Who Should I Start? Pierre Strong Jr. or Phil Mafah

Monday, August 11, 8:38 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. (undisclosed) returned to practice as a limited participant on Monday. Strong had been down with an undisclosed injury. After appearing in 14 games and rushing for 108 yards on 26 carries last year, Strong is competing for a backup role this summer. He's currently third on the Browns' unofficial depth chart behind Jerome Ford and rookie fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson. The team also has rookie second-rounder Quinshon Judkins, who remains without a contract as he deals with an ongoing misdemeanor battery/domestic violence case. The longer Judkins is away, the more opportunities Strong should receive. Strong didn't play in the Browns' 30-10 preseason-opening win in Carolina last week, and it's unclear if he'll suit up against the Philadelphia Eagles this Saturday.

Saturday, August 9, 11:43 AM

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Phil Mafah indicated Friday that he played through a torn labrum in his shoulder during his final college season at Clemson, Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News reports. Mafah has been looking good in camp thus far and mentioned that he is feeling healthy, then proceeded to discuss his 2024 injury. During the 2024 season, he rushed for 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns on 216 carries. He also caught 21 passes for 103 yards and played all 14 games, starting every one, and was voted a permanent team captain by his teammates. Those are still solid numbers considering he was dealing with a shoulder injury. Nonetheless, it could be why he fell to the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft in the spring. A big performance from Mafah on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams could create a running back battle in the Cowboys' backfield between the two veterans (Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders) and the two rookies (Jaydon Blue and Mafah) ahead of Week 1. At this point, from a fantasy standpoint, Mafah remains a dynasty stash at best.