Who Should I Start? Tahj Brooks or Ollie Gordon II

Saturday, September 6, 11:53 AM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Tahj Brooks was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a lengthy collegiate career at Texas Tech. While he didn't do much in his two preseason contests, he reportedly looked good throughout training camp. With that in mind, Chase Brown is the undisputed No. 1 option out of the backfield. Samaje Perine is back in the mix after signing a two-year deal in the offseason. That leaves little room for Brooks, who will likely get the residual scraps left over by Brown and Perine in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. That arrangement will likely extend moving forward. Unfortunately, that won't him a viable option in any format on Sunday and beyond, so he shouldn't be starting in any fantasy lineup.

Saturday, September 6, 9:20 AM

Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II is set to be the primary backup for the team when they open the season on Sunday afternoon against the Colts. Gordon had a strong preseason with 126 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 48 receiving yards over his three preseason games. Gordon was a sixth-round pick of the Dolphins out of Oklahoma State, and he was the biggest running back in the draft class. He showed off his power running style this preseason and could grow into a nice complement and change-of-pace option behind De'Von Achane. Jaylen Wright (knee) has been ruled out for Week 1, leaving Gordon as the primary backup behind Achane. Gordon is the RB41 in RotoBaller's rankings for Week 1, making him one of the best backups on the board, but a long-shot starter in most standard formats. He's definitely an exciting rookie to watch in Week 1, but his role isn't big enough to start him as a FLEX play quite yet.