Who Should I Start? Emari Demercado or Tahj Brooks

Saturday, October 4, 12:28 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado should be in line for a significant workload increase in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, with Cardinals running backs James Conner (ankle) and Trey Benson (knee) both on Injured Reserve. However, Demercado still figures to split playing time with Arizona backs Michael Carter and Bam Knight. On the plus side, all three Cardinals running backs have a favorable matchup against a Tennessee run defense that has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL so far in 2025. Demercado has recorded 751 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns on 125 total touches across 31 career games with Arizona. In Week 5, he profiles as a high-end RB3/flex option for fantasy managers.

Saturday, September 13, 3:20 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Tahj Brooks didn't log an offensive snap in the Week 1 win over the Browns. Most assumed the rookie would have at least a small role in the offense. However, that didn't happen in the AFC North clash with Cleveland, with Samaje Perine getting 13 snaps and Chase Brown leading the way with 39. Without question, Brown was expected to get most of the work out of the backfield for the Bengals this season. That likely won't change unless he goes down with an injury. Brooks should get some snaps moving forward, but he has a long way to go before earning a spot in redraft lineups, including for the Week 2 meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars. On the other hand, he's at least worth stashing on dynasty rosters.