Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Khalil Herbert

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, May 2, 2:16 PM

The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain wonders if running back Khalil Herbert would be a trade candidate if the Chicago Bears bring in an undrafted rookie at the position and he impresses. Of course, this all depends on the development of Roschon Johnson. Herbert is entering the final year of his rookie deal. D'Andre Swift signed a three-year contract with the Bears this offseason, while Johnson has the same number of years remaining on his first contract after being drafted in the fourth round in 2023. Herbert is a solid back, but RBI is a position that changes often for teams. Chicago's coaching staff is high on Johnson, and the 26-year-old Herbert dealt with ankle and back injuries last year after leading the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry in 2022. The addition of Swift in this backfield obviously hurts Herbert's fantasy stock a great deal heading into the 2024 season.