Who Should I Start? Jermaine Johnson or Arnold Ebiketie

Monday, September 16, 1:51 PM

New York Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson (Achilles) confirmed on Monday that he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in the Week 2 victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Jets feared this was the case when Johnson was forced to leave Sunday's contest, and now it is confirmed that they will not have Johnson for the rest of the year. It's an especially tough blow for a Jets defense that continues to be without All-Pro pass-rusher Haason Reddick as he continues his contract holdout into the regular season. The 25-year-old Johnson, a former first-round pick in 2022 out of Florida State, was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2023 while recording 55 total tackles, a career-high 7.5 sacks and an interception in 17 games. It's a notable loss for the Jets defense this year, but it shouldn't knock their defense/special teams unit from being a weekly play in fantasy lineups.

Friday, December 15, 4:55 AM

Atlanta Falcons defensive end Arnold Ebiketie is an under-the-radar streaming option for IDP managers in Week 15, as he and the Falcons take on the less-than-stellar Carolina Panthers. The 1-12 Panthers are allowing an average of 3.9 sacks per game, the fourth-most, and opposing DEs are scoring the eighth-most fantasy points against the Panthers. Ebiketie, who is in his second year, is relatively underutilized in fantasy football. He's a situational pass rusher, and he had a slow start to the season. But he made his first sacks in first sacks in Week 6, and since then, he has made 5.5 sacks in the past eight weeks, including two in the past three games. Ebiketie is boom-bust, but he has a great matchup, and he's available on the waiver wire in most leagues.