Who Should I Start? Michael Carter or Jawhar Jordan

Monday, December 29, 6:09 PM

Although Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter doesn't have a high fantasy ceiling, he's still the team's lead back for the final week of the regular season for a divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. In the Week 17 loss on the road to the Cincinnati Bengals, Carter was held in check, picking up only 29 yards on the ground on seven rushing attempts. The 26-year-old added two receptions on four targets for 14 yards. He was outsnapped by backfield mate Emari Demercado, but Carter had two more touches. It was a disappointing performance for Carter in a plus matchup against a bad Bengals defense, but with the Cardinals falling behind by multiple scores early, they weren't really able to keep using Carter as a runner. On the bright side, Carter has 208 rushing yards and 4.6 yards per carry in the last six games, and he's had double-digit carries in two of the last three games. He'll be in play as an RB3/flex in deeper fantasy leagues this weekend against L.A.

Friday, December 26, 8:34 AM

Houston Texans running back Jawhar Jordan has impressed the last two weeks, but he's high-risk this week since his role is uncertain as his team visits the Chargers on Saturday afternoon. The 26-year-old broke out in his NFL debut in Week 15, taking 15 carries for 101 yards against the Cardinals. He followed that up last week with 15 more carries but only for 53 yards, but he saved his fantasy day with five catches for 17 more yards. Both of those big games came after Woody Marks (ankle) left with an injury, but Marks is ready to return this week. Jordan and Nick Chubb will likely continue to mix in for the Texans, but Marks was the primary running back before his injury and will likely resume that role moving forward. The Chargers have been good against the run this season, and Jordan is only the No. 52 RB in RotoBaller's Week 17 rankings. He's a desperation play who should still be involved, but he's best left on your bench this week if possible.