Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Kimani Vidal

Friday, December 5, 10:12 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has now gone four straight games without a touchdown, which is his longest scoring drought since 2021. Barkley has also seen a dip in usage over the last couple of weeks, averaging 11.5 carries in his last two outings compared to the 20 he was averaging in Weeks 7-11. Although, this could be chalked up to Philly having to play from behind in their recent back-to-back losses. In Week 14, Barkley faces off against a Chargers defense that allows 106.9 rushing yards per game and has given up 14 touchdowns on the ground through 12 games. It's no daunting matchup, and the reigning Offensive Player of the Year is due for a boom game. As long as the Eagles don't find themselves in too big of a hole in this contest-which they shouldn't-bank on Barkley to find his footing again despite the rough patch. He's a low-end RB1 this week.

Saturday, December 6, 3:59 PM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal is about to face a major change in his workload after a strong performance last week, where he had 25 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders. The ground game was heavily relied on after quarterback Justin Herbert fractured his hand, but rookie Omarion Hampton (ankle) has been activated from IR and is expected to return this week, with Hassan Haskins (hamstring) also practicing. Vidal now must compete again in a crowded backfield. The matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles looks promising, as they are a middle-ranked rush defense that was just run over for 281 yards on the ground by the Chicago Bears, and the likely absence of defensive tackle Jalen Carter further helps Vidal's case. RotoBaller projects Vidal as RB34 for this week. Due to the uncertain workload split with Hampton's return, Vidal should be considered a risky low-end RB3, as he is not assured of the majority of carries he had last week.