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

Sunday, June 15, 1:24 PM

SI.com's John Shipley guesses that Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. opens the year as the team's lead back. However, Shipley also writes that Etienne, Tank Bigsby and rookies Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen will get some run at some point. Under a new coaching staff, many believed that Etienne's stock would continue to fall after another disappointing showing in 2024, when he had career-lows across the board in carries (150), rushing yards (558) and touchdowns (two) while catching 39 of 52 targets for 254 yards through the air in 15 starts. That could still be the case, especially since the former first-rounder now has to fight off a pair of rookies in addition to Bigsby. Etienne has fallen all the way to No. 35 in RotoBaller's preseason rankings for 2025, but he still has a chance to prove himself in a new offense as the RB1.

Friday, January 3, 11:03 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson remains an unreliable fantasy option heading into Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Buffalo Bills. Stevenson was effectively benched last Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. While he did log the first touch of the game, he finished the contest with just two carries for one yard while Antonio Gibson rushed the ball 12 times. Gibson has led the Patriots' backfield in snaps for two consecutive weeks, which is the product of Stevenson's poor ball security this season, including a costly Week 16 fumble against the Bills. The Patriots have been somewhat quiet about their personnel decision for Sunday's regular-season finale, but we would expect Stevenson to remain in the doghouse. He's not a dependable fantasy option as the Patriots' season wraps up.