Who Should I Start? Jordan James or Damien Martinez

Thursday, August 7, 4:31 PM

San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Jordan James (finger) broke his finger and will undergo surgery, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. As a result, James will be out for "a couple weeks," according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It's tough news for the 21-year-old heading into his first NFL season, but the good news is that he could still be ready to roll for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) is also expected to miss a couple weeks, so San Fran's backfield behind injury-prone Christian McCaffrey is suddenly very thin in camp. Going forward, Patrick Taylor, Ameer Abdullah and Corey Kiner will see more opportunities to prove themselves in practices and the preseason. Unless Guerendo isn't ready for the start of the season, James will probably go undrafted in most single-year fantasy leagues.

Saturday, August 16, 10:45 AM

Seattle Seahawks seventh-round rookie running back Damien Martinez received 11 carries in Friday's preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Martinez turned those carries into 50 yards and a touchdown. He added two receptions for 14 yards. Martinez is fighting for Seattle's No. 3 running back spot with George Holani, who had a solid game in his own right. Martinez's performance was encouraging after a quiet debut last weekend in which he only recorded 10 yards on six carries. The Seahawks' running game as a whole was humming on Friday night. The success of the running game bodes well for the potential of this team to succeed in 2025.