Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Rico Dowdle

Wednesday, October 21, 2:15 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (knee) was listed as a limited participant in practice on Wednesday with a new knee injury, according to Jeff Nowak. Dowdle missed three games with a dislocated toe on his right foot, but he managed to return in the Week 6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing 27% of the offensive snaps while carrying the ball seven times for 40 yards. He added three catches for nine yards. Meanwhile, Jaylen Warren handled 14 rushing attempts for 50 yards and caught two passes for 28 yards. Dowdle apparently picked up a knee injury in his first game back, but it might not be serious enough to keep him out of playing again in Week 7 in Paris against the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Mike McCarthy envisioned a pretty even split between Dowdle and Warren before the start of the regular season, but Dowdle's toe injury opened more opportunities for Warren, and he took advantage. Warren has earned a larger share of the backfield pie than Dowdle. Dowdle is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers, but he is averaging just 3.5 yards per attempt on his 22 carries through three games in Pittsburgh, and he will be relegated to RB3/flex status if he is active in Week 7 in France.