Who Should I Start? Patrick Taylor Jr. or Ronnie Rivers

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.

Sunday, March 16, 3:14 PM

The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to re-sign running back Ronnie Rivers to a one-year deal. The contract amount has not been disclosed. Rivers has spent the last three seasons with LA, though he never garnered more than 32 carries despite appearing in 34 games since 2022. He's a versatile back and profiles to be a solid handcuff if ever called upon in that capacity. However, he's more of an asset on special teams for the Rams, piling up 75.7% of his 2024 snaps in that phase of the game. The 26-year-old will continue to vie for offensive snaps with backup Blake Corum behind incumbent starter Kyren Williams. Rivers can currently be ignored for fantasy purposes.