Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or A.J. Dillon

Monday, March 11, 2:57 PM

Free-agent running back Saquon Barkley is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money and has an additional $9 million available in incentives. After a 2018 rookie season that saw the former Penn State star go for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, he has struggled to stay healthy over a chunk of the next five years of his career. He missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 1,312 rushing yards but regressed to 962 yards in 14 games in 2023. However, the Eagles believe in him as a game-changing running back, as his average salary ($12.58 million) ranks only below Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Although the Eagles' offensive line could take a hit after the retirement of Jason Kelce, Barkley should be playing behind the best offensive line of his career in 2024. He will have an immediate high-end RB1 upside in fantasy football.

Friday, March 15, 8:55 PM

The Green Bay Packers officially re-signed running back AJ Dillon on Friday. Dillon was originally selected by the Packers in the second round (62nd overall) in 2020 out of Boston College. He has played in 60 games (11 starts) for the team during the regular season and has compiled 2,428 yards on 597 carries (4.1 yards per carry) with 16 touchdowns while recording 86 receptions for 763 yards (8.9 yards per catch) with two touchdowns. The 25-year-old had a career-low 3.4 yards per carry in 15 regular-season games (six starts) in Green Bay in 2023 and failed to take advantage of Aaron Jones missing some time with injuries. Dillon missed the final three games due to a neck stinger, but he should be fully healthy for the start of the 2024 season this fall, where he'll be back as the No. 2 RB behind newcomer Josh Jacobs.