Who Should I Start? Jeremy McNichols or Ty Johnson

Saturday, January 18, 11:50 PM

Washington Commanders running back Jeremy McNichols punched in a goal line score during their upset victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday evening. McNichols ran the ball only four times but was able to seal the victory with a late one-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with just eight yards on the ground and was not targeted in the passing attack. While McNichols had a similar role to what he did during the wild-card game, it is promising to see him occasionally receive opportunities in scoring positions. Given his depth role in the Washington offense, he remains a high-risk play in DFS formats during the Championship round.

Friday, January 24, 10:53 PM

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson remains an unreliable fantasy option ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson has consistently operated as the No. 2 running back behind James Cook, and he has also lost plenty of opportunities to rookie Ray Davis. Outside of an impressive Wild Card Weekend in which Johnson caught a touchdown pass and posted his season-high for rushing yards, the veteran running back has been tough to trust in fantasy football. This week won't be any different. In fact, Johnson's job could get even harder as he takes on a dominant Kansas City run defense. The Chiefs have been lethal against running backs this year, allowing the third-fewest rushing yards, fifth-fewest catches, and fourth-fewest receiving yards to the position during the 2024 regular season. Furthermore, they didn't surrender a single receiving touchdown to running backs. Johnson makes his biggest impact when he can capitalize on a defense's mistakes, such as two weeks ago against the Denver Broncos when he made a phenomenal touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Against a stout, well-coached Chiefs defense, that won't be easy to do. Fantasy managers and bettors may want to look elsewhere for production at the running back position, though your options are certainly slim with just four teams left in the playoffs.