Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Jayden Higgins

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, October 27, 10:31 AM

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins had the best game of his young NFL career in his team's Week 8 win over the San Francisco 49ers, recording four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. The 22-year-old has now hauled in 13 catches for 155 yards and two scores on 21 targets. Before Week 8, Higgins had not earned more than four targets in any game this season. It's worth noting that veteran Texans wideouts Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) were both sidelined against San Francisco, which certainly factored into Higgins' breakout game. However, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has attempted 88 passes over the team's last two games, which could signal that there will be more opportunity for Higgins even when Collins and Stroud return. In deeper leagues where available, Higgins could be worth stashing for his second-half breakout potential.