Who Should I Start? Jeremy McNichols or Trevor Etienne

Thursday, September 18, 12:42 AM

Washington Commanders running back Jeremy McNichols (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice ahead of Week 3's home matchup against the Raiders. This seems to be a new injury for McNichols, and the severity is unknown at the moment. McNichols is set to step into a larger role in Washington's backfield as their primary third-down and pass-down back with Austin Ekeler out for the season. McNichols is a highly trusted veteran in pass protection, and he showed some ability to be versatile last season, gaining tough yardage as a runner and catching some passes as a receiver. His most important skill is pass protection, which will keep him on the field a lot. That makes him worth considering as an option to pick up off the waiver wire to see how the Washington backfield shakes out.

Wednesday, September 17, 12:23 PM

Carolina Panthers rookie running back Trevor Etienne has played only four offensive snaps through the first two games of his first year in the NFL and is the clear RB2 in Carolina's backfield behind Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle heading into a Week 3 divisional clash against the Atlanta Falcons. In the Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the 21-year-old didn't have a carry and caught his only target for a two-yard gain while playing two snaps. Currently, the Georgia product is primarily being utilized as the team's kickoff-return specialist. He has returned five kicks for 101 yards through two weeks. Etienne is only worth rostering as RB depth in dynasty/keeper leagues right now, and he probably won't be worth a look on the waiver wire unless Hubbard or Dowdle miss time with an injury.