Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Tyjae Spears

Thursday, May 8, 8:25 AM

The Jacksonville Jaguars' new regime of coaches and executives is "not so high" on running back Travis Etienne Jr., according to league executives who have spoken with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. As a result, Fowler notes that rookie Bhayshul Tuten could carve out a role and make an impact right away. The Etienne era in Jacksonville has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. He dominated over his first two seasons, combining for 2,925 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns. He even finished eighth in Offensive Player of the Year voting in 2023. However, last season, after Tank Bigsby joined the backfield, Etienne's usage dwindled. He still started all 15 games he played, but he was often out-snapped and out-produced by Bigsby. Etienne finished his age-25 campaign with just 558 rushing yards, 254 receiving yards, and two touchdowns, all of which were career lows. He was already trending down ahead of this offseason, and the Jaguars' decision to bring in new faces (such as general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen) could spell disaster for the former first-round pick.

Tuesday, May 20, 11:27 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (concussion) has been taking part in the team's organized team activities this week after sitting out the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Houston Texans at the end of last season. The 23-year-old has obviously recovered from his head injury and will be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign this fall. Tony Pollard was a workhorse back for the team in 2024 in his first year in Tennessee, but head coach Brian Callahan has already been hinting that it might be in the team's best interest to take some of the load off of Pollard in order to keep him healthy. Spears, who is more of a pass-catching back, was only active for 12 games last year and had 84 carries for 312 yards and four TDs on the ground, adding 30 catches for 224 yards and another score. He's elusive with the ball in his hands, so if he can stay healthy, Spears could be a nice sleeper pick late in fantasy drafts.