Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Trey Benson

Monday, January 6, 11:55 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. struggled to find much space in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He finished with 13 carries for 31 yards as well as three catches for 29 yards. The 25-year-old back out of Clemson had the worst season of his young career, struggling to find efficient yardage in a lackluster offense. While it still seems Etienne Jr. is much better in the passing game than backup Tank Bigsby, Bigsby seemed to take over as the lead rusher and goal-line back. Maybe with a healthy offense and improved roster next season, Etienne Jr. can get back on track, but he will likely still have Bigsby nipping at his heels. Expect Etienne Jr. to remain involved, but not as a workhorse back in the 2025 NFL season.

Monday, March 3, 11:05 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has high hopes for running back Trey Benson as he heads into his second NFL season in 2025. James Conner re-signed with the Cardinals after posting a career-high 1,094 rushing yards in 16 starts in 2024, but Benson is expected to take on a bigger role and be more productive in Year 2. "If (Trey) takes the necessary jump from Year 1 to Year 2, I think we have two starting backs," Gannon said. "That's how I view those guys. You see certain teams out there with two '1s,' I would say, and I think we should have two '1s' next year." The 22-year-old Benson finished with only 291 rushing yards on 63 carries in his rookie season, but he was playing at his best when he injured his ankle late in the year. Benson's fantasy ceiling will be limited as long as Conner stays healthy in 2025, but fantasy managers that select Conner should look to handcuff him with Benson.