Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Jerome Ford

Tuesday, December 30, 3:51 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that running back Rico Dowdle (toe) did not practice on Tuesday due to a sore toe, according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. The Panthers are hopeful that he'll be ready for Saturday's big divisional showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18 to decide the NFC South. Dowdle is considered day-to-day, and the Panthers wanted to give him a rest day in the first official practice of the week. As long as the 27-year-old can practice on Wednesday or Thursday, he should be fine to play in the regular-season finale. Many teams across the league will be resting players in Week 18, but not the Panthers, as they seek to win the division and secure a playoff spot. Since his last 100-yard game on Nov. 2, Dowdle has gone over 50 rushing yards three times in seven games, although one of those came in last week's loss to Seattle. Dowdle will be on the RB2/3 borderline for fantasy managers this weekend.

Tuesday, December 9, 4:41 PM

The Cleveland Browns have placed running back Jerome Ford (shoulder) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday. With only four games remaining, Ford's season will come to an end after suffering a shoulder injury during Cleveland's Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The 26-year-old totaled 24 carries for 73 yards to go with 26 receptions (32 targets) for 103 yards in 13 games this season as Cleveland's primary passing-down back. His role gradually faded as the season went along, playing just 21.8% of the offensive snaps since Week 7. Rookie Quinshon Judkins will continue to lead Cleveland's backfield, while rookie Dylan Sampson will be the main beneficiary of Ford's absence and should be considered as a waiver-wire pickup in deep PPR leagues this week as RB depth.