Who Should I Start? James Conner or Jonathan Taylor

Saturday, September 14, 2:55 AM

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner put up 83 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. He will look to do more of the same on Sunday in the Cardinals' home opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Fears that he might lose work to rookie Trey Benson were assuaged last week as Conner handled 16 of Arizona's 20 handoffs and was on the field for 67% of offensive snaps compared to Benson's 13% share. The Rams had one of the toughest run defenses in the league in 2023 but no longer have Aaron Donald anchoring their line. In Week 1, they gave up 131 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to the Lions. Conner should be locked into fantasy lineups this week and can be expected to put up another RB1 performance.

Monday, September 9, 1:14 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor ran the ball 16 times for 48 yards and a touchdown in the team's loss to the Houston Texans. Taylor was not involved in the receiving game, getting zero targets through the air. Taylor struggled to breakthrough at just three yards a carry, but did receive the full workload as he was the only running back to see any carries. QB Anthony Richardson led the way on the ground for the Colts, rushing for 56 yards and a touchdown on six attempts. While it is encouraging to see Taylor get high-end usage, his inefficiency and lack of receiving work paired with Richardson's rushing upside did limit him in the contest. Taylor will look to bounce back next week when the Colts take on the Packers, a team that let Saquon Barkley rush for over 100 yards and three touchdowns in their Week 1 matchup. Fantasy managers can start Taylor with confidence in next week's matchup as an RB1 hopeful.