Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Travis Etienne

Monday, February 12, 2:24 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (hamstring) had a frustrating Sunday night in the team's 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. The former second-rounder fell to the turf, grabbing his leg in the third quarter but returned shortly after. While 49er fans and fantasy managers could breathe a sigh of relief when he returned, Samuel wasn't able to do much damage after -- or for that matter, before -- the injury. He finished the game with three catches on a game-high 11 targets for just 33 yards. San Francisco also attempted to get Samuel involved in the running game, giving him three carries which turned into just eight yards. He'll most likely be taken near the WR1/WR2 border when fantasy drafts happen in the fall.

Wednesday, February 28, 2:04 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr.'s 325 touches last year were third-most in the NFL for a RB, but head coach Doug Pederson said that Etienne as a workhorse back "is not the recipe" he prefers. Pederson mentioned that D'Ernest Johnson was injured in 2023, and Tank Bigsby was learning as a rookie. The head coach said he'd consider knocking some of Etienne's reps down next season in order to keep him healthy over the course of the year. All in all, the 25-year-old topped 1,000 rushing yards for the second time in his two NFL seasons, and he also improved as a pass-catcher with 58 catches for 476 yards. Etienne will remain the Jaguars' lead back and will be an RB1 target for fantasy managers, but you'll need to keep in mind that if the team has it their way, Etienne's total touches will be managed more.