Who Should I Start? Isaac Guerendo or Michael Wiley

Monday, January 6, 10:31 PM

An MRI exam on Monday morning revealed that San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (ankle, knee) suffered an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain in the loss to the division-rival Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to a source. Guerendo will have plenty of time to heal up in the offseason, and the best news is that he didn't suffer any damage to his ACL. Both of the injuries are to his left leg. The 24-year-old fourth-round pick didn't see much of an opportunity in 2024 until late in the season when both Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) were ruled out for the year, but when he did get his chances, he was pretty effective out of the Niners' backfield. Guerendo finished with 5.0 yards per carry for 420 yards and four TDs on 84 carries through 16 games. He should serve as valuable insurance for McCaffrey in 2025.

Sunday, August 25, 11:26 PM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Michael Wiley tallied 26 yards on the ground with a rushing score on Sunday evening. This was his second rushing score of the preseason, and he ran for 67 yards over the past three weeks. Wiley joined the Commanders as an undrafted free agent this offseason and could have earned a spot on the final roster, given his strong performance on Sunday. The Arizona product may eventually slot in as the No. 3 or 4 option on the depth chart as Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. have fallen short of expectations this preseason. Wiley remains a name to watch in deeper leagues but will likely not be fantasy-relevant during his rookie campaign.