Who Should I Start? Jamaal Williams or Saquon Barkley

Sunday, January 7, 5:28 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Jamaal Williams saw a team-high 14 carries with Alvin Kamara (ankle) on the shelf, but was largely ineffective as he gained just 26 yards on the ground. The veteran also caught three passes for eight yards. Rather than kneeling and running the clock out after an interception that was returned to the one-yard line with a minute left on the clock, the Saints opted to run Williams into the endzone for his first touchdown of the season. Head coach Dennis Allen apologized to Arthur Smith following the touchdown, which Smith was visibly upset with. Williams and the Saints will now await the result of both the Green Bay and Seattle games to see if their season is extended into Wild Card weekend.

Monday, March 11, 2:57 PM

Free-agent running back Saquon Barkley is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money and has an additional $9 million available in incentives. After a 2018 rookie season that saw the former Penn State star go for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, he has struggled to stay healthy over a chunk of the next five years of his career. He missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 1,312 rushing yards but regressed to 962 yards in 14 games in 2023. However, the Eagles believe in him as a game-changing running back, as his average salary ($12.58 million) ranks only below Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Although the Eagles' offensive line could take a hit after the retirement of Jason Kelce, Barkley should be playing behind the best offensive line of his career in 2024. He will have an immediate high-end RB1 upside in fantasy football.