Who Should I Start? Emari Demercado or Isaac Guerendo

Thursday, November 21, 9:50 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (shoulder) was limited in practice for the second straight day on Thursday. This is now back-to-back limited sessions which puts Demercado's status in danger ahead of the Week 12 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. He hasn't been a huge piece to the offense with only three carries last week. However, Demercado recorded 59 rushing yards and a touchdown versus the Chicago Bears earlier this month. Despite that, Demercado remains the third string back and won't have much streaming appeal even if healthy this weekend.

Monday, October 28, 1:19 AM

San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo took over for Jordan Mason (shoulder) and performed well in a 30-24 Week 8 home victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. After Mason left in the first half, Guerendo took almost all of the backfield carries, finishing with 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. The performance solidified Guerendo as a viable fantasy starter when given the chance. In two games this year with Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) and Mason out, Guerendo has taken 24 carries for 184 yards and a touchdown with minimal backfield competition from the fourth-string Patrick Taylor Jr. However, Guerendo's fantasy value as a handcuff is likely to crash on the other side of a Week 9 bye as both Mason and McCaffrey could return for a Week 10 trip to Tampa Bay. For as good as Guerendo has looked, San Francisco's rushing game has strictly supported one running back in fantasy dating back to 2023.