Who Should I Start? Keaton Mitchell or Emari Demercado

Tuesday, June 3, 2:37 PM

Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell suffered a significant ACL tear at the end of his 2023 rookie campaign and was limited to just five games in 2024, logging touches in two contests. In his first season, the East Carolina product averaged a whopping 8.4 yards per carry on 47 rushing attempts, totalling 396 yards and two touchdowns. Had he not suffered a major injury, he could have entered last season as the clear RB2 behind Derrick Henry, but he'll get that chance again entering the 2025 campaign, and the 23-year-old is back to 100%. "I feel like I'm back better than when I first got here," Mitchell said. "I tell guys a lot that talk to me that I'm starting all over. They don't even know what I can do. I'm just starting all over again, proving what I can do and taking it day by day." While Henry remains the clear workhorse in Baltimore, he is entering his age-31 season and carries additional injury risk. In deeper setups, Mitchell and Justice Hill can be considered handcuff stashes, though Rasheen Ali will also have the chance to compete for a spot on the depth chart.

Saturday, December 14, 4:43 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (back) has been placed on the injured reserve. Demercado has 24 rushes for 223 yards and a rushing touchdown this season and has added 16 catches for 104 receiving yards. Demercado's absence will likely open the door for more involvement for backup running back Trey Benson behind starter James Conner. Benson has some sneaky speculative pickup value with Demercado out and Conner himself being pretty injury-prone.