Should I Start Travis Etienne Jr.?

Monday, August 17, 10:51 AM

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. has not exactly been handed the backfield, but his redraft case is holding up. Alvin Kamara has been getting the first call on third downs and in passing situations, while Etienne has handled most of the first-team work on early downs. That's the split that matters more than an unofficial depth chart listing both as co-starters. Etienne is coming off 1,399 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns in Jacksonville, with 1,107 of those yards on the ground over 260 carries. He has gone over 1,000 rushing yards in three of his four seasons on the field. At a 41.9 ADP, the price is still sitting in the fourth round. Kamara hanging around takes some catches off the table and probably keeps Etienne from seeing a true workhorse load. Fine. He doesn't need one. If the early-down split sticks, Etienne should still get enough carries to make that fourth-round cost work.