Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Rhamondre Stevenson

Thursday, August 14, 2:22 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. got a lot of run "from the jump" in the team's scrimmage on Thursday. Tank Bigsby and rookie Bhayshul Tuten had the second-most reps of RBs during the scrimmage, and Bigsby found the end zone. Etienne was also the team's lead back in the preseason opener on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, although he only carried the ball twice for six yards and caught one pas for a pickup of 10 yards. Bigsby and Tuten didn't see the field. Etienne's usage so far suggests that he should be a big part of Jacksonville's offense in 2025, unless he's traded before the start of the season. The 26-year-old is still RotoBaller's highest-ranked (No. 33) Jaguars RB in fantasy, but Bigsby is at No. 38, and Tuten sits at No. 51. It could be a three-headed monster for Jacksonville, making Etienne an RB3/flex, at best, in PPR leagues if he's not traded.

Thursday, August 14, 2:08 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (undisclosed) remained sidelined at Thursday's training camp practice, according to Brian Hines of Pats Pulpit. Stevenson probably isn't in line to suit up for the second preseason game on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings, but head coach Mike Vrabel said on Wednesday that Stevenson's injury is minor. The 27-year-old shouldn't be in danger of having to miss the start of the 2025 regular season in early September. When Stevenson is healthy and available, he's going to split touches in New England's backfield with rookie TreVeyon Henderson, although given his issues with ball security, this could easily become Henderson's backfield in 2025 when all is said and done. If that ends up happening, Stevenson's best bet for fantasy purposes might be as an RB3/flex touchdown vulture at the goal line.