Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Michael Penix Jr.

Sunday, September 28, 9:38 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. dominated the San Francisco 49ers with 19 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown in his team's 26-21 Week 4 win. The 26-year-old is off to a terrific start to the 2025 season, with 65 carries for 394 yards and two touchdowns as a rusher, and six catches for 32 yards and a score as a receiver through his first four games. Etienne Jr. is also dominating backfield touches in Jacksonville so far, as Jaguars backup running backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. combined for just six touches in Week 4. Etienne Jr. profiles as a must-start fantasy running back going into a Week 5 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Saturday, October 18, 1:31 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is coming off two consecutive solid performances and will take on the 49ers on the road in San Francisco on Sunday night. The 49ers are middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs this year, and middle of the pack in terms of both passing (214.3) and rushing yards (107.3) on the season, however, San Francisco has allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game over the last three weeks (266.7). This is, of course, largely attributable to the absence of Nick Bosa (knee) and Fred Warner (ankle), who will both be out on Sunday as well (and for the rest of the season). While that bodes well for the Penix, the lefty QB could again be without Darnell Mooney (hamstring) who did not practice on Friday after getting in two limited sessions earlier in the week. All in all, the 25-year-old projects as a low-end QB2 on Sunday night with high-end QB2 upside with all the other offensive talent on this team at his disposal.