Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Roschon Johnson

Tuesday, July 29, 7:13 PM

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said at training camp on Tuesday that there's still no timeline for running back Najee Harris (eye) to return to practice. The Chargers will play their first preseason game on Thursday against the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame game, and Harris hasn't been on the practice field at all with his new team after injuring his eye during a fireworks accident back on the Fourth of July. The Chargers are optimistic that Harris will be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season in early September, but with him missing all this crucial practice time, the odds of rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton seizing lead-back work increases each day Harris is absent. The former Steelers RB has been consistent so far in his NFL career, but he lacks big-play ability and could be working behind Hampton all year.

Saturday, January 4, 9:13 AM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson remains the No. 2 option on the depth chart, keeping him off the fantasy radar in most leagues ahead of his Week 18 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. There's always a chance the eliminated Bears could give increased snaps to some of their younger players, like Johnson, while reducing the workload for veterans such as running back D'Andre Swift. However, the Bears have stayed pretty quiet about their personnel decisions, and as of Saturday, there's no indication that Johnson's workload will change for the regular-season finale. He has just five carries for eight yards over his last two games, and prior to that, he missed nearly three full contests. As a result, he hasn't caught a pass nor found the end zone since Week 12 against Minnesota. This week, he and Swift will take on a Packers run defense that has allowed the 15th-fewest fantasy points to running backs in 2024, but the third-most catches and receiving yards. Johnson ranks as an RB4 in fantasy football and should continue to be benched in most leagues.