Who Should I Start? Kenneth Walker III or Brady Cook

Friday, December 19, 12:41 AM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III had 11 carries for 100 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown during Thursday's Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also caught all three of his targets for an additional 64 receiving yards. The highlight of Walker's game was a 55-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter that temporarily gave Seattle the lead. The 25-year-old bounced back in a huge way after posting fewer than 4.0 fantasy points in each of his last two games. Walker only played 44% of the snaps on Thursday night, while teammate Zach Charbonnet played 56%. However, Walker was more productive than his backfield-mate, and he also handled more total touches. Managers should expect the fourth-year back to remain in the low-end RB2 tier for fantasy football ahead of a favorable matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.

Saturday, December 20, 10:12 AM

New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook will get another chance to prove he's the solution under center in this Sunday's road matchup with the New Orleans Saints. Cook took the field for his first start in Week 15's 48-20 loss to the Jaguars. While the outcome and stat line aren't anything to write home about, the 24-year-old showed at least a little capability in moving the offense, leaving a trace of hope that New York's skill players may still hold a bit of fantasy value down the stretch. New Orleans' defense has, on paper, been decent against quarterbacks, allowing the sixth-fewest passing yards per game (180.6). However, some of that might be in part to a front seven that's vulnerable to the rush (130.6 YPG [seventh-most]). If the rookie can contribute on the ground weekly, he may boast some streaming appeal in superflex formats over the season's final few weeks. That said, fantasy managers will want to look elsewhere for another game as he continues to grow accustomed to life in the NFL. Cook is RotoBaller's QB29 for Week 16's outing.