Who Should I Start? David Montgomery or Travis Etienne

Tuesday, January 14, 4:35 PM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) was listed as a full participant in the team's first practice of the week on Tuesday. An MCL sprain to his right knee kept Montgomery out for the final three games of the regular season, and he had an extra week to heal up with the Lions on bye during the wild-card round of the playoffs last weekend. With the 27-year-old back to a full-go in practice, even though it was merely a walkthrough on Tuesday, he's on track to be available this Saturday in the Divisional Round against the visiting Washington Commanders. It's good news for the Lions offense for sure, but fantasy managers in playoff leagues should be hesitant to rely on Monty, who could have a reduced role alongside Jahmyr Gibbs in his first game back. In 14 games before his knee injury in 2024, Montgomery had 185 rushing attempts for 775 yards and 12 TDs and also caught 36 passes for 341 yards.

Monday, January 6, 11:55 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. struggled to find much space in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He finished with 13 carries for 31 yards as well as three catches for 29 yards. The 25-year-old back out of Clemson had the worst season of his young career, struggling to find efficient yardage in a lackluster offense. While it still seems Etienne Jr. is much better in the passing game than backup Tank Bigsby, Bigsby seemed to take over as the lead rusher and goal-line back. Maybe with a healthy offense and improved roster next season, Etienne Jr. can get back on track, but he will likely still have Bigsby nipping at his heels. Expect Etienne Jr. to remain involved, but not as a workhorse back in the 2025 NFL season.