Who Should I Start? Jaylen Warren or Chase Brown

Tuesday, September 16, 11:32 AM

On the heels of a dynamic receiving performance, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren is a top-12 fantasy option at his position through the first two weeks of the season. The fourth-year pro hauled in all four of his targets for 86 yards in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. While his efficiency on the ground leaves room for improvement, Warren currently leads Pittsburgh in both rushing and receiving heading into a Week 3 duel against the New England Patriots. The inconsistencies we've seen from the Steelers' offense are likely to continue throughout the year, but Warren appears locked in as a focal point. Rookie Kaleb Johnson made a costly mistake on special teams and will need to earn the trust of the coaching staff before carving out an offensive role, while veteran Kenneth Gainwell has been ineffective with his touches to this point. All things considered, Warren is shaping up to be one of the best values in fantasy drafts and can be reliably started as an RB2 moving forward.

Saturday, September 13, 12:17 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown had only 43 yards off 21 carries in the Week 1 win over Cleveland. His 2.0 yards per carry was a tough pill to swallow for fantasy managers. Still, he at least found the end zone, so the afternoon wasn't a total flop. The same can't be said for the rest of the Bengals offense, with Joe Burrow throwing for 113 yards and one touchdown. To make matters worse, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for five receptions. Despite the subpar offensive showing, Cincinnati managed to pull off a narrow one-point victory. With a win in the books, Brown and company will host the Jaguars in Week 2. Without question, the Bengals have struggled to begin the season in the last few years. However, Brown and company have a great chance of turning things around. Although he sometimes struggles picking up yards on the ground, his versatility as a pass-catching back makes a difference. Sunday's game is expected to be one of the highest-scoring contests on the schedule, so both offenses may be clicking on all cylinders. All things considered, Brown should be more productive in Week 2, especially if Burrow can get the offense into the Red Zone more than he did against Cleveland. Keep Brown rolling in all fantasy lineups.