Who Should I Start? Israel Abanikanda or Jawhar Jordan

Monday, September 9, 7:44 PM

New York Jets running back Israel Abanikanda is a healthy scratch for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener at Levi's Stadium on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Abanikanda enters the 2024 season as the team's RB4 behind starter and bell-cow Breece Hall and rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. As such, the 21-year-old is obviously off the fantasy radar in most single-year leagues for the time being unless injuries push him into a relevant game-day role. The former fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh last year was also buried on the depth chart in his rookie season and finished with 22 carries for 70 yards while catching seven passes for 43 yards in only six games. Abanikanda has breakaway speed but is once again buried on the depth chart and will have to wait for his opportunity beyond Week 1.

Sunday, January 18, 2:00 PM

Houston Texans running back Jawhar Jordan is a healthy inactive for the Divisional Round contest on Sunday against the New England Patriots, according to the team's official website. Jordan suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts and didn't play in the Wild-Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. The 26-year-old returned to practice this week, though, and was eventually removed from Friday's final injury report. Jordan took over RB2 duties from veteran Nick Chubb late in the year, but Chubb will handle backup duties behind rookie Woody Marks in New England on Sunday. Chubb had double-digit carries (10) against the Steelers for the first time since Nov. 2, but a lot of his work came in garbage time in the second half in the 30-6 blowout win. Fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting Chubb to handle much volume against the Pats.