Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Kyren Williams

Wednesday, September 24, 6:15 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Wednesday that they placed running back Najee Harris (Achilles) on Injured Reserve, according to Fernando Ramirez of the Sporting Tribune. Harris' season is over after he tore his Achilles in the Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It's a disappointing end to his first year with the Bolts after signing with them in free agency in the offseason. The 27-year-old will end his streak of four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career. In his three games this year, Harris carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards and no touchdowns, adding three receptions for 25 yards through the air. The Chargers will be forced to lean more on rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton as their lead back going forward, making him a must-start each week. Hassan Haskins will be elevated to the RB2 role, with Kimani Vidal the next man up at No. 2 in the backfield.

Wednesday, January 7, 9:36 AM

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is gearing up to be a legit fantasy playoff running back option for fantasy managers playing in a playoff league. According to Novig, the Rams have the second-best odds to make the Super Bowl in the NFC, behind the Seattle Seahawks, who currently hold the No. 1 seed. For those playing in playoff fantasy leagues, you want to target guys like Williams, who is going to be on a team that has a better chance to make a deep run. The Rams open up as favorites (-10.5) against the Carolina Panthers in round one, and Williams should be viewed as one of the better running back options in this contest. Williams put together another nice 2025 season, rushing for 1,252 yards on 259 carries (4.83 YPC) and 10 touchdowns. He finished as the RB9 on the season, and the only risk you run with Williams is the running back by committee approach with Blake Corum, who, since Week 7, has seen 11 carries or more seven times. That being said, Williams is the veteran running back and has been the lead back, even with Corum chipping away at his overall workload, and it's likely Sean McVay will want to lead with his veteran, given the important nature of these playoff games.