Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Isiah Pacheco

Thursday, October 23, 9:17 AM

Following an excellent start to the 2025 season, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. has cooled off as the team heads into its Week 8 bye. The fifth-year back is the No. 16 overall PPR running back, but has now recorded fewer than 50 yards rushing and no touchdowns in three straight games for the Jags, who were thoroughly quieted by the Los Angeles Rams in a 35-7 loss last week. Etienne drew only eight carries and one catch, his fewest number of touches in a game this season. The Jags traded Tank Bigsby to Philadelphia earlier this year, and rookie Bhayshul Tuten has yet to play more than a third of the team's snaps in a game, so Etienne is still the clear top option, but managers should continue to watch his usage in the weeks to come. Jacksonville travels to Las Vegas in Week 9.

Monday, November 10, 3:54 PM

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid "nudged" that running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) may take more time and might not be ready to return coming out of the bye to face the division-rival Denver Broncos in Week 11, according to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride. Pacheco sat out of the Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills, but at the time, he was expected to be ready to go coming out of the Chiefs' Week 10 bye. The 26-year-old isn't dealing with a serious injury, but KC might just want to play it safe to ensure that they'll have Pacheco at full speed for the final stretch of the regular season. If Pacheco misses a second straight game, veteran Kareem Hunt should once again handle the bulk of the backfield work, with rookie Brashard Smith and Clyde Edwards-Helaire battling for change-of-pace snaps. After playing in only seven regular-season games in 2024 due to injury, Pacheco has disappointed again in 2025, rushing for 329 yards and only one touchdown on 78 carries through eight starts.