Who Should I Start? Patrick Taylor Jr. or Bam Knight

Wednesday, August 20, 9:56 AM

The San Francisco 49ers have placed veteran running back Patrick Taylor Jr. (shoulder) on the season-ending injured reserve list. Taylor suffered a dislocated shoulder in the team's second preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he joins the growing list of 49ers running backs struck by injury. While presumed backup Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) was able to return to practice on Tuesday after missing several weeks with a shoulder injury of his own, the team has already lost Ameer Abdullah (ribs) for the season. Rookie Jordan James has already missed a few weeks due to a broken finger. After trading Jordan Mason to the Minnesota Vikings, the 49ers' running back depth has been seriously tested already, which is the last thing the team needs in their efforts to keep All-Pro Christian McCaffrey healthy. Jeff Wilson Jr. and Ke'Shawn Vaughn will likely see the majority of work in the team's final preseason game. If he can remain healthy, McCaffrey once more enters the year as perhaps the biggest difference maker in fantasy football. Still, given his checkered injury history, Guerendo is one of the league's most important backups to roster.

Saturday, November 8, 1:59 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Bam Knight has operated as the team's lead back over the past three games, recording 34 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown and adding six receptions (eight targets) for 47 yards. Knight has played 104 total snaps since Week 6, with the next closest Cardinals running back being Michael Carter at 57, but he didn't record a single snap in their Week 9 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The 25-year-old Knight was out-gained by Emari Demercado in that game, but saw a season high in snap share of 56.9% to Demercado's 40%. It looks like Arizona is trending toward becoming a split two-man backfield between Knight and Demercado, but nothing is set in stone. Head coach Jonathan Gannon has been tight-lipped about how they will distribute the running back touches week to week, but Knight should again be expected to lead Arizona's backfield on early downs in a tough Week 10 matchup against a Seahawks defense that is allowing a league-best 3.5 yards per carry.