Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Kyren Williams

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.

Friday, January 24, 6:08 PM

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead indicated that the team might be open to working out a long-term contract extension with running back Kyren Williams this offseason after he had another strong year in 2024. Williams accounted for almost 81% of the Rams' rushing attempts out of the backfield this year and ran the ball 316 times for a career-high 1,299 yards and a career-high 14 rushing touchdowns while adding a career-high 34 catches (40 targets) for another 182 yards and two scores through the air in 16 regular-season games. He'll be heading into the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, which makes him eligible for a contract extension this offseason. The 24-year-old has gone for 1,000 rushing yards in each of the last two years and is the first Rams RB since Todd Gurley to score 14 rushing TDs in a single season. Williams will be a strong RB1 choice for fantasy managers in 2025.