Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Ray Davis

Sunday, August 24, 1:11 AM

Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz noted via the broadcast of the team's preseason finale with the San Francisco 49ers that he's hopeful running back Najee Harris (eye) will be ready to go for Week 1. "Najee's doing great, going through all the medical processes," said Hortiz. "But he's on track, and I think he should be able to go, hopefully in Week 1." This is an interesting development, as LA has primarily taken a vow of silence this summer regarding Harris and the resulting eye injury from his fireworks mishap. The Alabama product returned to the field after the July 4 incident just two weeks ago and has only worked off to the side with trainers. If Harris does suit up for Week 1, it's unclear in what capacity that will be, as the actual severity of his injury is unknown. With backfield mate Omarion Hampton's ADP skyrocketing, fantasy managers may want to exercise caution in drafting the rookie at his elevated draft price, particularly with the veteran potentially on the brink of returning. It's a situation that bears monitoring over the next 11 days or so.

Saturday, August 9, 7:07 PM

With Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook staging a hold-in and unwilling to play Saturday, Ray Davis earned the start in the team's 34-25 preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants. Davis rushed for just seven yards on four attempts and caught one of two targets for another seven yards. As the Bills' emergency kicker, his most memorable highlight came on a successful extra-point attempt in the second quarter. The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Davis joined the Bills as a fourth-round pick from Kentucky in 2024 and was a capable reserve behind Cook as a rookie. Davis appeared in all 17 of the Bills' regular-season games and totaled 442 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 113 rushing attempts. He also caught three TDs and pulled in 17 of his 19 targets for 189 yards. With third-down back Ty Johnson also in the fold, Davis took around 25% of offensive snaps last season. That should be the case again in 2025, but Davis might have an expanded role early on if Cook is unavailable. While Cook seems unlikely to sit out into Week 1 over dissatisfaction with his contract, Davis figures to be the main beneficiary if he does. Cook missed one game last season, a 23-20 win over the New York Jets in Week 6, and Davis accrued 152 total yards (97 rushing, 55 receiving) on 23 touches as Buffalo's go-to back.