Who Should I Start? Kimani Vidal or LeQuint Allen Jr.

Monday, November 3, 5:23 PM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal followed a standout Week 8 performance with a dud, gaining only 30 yards on 12 carries in Sunday's 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. He averaged just 2.5 yards per carry and was outperformed by both Justin Herbert (57 rushing yards) and Jaret Patterson (44 yards), who was elevated from the practice squad again. It's been a rollercoaster for Vidal, who alternates between breakout games and quiet ones. With Hassan Haskins (hamstring) and Omarion Hampton (ankle) both on IR until at least after the Week 12 bye, Vidal will continue to handle lead duties out of necessity. Next Sunday night, the Chargers face a Pittsburgh Steelers' defense that just shut down the league's top running back, Jonathan Taylor, so expectations should remain modest. With so many injuries and inconsistencies, it will be interesting to see if the Bolts' front office makes any trades to strengthen the running back position by the trade deadline tomorrow. For now, Vidal remains an RB3/FLEX option who relies on game script and red-zone opportunities.

Friday, September 12, 9:17 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie running back LeQuint Allen Jr. enters Week 2 as the team's RB3 on the updated depth chart. In the season-opening win over the Carolina Panthers, Allen logged one carry for seven yards and added one reception for four yards, while Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby dominated the backfield with 83% of the snaps and 21 of the team's 25 rushing attempts. With Bigsby now traded to Philadelphia, the door is open for Allen and fellow rookie Bhayshul Tuten to carve out roles behind Etienne. While Tuten came in with more hype as a prospect, Allen's receiving skills could earn him passing-down work. He'll draw a favorable matchup in Week 2 against the Bengals, who just allowed Browns running back Dylan Sampson to lead his team in receptions. Allen remains unstartable in fantasy for now, but his skill set makes him a name worth monitoring as the Jaguars' backfield evolves.