Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Travis Etienne Jr.

Sunday, January 26, 6:46 PM

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler tallied just 32 all-purpose yards during their loss in the NFC Championship game to the Philadelphia Eagles. Ekeler also lost a fumble. The Commanders were playing from behind throughout most of the contest, putting their rushing attack out of the game plan. However, even when Ekeler was given the ball through the air, he could not perform. He caught five of his seven targets but tallied just 17 yards. His seven targets tied him the second-most on the team, only behind tight end Zach Ertz. Throughout the season, the 29-year-old operated primarily as a change-of-pace option in the Washington backfield. Entering Sunday, Ekeler posted a strong 10.3 yards per catch and a 4.8 yards per carry. Ekeler will likely remain in this role next season as he enters the final year of his contract.

Sunday, June 15, 1:24 PM

SI.com's John Shipley guesses that Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. opens the year as the team's lead back. However, Shipley also writes that Etienne, Tank Bigsby and rookies Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen will get some run at some point. Under a new coaching staff, many believed that Etienne's stock would continue to fall after another disappointing showing in 2024, when he had career-lows across the board in carries (150), rushing yards (558) and touchdowns (two) while catching 39 of 52 targets for 254 yards through the air in 15 starts. That could still be the case, especially since the former first-rounder now has to fight off a pair of rookies in addition to Bigsby. Etienne has fallen all the way to No. 35 in RotoBaller's preseason rankings for 2025, but he still has a chance to prove himself in a new offense as the RB1.