Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Jonathon Brooks

Wednesday, October 23, 2:14 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (hamstring) is not practicing on Wednesday to begin Week 8 preparation. The third-year back out of Cincinnati did not play in Week 7 due to a hamstring injury and could be at risk of missing the Week 8 contest against the Baltimore Ravens. Luckily for Cleveland, star running back Nick Chubb returned last week for his first game since Week 2 of the 2023 campaign. However, Chubb could only rack up 25 yards on 13 touches last Sunday, though he did score a touchdown. Quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) is out for the season, and Jameis Winston might provide a slight upgrade for the Cleveland offense. However, with Amari Cooper out of town, the unit as a whole is likely to remain a bottom-10 offensive attack in the NFL.

Friday, October 18, 1:10 PM

Carolina Panthers rookie running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) was limited in Friday's practice but has been ruled out and won't make his NFL debut this weekend versus the Washington Commanders. Brooks made his return to practice for the first time this year on Wednesday while recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last November while playing in college at Texas, so the 21-year-old wasn't realistically expected to play in Week 7. However, the 46th overall pick in this year's draft (the first RB off the board), could become a big part of Carolina's backfield alongside Chuba Hubbard later this year once he gets up to speed. Brooks will need to make more progress in practice next week to have a shot to make his debut for the Panthers in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. He's worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.