demercado is expected to remain involved, but not to the extent that it can provide standalone PPR value. Fantasy managers will want to look elsewhere for production, as Demarcado's looking like a handcuff to Benson, at best.

Monday, September 29, 11:51 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith rushed for nine yards on four carries, adding another 27 through the air on 3-of-4 receiving in Week 4's 37-20 win against the Baltimore Ravens. He also returned two kicks for 55 additional yards. The rookie was finally utilized more in the passing game on Sunday, and played considerably more snaps than he had in his first three appearances. At least for this past weekend, Isiah Pacheco took the biggest hit in workload, getting the SMU product involved. Smith doesn't profile as a short-yardage banger, so it's challenging to assume that he'll eventually take on all aspects of Kansas City's ground attack. That said, if the 22-year-old continues to perform well in his receiving role, there could be some low-end PPR value here. He's a dynasty buy if you can acquire him at a reasonable price.