Who Should I Start? Khari Blasingame or Travis Etienne

Thursday, February 22, 2:00 PM

Chicago Bears fullback Khari Blasingame is the team's next candidate to be released this offseason after the Bears already released safety Eddie Jackson and guard/center Cody Whitehair in cost-cutting moves. The moves to release Jackson and Whitehair saved nearly $22 million against the 2024 salary cap. Releasing Blasingame would result in $1.6 million in savings with no dead money left on the books. He's a true fullback who could fit into new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's visions, but he's also a stalwart on special teams. The 27-year-old has played in 32 games (eight starts) for the Bears the last two years and has just eight carries for 26 yards and three receptions for two yards.

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.