Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Javonte Williams


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
13.2 60.3 0.4 2.4 18.7 0.1

Travis Etienne Jr. News

Travis Etienne Jr. Better as a Win-Now Piece Than Rebuild Hold

Wednesday, July 8, 11:39 AM

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. still has plenty of short-term dynasty value, but he fits contenders better than rebuilding teams. Etienne is entering his age-27 season after giving Jacksonville 1,107 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 36 catches, 292 receiving yards, and six receiving scores in 17 games last year. New Orleans then brought him home on a four-year deal, so this is not a throwaway veteran signing. The tricky part is figuring out how clean the workload will be. Alvin Kamara is still in the building, and Kellen Moore has talked about finding roles for multiple backs rather than simply handing everything to one player. That does not kill Etienne's value, but it does make him easier to like for 2026 production than as a long-range dynasty anchor. RotoBaller has him ranked as the RB15 across formats, which is already starter pricing. Contenders can still buy if they need points now, but rebuilders should be willing to cash out if someone is paying near low-end RB1 value.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
13.6 66.6 0.5 2.0 11.4 0.1

Javonte Williams News

Javonte Williams has Cemented Himself as Long-Term Starting RB in Dallas

Friday, July 17, 5:28 PM

After a strong first year with the Dallas Cowboys, running back Javonte Williams has "cemented himself as the long-term starter," according to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The 26-year-old was rewarded with a three-year, $24 million contract in February of this year after he had a career-high 252 rushing attempts for a career-high 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 starts, adding 35 receptions for 137 yards and two scores as a pass-catcher. At the very least, Williams will be the team's early-down back again in 2026, or a bell-cow back once again "at the worst." There aren't any real threats to his heavy volume going into his second year in Dallas, with Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah, among others, behind him on the RB depth chart. Williams loses some luster in PPR leagues, but at the very least, he should be treated as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 in upcoming fantasy football drafts as Dallas' unquestioned RB1. RotoBaller currently has Williams ranked as the No. 15 fantasy RB for 2026, just behind the Los Angeles Rams' Kyren Williams.


Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Javonte Williams

Still trying to decide between Etienne Jr. and Williams? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Travis Etienne Jr. is projected to score 13.2 points this week while Javonte Williams is projected to score 13.6 points.