Who Should I Start? Jordan Mason or Tahj Brooks

Friday, November 21, 3:25 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason should be left out of starting lineups in standard formats when his team travels to Green Bay in Week 12. Mason scored a touchdown in last week's loss to the Chicago Bears, but has seen his workload lessened since Aaron Jones Sr. returned from injured reserve. With Jones fully healthy the past two weeks, the former San Francisco 49er has played just 25% and 16% of Minnesota's offensive snaps, respectively, which considerably lowers his fantasy ceiling. Additionally, the matchup is not favorable, as Green Bay ranks third in the NFL in yards per rushing attempt allowed. Added to the Vikings' struggles in the passing game -- quarterback J.J. McCarthy is completing just 53% of passing attempts -- Mason's diminished role has him in RB4 territory for this week.

Monday, November 24, 1:36 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has ruled out rookie running back Tahj Brooks (concussion) for this Thursday's Thanksgiving Day game against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, according to Jay Morrison of SI.com. Brooks suffered a concussion in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots, and on a short week, the 23-year-old won't be able to clear the league's concussion protocol. Veteran Samaje Perine (ankle) has missed the last two games due to injury and might not be available this week, either, so the Bengals' backfield could be extremely thin behind Chase Brown this week versus Baltimore. If Perine ends up missing a third straight game, expect Gary Brightwell to operate as Cincy's RB2 behind Brown on Turkey Day. Brooks has only nine rushing attempts in 11 games this year for 28 rushing yards.