Who Should I Start? Kyle Juszczyk or Rico Dowdle

Monday, December 1, 9:34 PM

San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (rib) was forced to exit during the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns. After further evaluation, Juszczyk was diagnosed with a rib fracture. Luckily for San Francisco, Juszczyk will get a week off to rest with the team on a bye in Week 14. Following that, the 49ers will re-evaluate the 34-year-old ahead of their Week 15 matchup versus the Tennessee Titans. There's a chance that Juszczyk won't miss any time, which would be good news for San Fran's offense. As mostly a blocking asset, Juszczyk is not fantasy relevant.

Friday, January 30, 12:35 PM

ESPN's David Newton writes that unless Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle wants to "return at a bargain price," he "appears headed to this third team in three seasons." General manager Dan Morgan said he had a good meeting with Dowdle after the season, but Dowdle was unhappy with the way the year ended -- he had seven carries for 10 yards in the Week 18 regular-season finale and only five carries for nine yards in the Wild-Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The 27-year-old has produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and was Carolina's leading rusher (1,076 yards), but he'd likely be in a committee backfield again with Chuba Hubbard if he were to re-sign. Hubbard is locked in through the 2028 campaign on a four-year, $33.2 million deal he signed in 2024. "I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries]," Dowdle said.