Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Dalvin Cook

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.

Thursday, January 18, 12:03 PM

The Baltimore Ravens signed running back Dalvin Cook from their practice squad to the 53-man active roster on Thursday, and he's expected to make his Ravens debut in Saturday's Divisional Round playoff game against the Houston Texans, according to his agency. The Ravens waived running back Melvin Gordon III on Wednesday to open up a roster spot for Cook. Baltimore signed the 28-year-old at the end of the regular season to give them some more depth behind Gus Edwards and Justice Hill after the Ravens' backfield has been lackluster to close out the regular season. It's not like Cook is going to be a savior, though, as he averaged a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry with no touchdowns in 15 games for the New York Jets in 2023. Expect Cook to operate as the No. 3 behind Edwards and Hill on Saturday, giving him very little DFS appeal.