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

Tuesday, July 22, 1:52 PM

DetroitLions.com's Tim Twentyman reports that he's seen Detroit Lions running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery on the field together over the first three training camp practices, maybe more than he can remember in the last two years. It appears that new offensive coordinator John Morton likes the Gibbs-Monty combination and the pressure they can put on opposing defenses. Despite the presence of Montgomery in Detroit's backfield, Gibbs is a surefire top-five fantasy RB entering his third NFL season. The former first-rounder has been a Pro Bowler in both of his seasons and ran for 1,412 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns on 250 carries a year ago, adding 52 catches for the second straight year, 517 yards and four more TDs. Montgomery is dangerous in his own right and had 1,000 yards rushing in 2023, but he's not the all-around stud that Gibbs is.

Thursday, August 14, 2:22 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. got a lot of run "from the jump" in the team's scrimmage on Thursday. Tank Bigsby and rookie Bhayshul Tuten had the second-most reps of RBs during the scrimmage, and Bigsby found the end zone. Etienne was also the team's lead back in the preseason opener on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, although he only carried the ball twice for six yards and caught one pas for a pickup of 10 yards. Bigsby and Tuten didn't see the field. Etienne's usage so far suggests that he should be a big part of Jacksonville's offense in 2025, unless he's traded before the start of the season. The 26-year-old is still RotoBaller's highest-ranked (No. 33) Jaguars RB in fantasy, but Bigsby is at No. 38, and Tuten sits at No. 51. It could be a three-headed monster for Jacksonville, making Etienne an RB3/flex, at best, in PPR leagues if he's not traded.