Who Should I Start? Kennedy Brooks or Israel Abanikanda

Friday, August 18, 10:35 AM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Kennedy Brooks took seven carries for 26 yards and caught his lone target for a 4-yard gain during the team's 18-18 preseason tie with the Cleveland Browns. Brooks did not see the field until the second half but ended up leading the team in total carries by the end of the night. The 24-year-old floated around the Eagles practice squad last season but has little to no chance of making the final 53-man roster, especially after a less than stellar showing against the Cleveland third-string defense. With the Eagles running back room packed by the likes of Rashaad Penny, D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Trey Sermon, and Boston Scott, Brooks will be lucky to land on the Philadelphia practice squad by the time the regular season kicks off. He should see some run during the Eagles' final preseason game next Thursday.

Monday, September 9, 7:44 PM

New York Jets running back Israel Abanikanda is a healthy scratch for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener at Levi's Stadium on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Abanikanda enters the 2024 season as the team's RB4 behind starter and bell-cow Breece Hall and rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. As such, the 21-year-old is obviously off the fantasy radar in most single-year leagues for the time being unless injuries push him into a relevant game-day role. The former fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh last year was also buried on the depth chart in his rookie season and finished with 22 carries for 70 yards while catching seven passes for 43 yards in only six games. Abanikanda has breakaway speed but is once again buried on the depth chart and will have to wait for his opportunity beyond Week 1.