Who Should I Start? Michael Carter or Carlos Washington Jr.

Friday, January 2, 10:10 AM

Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter disappointed fantasy managers in Week 17 with only seven carries for 29 yards (4.1 YPC) in Sunday's 37-14 blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Carter also added two catches for 14 yards on four targets. In a smash match-up, Carter and the Cardinals' offense came out flat. The Cardinals couldn't get anything going on the ground, as Emari Demercado also only had five rushes for 11 yards (2.2 YPC). Since seeing 80 percent of the snaps in Week 15 against Houston, Carter has only played 48 percent of the snaps over the past two games, which is not what Carter's fantasy managers were hoping for when they picked him up off the waivers after Bam Knight (ankle) got hurt. At this point, the Cardinals' running game is too hard to trust; they find themselves in pass-happy game scripts, and Carter is splitting work with Demercado. With a much tougher matchup in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams, Carter will be no better than a touchdown-dependent RB3.

Saturday, August 24, 12:25 AM

Atlanta Falcons running back Carlos Washington Jr. finished his preseason with an inefficient seven rushing yards on four attempts while pitching in one reception for seven yards in Friday night's 31-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Washington finished the preseason the way he began it, and it can't bode well for his spot on the depth chart with the beginning of the season right around the corner. Although he did find the endzone one time, Washington finished the preseason with an abysmal 2.4 YPC on 29 attempts. Jase McClellan outperformed him in every way during camp, and it wouldn't be surprising to see McClellan jump Washington as the RB3 on the depth chart to begin the season.