Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Keaton Mitchell

Thursday, January 2, 2:02 PM

Cleveland Browns running backs Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong Jr. (concussion) have both been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Ford sprained his ankle in the Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins and will be unavailable to play in the final game of the season. With Nick Chubb (foot) getting a late start in 2024 while recovering from a gruesome knee injury he suffered in 2023, Ford opened 2024 as Cleveland's RB1 and will finish the year as their leading rusher with 104 rushing attempts for 565 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and a team-high-tying three rushing touchdowns. With both Ford and Strong out this weekend, D'Onta Foreman will be in play as a low-upside RB3/flex for fantasy managers as the team's lead back. John Kelly should serve as his backup.

Tuesday, April 1, 11:00 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said it was miraculous that running back Keaton Mitchell (knee) even returned to the field last year from a knee injury that cut short his rookie year in 2023. "I'm almost certain he's going to be on a whole other level coming back this spring," Harbaugh said. The 23-year-old missed the first nine games of the 2024 season and ended up seeing action in only five games, carrying the ball 15 times for 30 yards and catching his only target for 28 yards. Mitchell's path to fantasy relevance in his third year in 2025 will be difficult as long as both Derrick Henry and Justice Hill are healthy, but the upside is evident after a rookie season that saw him average 8.4 yards per carry on 47 rushing attempts before his knee injury. It remains to be seen if he'll be as explosive coming off his serious knee injury, but he could be a nice buy-low target in dynasty/keeper leagues.