Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Ashton Jeanty

Thursday, May 8, 8:25 AM

The Jacksonville Jaguars' new regime of coaches and executives is "not so high" on running back Travis Etienne Jr., according to league executives who have spoken with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. As a result, Fowler notes that rookie Bhayshul Tuten could carve out a role and make an impact right away. The Etienne era in Jacksonville has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. He dominated over his first two seasons, combining for 2,925 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns. He even finished eighth in Offensive Player of the Year voting in 2023. However, last season, after Tank Bigsby joined the backfield, Etienne's usage dwindled. He still started all 15 games he played, but he was often out-snapped and out-produced by Bigsby. Etienne finished his age-25 campaign with just 558 rushing yards, 254 receiving yards, and two touchdowns, all of which were career lows. He was already trending down ahead of this offseason, and the Jaguars' decision to bring in new faces (such as general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen) could spell disaster for the former first-round pick.

Thursday, May 8, 7:36 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty to his rookie contract. Per Adam Schefter, the four-year agreement is worth a fully guaranteed $35.89 million with $22.74 million due at signing. The 21-year-old is coming off one of the most historic collegiate rushing seasons of all time, and can now officially call Las Vegas home. Jeanty enters an excellent situation as a Raider, with an accurate quarterback manning the helm, a talented offensive mind in Chip Kelly at coordinator, and a head coach in Pete Carroll who has historically enjoyed establishing the run. Expectations are sky-high for the Jacksonville native, as he's already in the conversation to be one of the first few backs off the board this summer in drafts. While rookies always carry a bit of inherent risk, Jeanty will immediately slot in as the Raiders' workhorse back and has the talent to make fantasy managers who didn't draft him regret it.