Who Should I Start? Ty Johnson or Craig Reynolds

Friday, January 24, 10:53 PM

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson remains an unreliable fantasy option ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson has consistently operated as the No. 2 running back behind James Cook, and he has also lost plenty of opportunities to rookie Ray Davis. Outside of an impressive Wild Card Weekend in which Johnson caught a touchdown pass and posted his season-high for rushing yards, the veteran running back has been tough to trust in fantasy football. This week won't be any different. In fact, Johnson's job could get even harder as he takes on a dominant Kansas City run defense. The Chiefs have been lethal against running backs this year, allowing the third-fewest rushing yards, fifth-fewest catches, and fourth-fewest receiving yards to the position during the 2024 regular season. Furthermore, they didn't surrender a single receiving touchdown to running backs. Johnson makes his biggest impact when he can capitalize on a defense's mistakes, such as two weeks ago against the Denver Broncos when he made a phenomenal touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Against a stout, well-coached Chiefs defense, that won't be easy to do. Fantasy managers and bettors may want to look elsewhere for production at the running back position, though your options are certainly slim with just four teams left in the playoffs.

Monday, January 6, 1:13 AM

Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds rushed eight times for 39 yards during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He also commanded two targets but was unable to haul in either pass. The 28-year-old has looked like a solid change-of-pace option in three games since David Montgomery (knee) went down, bringing his season totals to 139 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards. He remains a valuable backup for the Lions and handcuff for fantasy managers, but he can't be started in fantasy football as long as Jahmyr Gibbs is healthy. The highly anticipated return of Montgomery soon would also impact Reynolds, dropping him to third on the depth chart. At the moment, he's not on the fantasy radar for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.