Who Should I Start? Trey Sermon or Kimani Vidal

Saturday, September 27, 11:25 AM

The Pittsburgh Steelers are elevating running back Trey Sermon for Week 4's matchup against the Vikings in Dublin. Sermon was also active in Week 3, when the Steelers carried four running backs against New England, but he was limited to return duties after rookie Kaleb Johnson's Week 2 miscue. With Jaylen Warren (knee) questionable, the Steelers may want additional depth in the backfield, though reports suggest Warren is trending toward playing. That leaves Sermon without a meaningful role on offense. For fantasy purposes, Sermon carries no value in Week 4, though he could contribute in the return game along with backup running back Kenneth Gainwell.

Monday, November 3, 5:23 PM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal followed a standout Week 8 performance with a dud, gaining only 30 yards on 12 carries in Sunday's 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. He averaged just 2.5 yards per carry and was outperformed by both Justin Herbert (57 rushing yards) and Jaret Patterson (44 yards), who was elevated from the practice squad again. It's been a rollercoaster for Vidal, who alternates between breakout games and quiet ones. With Hassan Haskins (hamstring) and Omarion Hampton (ankle) both on IR until at least after the Week 12 bye, Vidal will continue to handle lead duties out of necessity. Next Sunday night, the Chargers face a Pittsburgh Steelers' defense that just shut down the league's top running back, Jonathan Taylor, so expectations should remain modest. With so many injuries and inconsistencies, it will be interesting to see if the Bolts' front office makes any trades to strengthen the running back position by the trade deadline tomorrow. For now, Vidal remains an RB3/FLEX option who relies on game script and red-zone opportunities.