Who Should I Start? Patrick Taylor Jr. or Frank Gore Jr.

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, August 23, 11:50 PM

Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. led the Bills in yards from scrimmage for the third straight week in a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Gore amassed 61 total yards (32 rushing, 29 receiving) on 10 carries and two catches, and he scored his lone touchdown of the preseason on a one-yard run in the first quarter. In all, the hard-running 23-year-old piled up 104 yards on the ground on 23 attempts and hauled in 11 catches for another 109 yards in three preseason contests. Even though Gore stood out in Buffalo's exhibition games, he doesn't have a clear path to a roster spot with James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson ahead of him on the depth chart. Odds are that the former Southern Miss standout will either wind up on the Bills' practice squad for the second year in a row or join another team via waivers before the season. He made a compelling case that he's an NFL-caliber back during the preseason.