Who Should I Start? Julius Chestnut or Dylan Sampson

Saturday, October 4, 12:57 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut could be headed for a reduced workload in Week 5 despite a favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Chestnut has operated as a backup to Tony Pollard through the first four weeks of the season. While his usage has been relatively modest given that Pollard leads all NFL running backs in snap share, Chestnut has still been his backup and did see the field in every game, logging five total carries. That marginal usage could drop to no usage as soon as Tyjae Spears (ankle) returns to game action. Spears is currently on injured reserve but has been designated to return and is questionable for Week 5. Chestnut's already limited opportunity share would surely disappear entirely as soon as another reliable, proven player like Spears is added to the backfield. If Spears plays Sunday, Chestnut, 24, might not touch the ball. Even if he remains on IR, though, the Sacred Heart product is due for just a couple of touches and remains off the fantasy radar.

Saturday, October 4, 10:15 AM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson has seen his role shrink since a solid debut in Week 1. The rookie will now head to London to take on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. In theory, Sampson draws a decent matchup against a Minnesota defense that is allowing the 14th-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, but Cleveland has been giving almost all of the running-back work to Quinshon Judkins over the past two games, which has crushed the fantasy value of Sampson and Jerome Ford. Sampson is hard to trust in fantasy until the Browns show more of a commitment to getting him the ball, so managers should leave him on the bench in Week 5.