Who Should I Start? Jermar Jefferson or Pierre Strong Jr.

Tuesday, December 31, 9:23 AM

Detroit Lions running back Jermar Jefferson was given just three attempts during their victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday evening. However, all three attempts were within the San Francisco ten-yard line. With David Montgomery (knee) sidelined, Jahmyr Gibbs has been deployed as the workhorse option in this backfield, but with the Lions having little to play for regarding their position in the standings, they opted to give Gibbs occasional rest on Monday evening. While Gibbs still finished the game with 18 attempts and four targets, he would have likely been given this goal line work in a must-win situation. Instead, Jefferson was given some high-value touches but could not punch in any of them as he finished with just nine total yards. In addition, Jefferson saw four fewer carries than the presumed No.2 option, Craig Reynolds. Fantasy managers should expect Gibbs to take on a three-down role during Week 18 and throughout the entire postseason, leaving just a handful of attempts for Jefferson and Reynolds.

Wednesday, January 1, 3:32 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. (concussion) missed a second straight day of practice this week on Wednesday. Strong suffered a concussion in the Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and is now in the league's concussion protocol. With two straight DNPs this week and a meaningless Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens on a short week on Saturday, it's looking unlikely that the 26-year-old will suit up for the last game of the season. In addition to Strong, Jerome Ford (ankle) has yet to practice this week and could also be out this weekend. If both Ford and Strong are unavailable for the Browns, D'Onta Foreman would most likely see the lion's share of work in the backfield in a bad Browns offense, with John Kelly in line for backup duties for Cleveland.