Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or C.J. Stroud

Saturday, September 13, 7:39 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen praised running back Travis Etienne Jr. after Etienne Jr.'s big performance in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. Per ESPN's Michael DiRocco, Coen had this to say about Etienne Jr.: "It took some time early on in terms of understanding the demands and the standards. Once (Etienne Jr.) really got on the same page, it's been doing this (upward motion)." The Jaguars traded running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles following Week 1, clearing the way for Etienne Jr. and rookie Bhayshul Tuten to dominate touches in Jacksonville. Etienne Jr. profiles as a fantasy RB2 in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sunday, September 14, 6:08 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is hoping for a bounce-back season after a down year in 2024, but the new season didn't start well in the Texans' 14-9 loss to the Rams in Week 1. Stroud was limited to just 188 passing yards while completing 19-of-27 passes. He was under pressure from the Rams' strong pass rush most of the day and wasn't able to create enough big plays down the field. His interception came on a pass that was snatched out of the hands of his receiver, so it wasn't really on him. However, he didn't make enough big plays or lead any touchdown drives. Even with new offensive coordinator Nick Caley in command, the issues from last season were evident once again in Week 1. Stroud and the Texans will look to get on track against the Buccaneers in the first game of Monday Night Football's doubleheader, but with how rough the Texans' offense looked, it's hard to support Stroud as a QB1. In the RotoBaller rankings, he's QB17, making him a decent QB2 but a long shot to start in standard, single-QB leagues.