Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne or Isiah Pacheco

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.

Wednesday, January 1, 1:10 PM

According to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (ribs) will not practice on Wednesday. Earlier this week, head coach Andy Reid noted that the running back will be available for the playoffs but will be held out of practice this week. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progress during the week but should not expect him to suit up in Week 18, as the Chiefs are already locked into the No.1 seed in the AFC. This means that Pacheco will have another week off before they return to action in the Divisional Round. Since returning in Week 13 from a fractured fibula that kept him sidelined through most of the season, he averaged just over ten total touches per game, operating as the "1A" in the backfield alongside Kareem Hunt. Given his injury history this season, Hunt will likely continue to limit his overall ceiling.