Who Should I Start? Trayveon Williams or Raheem Blackshear

Wednesday, May 14, 7:53 PM

Per the team, the New England Patriots have signed running back Trayveon Williams to an undisclosed contract. New England also released defensive lineman Eric Johnson II. The veteran back spent the first six seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals after linking up with the team in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The 27-year-old will join a running back room consisting of Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, and second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson. Williams is likely to have little impact regarding the ground game, considering he has 62 career carries in 69 games. However, he did appear in all 17 contests last season for Cincinnati on special teams, so he could occupy a role there for New England.

Tuesday, July 1, 9:30 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Raheem Blackshear will "almost exclusively be a special teams player" in 2025 if the team elects to keep a fourth RB around beyond training camp, writes The Charlotte Observer's Alex Zietlow. The Panthers only kept three RBs a year ago. Even with rookie Jonathon Brooks (knee) out for most of last season, Blackshear didn't have a single rushing attempt until Week 16. The 27-year-old will primarily be competing with David Moore, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Hunter Renfrow for a spot on the team's 53-man roster as a return option. The former undrafted free agent in 2022 has had 68 touches for 341 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on offense for the Panthers in the last three years while adding 66 kickoff returns for 1,734 yards and 23 punt returns for 200 yards. He's off the fantasy radar in the vast majority of leagues.