Who Should I Start? Josh Jacobs or Travis Etienne

Wednesday, May 8, 11:03 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs believes he has a chip on his shoulder, according to running backs coach Ben Sirmans. "I think he's coming in with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder because we all have something to prove," Sirmans told the media on Wednesday. "I think he wants to prove we made the right decision in investing in him." Jacobs doesn't necessarily have a whole lot more to prove after tallying 3,154 scrimmage yards and 18 touchdowns over his final two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, his signing with Green Bay did surprise many NFL fans, so perhaps he feels a little extra motivation to silence the critics and make sure he lives up to every penny of his four-year, $48 million deal. The Packers parted ways with fellow veteran Aaron Jones this offseason and (barring any unforeseen additions) will enter 2024 with a backfield headlined by Jacobs, AJ Dillon, and rookie MarShawn Lloyd. Given his track record as an every-down back in Vegas, Jacobs easily has the most fantasy appeal of the bunch, ranking as a low-end RB1 heading into drafts.

Sunday, April 28, 1:02 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said on Saturday that the team is picking up the fifth-year option for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne Jr. It's no surprise that the Jags will pick up the options for the former Clemson teammates with the deadline to do so coming next Thursday. The 24-year-old Lawrence has been given even more weapons in Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas after Calvin Ridley left in free agency this offseason. Injuries hurt Lawrence in the second half of 2023, and with better health in 2024, he could easily rebound as a strong midrange QB1 for fantasy. Etienne has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons while also catching 93 total passes for 792 yards. Tank Bigsby could be a thorn in his side as he gets more involved in the backfield, but Etienne is still an attractive fantasy RB in an offense that could be even more explosive this year.