Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Jonathan Taylor

Saturday, November 14, 6:30 AM

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) has been activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's Week 10 contest against the Carolina Panthers, according to Tom Pelissero of the Ringer. Etienne is listed as questionable, but his activation indicates that he should play on Sunday as he returns to action following a six-week absence. The 27-year-old was off to a modest start on offense before injuring his hamstring in Week 3. Across parts of three games, he totaled a modest 30 carries and 128 rushing yards. He was relatively more involved in the passing game, where he totaled 11 catches and 51 receiving yards. Etienne spent the start of the year sharing volume with Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara, which was surprising given that he signed a $52 million contract in the offseason. Miller has since been released, so Etienne's main competition is now just Kamara, who has been highly inefficient with just 3.3 yards per carry and a modest 6.7 carries per game. Although the Saints surely won't phase out Kamara, we do expect Etienne to be the undisputed lead back upon his return. He should rank as a solid RB2 this week against a Panthers defense that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs in 2026.