Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Emanuel Wilson

Tuesday, December 9, 4:41 PM

The Cleveland Browns have placed running back Jerome Ford (shoulder) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday. With only four games remaining, Ford's season will come to an end after suffering a shoulder injury during Cleveland's Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The 26-year-old totaled 24 carries for 73 yards to go with 26 receptions (32 targets) for 103 yards in 13 games this season as Cleveland's primary passing-down back. His role gradually faded as the season went along, playing just 21.8% of the offensive snaps since Week 7. Rookie Quinshon Judkins will continue to lead Cleveland's backfield, while rookie Dylan Sampson will be the main beneficiary of Ford's absence and should be considered as a waiver-wire pickup in deep PPR leagues this week as RB depth.

Friday, January 9, 9:39 AM

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson has had a nice 2025 season, rushing for 496 yards on 125 attempts (3.97 YPC) and scoring three touchdowns across 17 games. His involvement in the Packers offense increased this season, as he has played a complementary role to starter Josh Jacobs, and he has also filled in for Jacobs a handful of times throughout the 2025 season, providing fantasy managers with a plug-and-play RB2 option during those weeks. With the Packers resting their starters in Week 18, and Jacobs coming out and saying on Wednesday that "this is the best he's felt in six weeks," after dealing with a knee injury for the majority of the second half of the season, it appears likely that the Packers will lean on the veteran in this situation. This would make it difficult to justify rostering Wilson in fantasy playoff leagues as anything more than a bench spot should Jacobs get hurt, and Wilson would step in.