Who Should I Start? Julius Chestnut or Brashard Smith

Saturday, September 20, 9:40 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut is not expected to have a significant role in their Week 3 match against the Colts. Through the first two games of the season, Chestnut has been pushed up to the depth chart with Tyjae Spears (ankle) on the IR. However, starter Tony Pollard has taken a vast majority of the snaps, which has left Chestnut to be the clear No. 2. Through two games, Pollard has logged 89% of the team's snaps while Chestnut has seen the other 11%. During this stretch, Chestnut has taken just two rushing attempts, both of which came in Week 1. In Week 2, he saw just seven offensive snaps but did run five routes, a slight increase from the two he ran the week prior. With Pollard slated to take on a significant workload once again and rookie Kalel Mullings (ankle) in the mix to make his professional debut, Chestnut should not be trusted in any redraft or DFS competitions this weekend.

Thursday, September 18, 11:29 AM

ESPN's Dan Graziano notes that with the Kansas City Chiefs' lack of production regarding their rushing attack, it wouldn't be surprising to see running back Brashard Smith see more opportunities. According to Graziano, the Chiefs view the SMU product more in a pass-catching role, and he could begin to see work there. Teammates Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have handled all but one of the backfield carries through two weeks, and have been nearly as inefficient in the receiving game as they've been on the ground. Graziano speculates that once Kansas City trusts Smith to handle the full extent of his responsibilities, he'll become a factor in the offense. Until then, he's difficult to trust for fantasy, but the rookie boasts the highest ceiling of the trio, and the Chiefs were "very impressed" with him in camp.