Who Should I Start? David Montgomery or Travis Etienne Jr.

Thursday, January 8, 7:31 PM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery is under contract through the 2027 season, but his future with the team could be up in the air this offseason. "Those are discussions that we're gonna have to have in-depth. We love David Montgomery. He's a good football player. ...He deserves to be in a situation where his skill set can be utilized," general manager Brad Holmes said when asked if Montgomery will remain with the team. If the Lions cut the 28-year-old in the offseason, they'll save $11.26 million but will also take on $8.6 million in dead money. Monty took a clear back seat to Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit's backfield in 2025. He was still a weekly RB3/flex consideration in fantasy football, though, and finished with a career-low 158 carries for 716 yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 17 games, adding 24 catches for 192 yards. Monty's 2026 fantasy value could look drastically different if he's playing in another city.

Monday, January 5, 9:11 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. struggled to find much success on the ground during the regular-season finale. He rushed 14 times for 32 yards in the blowout win over the Tennessee Titans. It was an ugly performance, but it has been a strong season for Etienne so far. He rushed for 1,107 yards on 260 attempts with seven touchdowns in 17 games. The 26-year-old now heads into a plus matchup against the Buffalo Bills' defense for the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. He'll go against a Bills defense that is near the bottom of the league in terms of rushing yards allowed this season. The Bills' defensive unit has allowed an average of 5.1 yards per carry to running backs this season. Etienne is looking like a strong bounce-back candidate for this weekend.