Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Michael Pittman Jr.

Friday, August 1, 4:42 PM

Philadelphia Eagles superstar running back Saquon Barkley saw a "heavy workload as a ball-carrier and a receiver" during the team's training camp practice on Friday, according to Andrew DiCecco of Inside the Birds. A heavy rushing workload is the expectation for Barkley, as he led the NFL in rush attempts (345) and rushing yards (2,005) on his way to winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2024. However, Barkley's receiving workload was relatively limited, as his 2.1 receptions per game was the lowest single-season mark of his career. Philadelphia has typically not utilized its running backs in the passing game during the Jalen Hurts era, but the team has also never had a running back as dynamic as Barkley. Modest reception totals are basically the only flaw in Barkley's fantasy profile, so correcting that could put him on track for a second-straight RB1 finish.

Tuesday, August 5, 1:52 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (groin) is back at the team's training camp practice on Tuesday, per Jake Arthur of Sports Illustrated. Pittman suffered a minor groin injury at practice last Tuesday and was held out as a precaution for a week. The 27-year-old will now return to practice, although there's a good chance we won't see him in the team's preseason opener this Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens. There's no concern that he won't be ready for Week 1 of the regular season in early September, where he should once again be the team's WR1 for either quarterbacks Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson Sr. Josh Downs was more involved in the offense a year ago, which contributed to Pittman only going for 808 yards (fewest since his rookie season) and only three TDs in 2024. Indy's QB situation doesn't exactly make Pittman an intriguing WR4/flex target in fantasy.