Who Should I Start? Israel Abanikanda or Tank Bigsby

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.

Friday, December 20, 11:15 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby is a flex option at best in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Bigsby was demoted to a backup role behind Travis Etienne Jr. in Week 15, making it hard to trust him in fantasy going forward. The Raiders do serve as a good matchup and potentially an unusually positive game script for the Jaguars, meaning both Bigsby and Etienne Jr. could get plenty of carries to succeed in fantasy. However, Mac Jones has been volatile at quarterback since replacing injured starter Trevor Lawrence, making it hard to trust the Jaguars offense as a whole. Given Bigsby can't be counted on for consistent volume, he is nothing more than a risky flex play despite a good matchup with the Raiders in Week 16.