Who Should I Start? Roschon Johnson or Chase Brown

Saturday, November 22, 12:51 AM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (thumb) missed two consecutive practices and has been ruled out for Sunday's Week 12 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson was added to the injury report on Thursday and hasn't been able to get on the field since. The extent of his injury is unknown, but it won't have major ramifications in fantasy football anyway. He has just two carries for 17 yards through seven games this season, remaining buried in a depth role behind veteran D'Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai. Travis Homer (hamstring, knee) has also been ruled out for this week, meaning Chicago may have to activate Brittain Brown from the practice squad to fill the No. 3 running back role.

Saturday, November 22, 1:00 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown had a slow start to the 2025 campaign. He has only three touchdowns on the year, which still certainly doesn't sit well with fantasy managers. However, there are those who are optimistic, considering Brown's uptick from a statistical standpoint over the last month. The 25-year-old had his first 100-yard rushing game in almost a year when the Bengals played the Steelers in Week 7. He missed that mark by one yard during Sunday's rematch. Browns' improvement as a runner is a step in the right direction, and his added contributions as a pass-catcher of late (14 catches in the last two games) have helped his overall production. All things considered, Brown is making the moves needed to re-establish his reputation for fantasy managers. Granted, he still has some work to do, but he is still worthy of a start in nearly all formats imaginable in Week 12 versus the New England Patriots. The suspension of Ja'Marr Chase could give him more pass-catching opportunities out of the backfield, increasing his ceiling in PPR setups.