Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Kaleb Johnson

Saturday, July 12, 11:10 PM

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. needs to have a strong year to be considered a "marquee target" in free agency next offseason. If not, he could become "a back who gets lumped in with the pool of veterans who cycle through one-year deals." The 26-year-old began his career by amassing over 1,000 rushing yards while totaling 17 touchdowns in his first two active seasons. Unfortunately, he's coming off his worst season in the National Football League, accumulating 558 yards and two scores off 150 touches. Tank Bigsby was more productive overall throughout the 2024 campaign. However, it's a new era in Jacksonville, with the organization hiring former Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen to serve as the head coach. In addition, the Jags bolstered the running back position by selecting Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. in the 2025 NFL Draft. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how the backfield situation takes shape during training camp. Although Etienne's fantasy stock has never been lower, it appears he at least has a chance to turn things around in 2025. If anything, Etienne should be selected for insurance purposes in case Bigsby goes down with an injury.

Tuesday, July 15, 6:48 PM

The Athletic's Mike DeFabo writes that rookie third-round running back Kaleb Johnson is an ideal scheme fit for Pittsburgh Steelers coordinator Arthur Smith's offense after Iowa alum excelled on wide-zone runs with the Hawkeyes. Although the Steelers weren't very efficient, only three teams ran the football more in 2024. The 21-year-old Johnson has plenty of competition in Pittsburgh's backfield in his rookie campaign with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell in the fold, but he profiles as the team's back of the future and should get more chances out of the backfield as the season plays out. Johnson has a physical, bruising style and is also patient, which is reminiscent of former RB Najee Harris, but he should produce more big plays after racking up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on 240 carries in his final season at Iowa. He'll be more attractive in standard-scoring fantasy formats as an RB3/flex candidate.