Who Should I Start? Tyler Badie or Keaton Mitchell

Sunday, January 12, 11:37 AM

Denver Broncos running back Tyler Badie (back) was activated from Injured Reserve on Saturday and is officially active for the wild-card game at Orchard Park in Buffalo against the Bills on Sunday. As a result, rookie Audric Estime will be a healthy scratch. It's a pretty big surprise for Denver's backfield as they get set to play their first postseason game since winning Super Bowl 50 back in early 2016. The 24-year-old Badie has been on IR since early October but will return to provide RB depth behind Jaleel McLaughlin and Javonte Williams. Given Badie's extended absence, it would be a surprise to see him on the field all that much, which will give both McLaughlin and Williams more fantasy upside on Sunday against a Buffalo defense that has been vulnerable on the ground this year. In three games before going on IR, Badie had only 11 carries for 86 yards while adding three catches for minus-two yards.

Tuesday, April 1, 11:00 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said it was miraculous that running back Keaton Mitchell (knee) even returned to the field last year from a knee injury that cut short his rookie year in 2023. "I'm almost certain he's going to be on a whole other level coming back this spring," Harbaugh said. The 23-year-old missed the first nine games of the 2024 season and ended up seeing action in only five games, carrying the ball 15 times for 30 yards and catching his only target for 28 yards. Mitchell's path to fantasy relevance in his third year in 2025 will be difficult as long as both Derrick Henry and Justice Hill are healthy, but the upside is evident after a rookie season that saw him average 8.4 yards per carry on 47 rushing attempts before his knee injury. It remains to be seen if he'll be as explosive coming off his serious knee injury, but he could be a nice buy-low target in dynasty/keeper leagues.