Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Drake Maye

Monday, January 5, 9:11 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. struggled to find much success on the ground during the regular-season finale. He rushed 14 times for 32 yards in the blowout win over the Tennessee Titans. It was an ugly performance, but it has been a strong season for Etienne so far. He rushed for 1,107 yards on 260 attempts with seven touchdowns in 17 games. The 26-year-old now heads into a plus matchup against the Buffalo Bills' defense for the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. He'll go against a Bills defense that is near the bottom of the league in terms of rushing yards allowed this season. The Bills' defensive unit has allowed an average of 5.1 yards per carry to running backs this season. Etienne is looking like a strong bounce-back candidate for this weekend.

Thursday, January 15, 5:00 PM

In his first career playoff appearance, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye led his team to a 16-3 win in the Wild Card round over the Los Angeles Chargers. The 23-year-old completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 268 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while adding 66 rushing yards on 10 attempts. However, Maye also fumbled twice, one of which was recovered by the Chargers. Maye's production upside remains sky-high, but any potential ball security issues may only be exacerbated in the Divisional Round against the Houston Texans. Houston allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards (3,486) in the regular season while ranking tied for third in interceptions (19). The Texans' defense is also coming off a dominating performance in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which it forced two turnovers, recorded four sacks, and allowed just six points. Maye's rushing ability could carry him to success, but the difficult matchup makes him a low-end quarterback option for fantasy managers in the Divisional Round.