Who Should I Start? Sione Vaki or Mike Washington Jr.
Week 3 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 18.5 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 6.7 | 0.0 |
Sione Vaki News
Friday, September 25, 4:01 PM
Across his first two games of 2026, Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki has recorded 38 scrimmage yards on five touches. With veteran Lions back Isiah Pacheco (back, knee) currently on Injured Reserve, Vaki has served as the team's RB2 behind Jahmyr Gibbs. However, Detroit has given Gibbs the vast majority of its backfield work so far this season, utilizing Vaki mostly as a pass-protector for quarterback Jared Goff. Vaki has almost no history of being an impactful offensive player, as he has recorded just 15 touches across 29 career games with the Lions. While the 25-year-old carries some stash appeal in deeper fantasy leagues as a handcuff running back option, Vaki should likely remain on the bench for fantasy managers in his Week 3 matchup against the New York Jets.
Week 3 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4 | 17.2 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.8 | 0.0 |
Mike Washington Jr. News
Saturday, September 26, 9:10 AM
Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. has a favorable matchup with New Orleans in Week 3, but the workload still makes him tough to use. Washington has 10 carries for 48 yards through two games, with seven of those attempts coming in the opener. He dropped to three carries for seven yards against the Chargers and also drew one target. Ashton Jeanty remains the clear lead back and is not listed on Las Vegas' final injury report, so there is no obvious path to a bigger role this week. The matchup is at least encouraging. New Orleans has allowed 273 rushing yards on 55 attempts through two games, good for 5.0 yards per carry. Washington is still listed second behind Jeanty on the Raiders' depth chart and would become much more interesting if the starter were forced out. For Week 3, though, he is better left on fantasy benches as an upside handcuff rather than trusted in a starting lineup.
Sione Vaki vs. Mike Washington Jr.
Still trying to decide between Vaki and Washington Jr.? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Sione Vaki is projected to score 4.1 points this week while Mike Washington Jr. is projected to score 3.4 points.
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