Who Should I Start? Nick Chubb or Tahj Brooks

Tuesday, September 9, 12:27 PM

Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb didn't exactly turn heads in the team's Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but he was the clear RB1 in Houston's backfield with Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) out. Chubb handled 62 percent of the running back carries on Sunday against the Rams and led the Texans in rushing attempts (13) and rushing yards (60). He wasn't able to haul in his lone target in the 14-9 loss. The 29-year-old four-time Pro Bowler may never be as dominant as he once was with the Cleveland Browns before he suffered a gruesome knee injury in 2023, but the opportunity is there for him to be the team's bell-cow back for a good portion of the 2025 season. Right now, he's currently rostered in only 68% of Yahoo leagues, so if you're in a pinch early on at the RB position, you should be looking at scooping Chubb off the waiver wire.

Saturday, September 6, 11:53 AM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Tahj Brooks was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a lengthy collegiate career at Texas Tech. While he didn't do much in his two preseason contests, he reportedly looked good throughout training camp. With that in mind, Chase Brown is the undisputed No. 1 option out of the backfield. Samaje Perine is back in the mix after signing a two-year deal in the offseason. That leaves little room for Brooks, who will likely get the residual scraps left over by Brown and Perine in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. That arrangement will likely extend moving forward. Unfortunately, that won't him a viable option in any format on Sunday and beyond, so he shouldn't be starting in any fantasy lineup.