Who Should I Start? Gus Edwards or Travis Etienne

Wednesday, March 20, 2:09 PM

New Los Angeles Chargers running back Gus Edwards will have a big role in the offense in his first year with the team, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. Head coach Jim Harbaugh, general manager Joe Hortiz and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have all stated their goal of building a reliable running game to help quarterback Justin Herbert. Edwards brings the Bolts a downhill running style, physicality and proven production in Roman's scheme with the Baltimore Ravens. However, it feels like LA will add at least one more piece at RB this offseason, either in free agency or the upcoming NFL draft. The 28-year-old had 13 rushing touchdowns and 810 rushing yards on a career-high 198 attempts in 2023 in Baltimore, but he also had a career-low 4.1 yards per carry and is certainly going to regress in the TD department in his first year with the Chargers.

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.