Who Should I Start? James Conner or Chase Brown

Saturday, September 7, 5:33 AM

When the Arizona Cardinals open their season on Sunday, it will mark running back James Conner's eighth as a pro, and his fourth with the team. Since joining the Cardinals in 2021, Conner has the eleventh-most carries in the league despite missing seven games due to injury over the last two seasons and starting only six games in 2021. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing recently told the media that Conner is "the bell cow in that room," signaling he will maintain his role despite rookie Trey Benson's presence on the depth chart. In 2023, Conner turned in his first 1,000-yard season and finished with the third-most rushing yards per game (80.0). The Buffalo Bills have a stout defense but last season had a weakness against running backs, allowing 4.4 yards per carry (eighth-worst in the NFL) and 6.33 yards per target (fourth-worst) to the position. Conner can be started as a solid RB2 option in Week 1.

Friday, September 6, 9:41 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown ran for 179 yards off 44 carries in his rookie season, adding 14 grabs for 156 yards and a touchdown. With Joe Mixon now in Houston, many anticipate the 24-year-old will be more involved than ever. Granted, Cincinnati signed Zack Moss to a two-year deal this offseason, so he'll also be on the field. However, there's a good chance both players will split carries equally out of the backfield throughout the 2024-25 campaign. With that in mind, the Bengals will begin the year with a Week 1 matchup versus the New England Patriots. But Ja'Marr Chase (not injury-related) and Tee Higgins (hamstring) may not suit up. If that's the case, Brown deserves flex consideration in every fantasy format, considering he may see more carries and targets from Joe Burrow.