Who Should I Start? Julius Chestnut or Isaiah Davis

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.

Sunday, October 5, 9:15 AM

New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis should handle an increased workload against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 after teammate Braelon Allen (knee) was placed on injured reserve. Allen and Davis have each carved out their respective roles behind Breece Hall through the first four weeks of the season, and now, Davis could end up handling his existing workload and all of Allen's vacated touches. The 23-year-old registered five touches on a 33 percent snap share last week, which is likely his floor going forward. There's also a scenario in which he handles roughly half of the backfield snaps and New York rides the hot hand, employing a committee between him and Hall. For now, though, Davis is a speculative stash who should not be in starting lineups, even against a Cowboys defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. That's partly due to the presence of Hall, and also partly due to the state of the Jets' offense, which has struggled to move the ball, even against below-average defenses.