Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Cam Skattebo

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.

Monday, May 12, 4:16 PM

SNY's Connor Hughes says not to be surprised if New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo ends up being the team's third-down back in 2025. Skattebo is a capable blocker and was very good as a receiver out of the backfield for Arizona State in 2024. The 23-year-old's dad was a receiver and used to drill him on the fundamentals of route-running, so he could already be the team's most talented pass-catching back. Hughes also writes that there were comparisons after the NFL draft of Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Skattebo recreating the team's old backfield of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Skattebo is stocky at 5-foot-9, but he's not the physical back that Jacobs was. The fourth-rounder has unique fantasy upside as a potential powerful workhorse down the road, but the presence of Tracy might make him fantasy relevant only in PPR leagues in 2025.