Who Should I Start? Roschon Johnson or Braelon Allen

Saturday, January 4, 9:13 AM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson remains the No. 2 option on the depth chart, keeping him off the fantasy radar in most leagues ahead of his Week 18 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. There's always a chance the eliminated Bears could give increased snaps to some of their younger players, like Johnson, while reducing the workload for veterans such as running back D'Andre Swift. However, the Bears have stayed pretty quiet about their personnel decisions, and as of Saturday, there's no indication that Johnson's workload will change for the regular-season finale. He has just five carries for eight yards over his last two games, and prior to that, he missed nearly three full contests. As a result, he hasn't caught a pass nor found the end zone since Week 12 against Minnesota. This week, he and Swift will take on a Packers run defense that has allowed the 15th-fewest fantasy points to running backs in 2024, but the third-most catches and receiving yards. Johnson ranks as an RB4 in fantasy football and should continue to be benched in most leagues.

Wednesday, July 23, 10:58 AM

New York Jets beat reporter Nick Faria writes that running back Braelon Allen is a perfect fit for this type of offense and is expected to be a regular contributor in a committee approach. Breece Hall is the starter in the Jets offense in the backfield, but Allen and Isaiah Davis will be involved. Allen, a fourth-rounder (134th overall) in 2024 out of Wisconsin, had 92 carries in his rookie season and gained 334 yards on the ground with two touchdowns in 17 games (two starts). He added 19 receptions for 148 yards and another score. The 21-year-old is built as more of a power back with limited speed, but he also proved early last year that he's polished as a pass-catcher. He lost opportunities to Davis down the stretch in 2024, but it's good news for Allen that the Jets want to be a dominant run-first offense under the new coaching staff. Allen's best path to fantasy relevance will be as a goal-line back.