Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Travis Etienne

Wednesday, November 20, 9:16 AM

Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on Monday said running back Saquon Barkley losing out on touches near the goal line is something "you always think about." The Eagles, of course, are devastatingly effective using quarterback Jalen Hurts to sneak the ball in short yardage, but often at the expense of their running backs. Kevin Patra of NFL.com cited Barkley being tackled at the one or two-yard line 11 times this season, which is the most in the league. The 2024 free agent signing is still having a monster year with a career-best 5.8 yards per carry, eight touchdowns, and the overall No. 2 ranking for fantasy running backs. Sirianni called Barkley "a great teammate," but it seems as if Hurts getting the goal-line work will continue to be a fact of life for Eagles running backs.

Monday, November 18, 7:12 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. was the team's lead back in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions on Sunday with Tank Bigsby (ankle) inactive, but he wasn't able to do much with his 15 touches in the 52-6 blowout loss. Etienne finished with a team-high 12 rushing attempts for only 27 yards (2.3 yards per carry) and caught all three of his targets for just six receiving yards. On the road against a stout Lions defensive front with quarterback Mac Jones filling in for Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) for the second straight week amounted to the Jaguars' offense getting absolutely dominated all day. It was surely a disappointment for Etienne's fantasy managers that were hoping for more with Bigsby out. The 25-year-old has under 50 rushing yards in five straight games now and could be splitting carries again with Bigsby coming out of the team's Week 12 bye.