Who Should I Start? Xazavian Valladay or Dillon Johnson

Saturday, August 24, 11:25 PM

New York Jets running back Xazavian Valladay soaked up plenty of reps in Saturday night's preseason win over the New York Giants in East Rutherford, rushing a team-high 14 times for 28 yards and collecting six of his eight targets for a team-leading 62 yards. Valladay hauled in plenty of checkdowns on Saturday against the Giants, totaling 90 yards on a substantial 20 touches. It was more or less window dressing for the 25-year-old Arizona State product, who is unlikely to be a part of New York's 53-man roster when the regular season begins in what has become a loaded Jets RB room.

Thursday, September 5, 2:14 PM

The Carolina Panthers signed rookie running back Dillon Johnson to the practice squad on Thursday, according to NFL.com. Johnson went unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft following a stellar season at Washington. While playing in a loaded offense featuring Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan, Johnson rushed 233 times for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns in 14 games last season. He spent time with the Tennessee Titans this offseason before being let go on July 25. He was signed by Carolina on July 31 but waived on August 19. Carolina won't have Jonathon Brooks (knee) for at least the first four games of the season, and with Miles Sanders (finger) banged up, Johnson adds depth to the practice squad. For now, he's nowhere near the fantasy football radar.