Who Should I Start? Trey Benson or Braelon Allen

Monday, December 1, 9:13 AM

Arizona Cardinals second-year running back out of Florida State, Trey Benson (knee), was close to returning in Week 13, but was ruled out on Friday after participating in practice for the second straight week. It was frustrating news for fantasy managers, as most owners were expecting Benson back by now, and had been holding him on their Injured Reserve spot since Week 5. With Week 14 being the last week of the fantasy football regular season in many leagues, fantasy managers will be tasked with the tough decision of playing Trey Benson if he's active, which most signs point to being the case. Suppose Benson has been dropped to the waiver wire in your leagues. In that case, he is a priority add heading into the last few weeks of the fantasy season, as he looked sharp before his injury (5.52 YPC) and was drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft to be James Connor's (foot) eventual replacement. Additionally, Bam Knight (3.45 YPC) and Michael Carter (3.04 YPC) haven't done enough to earn the starting role once Benson is healthy and cleared to return, making Benson a lower-end RB2 when he does return.

Friday, October 3, 11:54 AM

According to head coach Aaron Glenn, New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (knee) could miss 8-12 weeks with the MCL sprain he suffered in Week 4's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Reports were that Allen would miss more than the minimum number of required games, but it now appears he'll be out until at least December, with surgery still an option. In the 21-year-old's absence, teammate Isaiah Davis will take over the Jets' RB2 duties behind starter Breece Hall, and the newly-acquired Khalil Herbert will handle the RB3 role with Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) still tending to injury. Fantasy managers can safely drop Allen in all redraft formats as the likelihood of him making an impact to close out the 2025 season remains low.