Who Should I Start? Jacob Saylors or Brashard Smith
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.9 | 14.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 0.0 |
Jacob Saylors News
Saturday, September 5, 8:33 AM
Detroit Lions running back Jacob Saylors runs hard and "has earned the trust of the coaching staff" for his play on offense and special teams during training camp, according to Tim Twentyman of the team's official website. Saylors led the team in total scrimmage yards during the preseason (31 carries for 187 yards and five catches for 40 yards) and could be in the mix to return kicks on special teams if he is active on game days. The chances of Saylors being active for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season went way up when the Lions placed Isiah Pacheco (back) on Injured Reserve to start the year. All-Pro RB Jahmyr Gibbs will handle the lion's share of backfield work, but Saylors could open his second year in the NFL as the No. 2 over Sione Vaki. The former undrafted free agent out of East Carolina appeared in 16 games for the Lions as a rookie in 2025, but he only had two carries for 11 yards on offense. Even with an elevated role to open his sophomore campaign, Saylors is only in consideration as a handcuff option for Gibbs in deeper leagues.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.3 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
Brashard Smith News
Saturday, August 29, 12:25 AM
Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith led all players with 16 carries for 72 yards in the 9-9 tie with the Seattle Seahawks. No other back on the Chiefs received double-digit carries or eclipsed 50 yards on the ground in the contest. Smith also caught his only target of the night for a loss of five yards. Although Smith ended the game with the most touches, all five of the first running back opportunities went to rookie Emmett Johnson. Smith is currently ranked fourth on the Kansas City running back depth chart, so this game may be the only time we see him get double-digit opportunities this season. Fantasy managers may be better off looking elsewhere for running back depth in 2026.
Jacob Saylors vs. Brashard Smith
Still trying to decide between Saylors and Smith? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Jacob Saylors is projected to score 2.9 points this week while Brashard Smith is projected to score 2.3 points.
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