Who Should I Start? Ty Johnson or Rico Dowdle

Saturday, December 20, 10:31 AM

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson carried the ball four times for 13 yards and added 15 receiving yards on three catches against the New England Patriots. Johnson entered the 2025 season as the expected RB3, behind James Cook and second-year back Ray Davis. However, Johnson's receiving ability has earned him more snaps than Davis, outsnapping him 29% to 12% on the season. He faces a Cleveland Browns defense that has ranked middle-of-the-pack against running backs this season but has struggled to slow down Tony Pollard and D'Andre Swift in back-to-back weeks. While Johnson carries a safe floor with his strong skill set in the receiving game, his upside is capped by Cook's dominance of touches. Johnson should be out of starting lineups in fantasy leagues this week.

Monday, December 22, 12:21 PM

Rico Dowdle had nine carries for 29 yards in the Panthers' 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. The Carolina RB also added four receptions for 14 receiving yards, totaling 8.3 PPR points. Dowdle has cooled off in the last four starts, averaging 10.5 PPR points per game during that span. For the second consecutive week, Dowdle outperformed Chuba Hubbard, who finished Week 16 with 34 scrimmage yards and 4.4 PPR points. Despite the workload being split between Dowdle and Hubbard, Dowdle logged the most snaps (57%). In Week 17, the Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks. In the last four weeks leading up to Week 16, the Seahawks ranked seventh in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to RBs. Fantasy players who have their championship in Week 17 cab consider reserving Dowdle due to the tough matchup.