Who Should I Start? Ty Johnson or Devin Neal

Saturday, October 4, 6:31 PM

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson continues to play a modest role in the team's backfield rotation, logging between 20% and 33% of offensive snaps in each of the first four games. However, his on-field presence has not translated into meaningful fantasy production, as he's averaging just two carries for 10.8 yards per game. With James Cook III firmly entrenched as the lead back and quarterback Josh Allen consistently handling a share of the rushing workload, Johnson's fantasy value remains minimal. Unless Cook misses time, Johnson offers little more than deep-league or handcuff appeal. Fantasy managers should avoid starting him in Week 5 against a Patriots defense that has allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game. Johnson's role is simply too limited to warrant consideration outside of the deepest formats.

Tuesday, October 28, 10:00 AM

New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal didn't have a carry in Week 8, but he played almost half of the team's offensive snaps, logging 33 snaps compared to 37 for veteran Alvin Kamara. He was the clear second running back this week, following the loss of Kendre Miller (knee) for the season in Week 7 against the Bears. The sixth-round rookie from Kansas did haul in all three of his targets for 11 yards in his first opportunities as a receiver out of the backfield. While he only had three carries for 10 yards all season, he is clearly the next man up for the Saints, which could make him extremely important for fantasy if the team decides to trade Alvin Kamara. If you are in a deep league and looking to get ahead of a rush to the waiver wire, stashing Neal is a move that makes sense. He could get more of a chance to audition for a role in the young offense even if Kamara sticks around, so he makes sense to at least monitor in all leagues when the Saints face the Rams in Week 9.