Who Should I Start? Jarquez Hunter or Woody Marks

Saturday, September 6, 2:33 PM

Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter is an intriguing dynasty stash given his draft capital, but he lacks short-term fantasy value. As a result, he can be left on your bench (or redraft waivers) heading into his Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans. There are plenty of reasons to avoid Hunter this week. First, the Texans' run defense was very strong last year, allowing the sixth-fewest rushing touchdowns and fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2024. Additionally, he is buried on the Rams' depth chart. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are both ahead of him for now, and there's additional concern that he could drop to the fourth rung after Los Angeles elevated Cody Schrader from the practice squad on Saturday. The difference between third- versus fourth-string is the difference between being active or inactive on gameday, so it will be interesting to see his status when the inactives report comes out. Regardless, Hunter is not a startable fantasy option in Week 1.

Friday, September 5, 10:23 PM

Houston Texans running back Woody Marks will make his NFL debut on Sunday afternoon when the Texans head to SoFi Stadium to take on the Rams. Marks is expected to be the team's top receiving-down back and could play his way into a larger role with Nick Chubb and Dameon Pierce also expected to be involved while Joe Mixon (ankle) is on the reserve/non-football injury list. Marks was a fourth-round pick for the Texans out of USC, and he racked up 63 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, along with four catches for 20 yards this preseason. He worked mostly behind Pierce and Chubb, but depending on the game script, he could be a sneaky FLEX play down the road. In Week 1, he's the RB60 in RotoBaller's rankings, so he isn't a good start just yet, although he's a strong stash based on his long-term outlook and potential upside.