Who Should I Start? D'Andre Swift or Travis Etienne Jr.

Wednesday, June 4, 12:39 PM

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift wants his production to be "undeniable" as the team's lead back in 2025, and he's been putting in the work to be physically ready for a heavy workload, reports Marquee Sports Network's Scott Bair. Swift will need to improve on his 2024 campaign to hold off Roschon Johnson after averaging a career-low 3.8 yards per carry. The 26-year-old worked with new head coach Ben Johnson during their time together in Detroit, and Johnson called Swift a "fierce competitor." The Bears only added RB Kyle Monangai in the seventh round of this year's NFL draft, so Swift figures to open the 2025 season as the starter in Chicago's backfield. It's unclear exactly how the workload will be split up in Johnson's backfield, but based on volume alone, Swift should be in play as an RB2 in fantasy.

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.