Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne or J.J. Taylor

Wednesday, February 28, 2:04 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr.'s 325 touches last year were third-most in the NFL for a RB, but head coach Doug Pederson said that Etienne as a workhorse back "is not the recipe" he prefers. Pederson mentioned that D'Ernest Johnson was injured in 2023, and Tank Bigsby was learning as a rookie. The head coach said he'd consider knocking some of Etienne's reps down next season in order to keep him healthy over the course of the year. All in all, the 25-year-old topped 1,000 rushing yards for the second time in his two NFL seasons, and he also improved as a pass-catcher with 58 catches for 476 yards. Etienne will remain the Jaguars' lead back and will be an RB1 target for fantasy managers, but you'll need to keep in mind that if the team has it their way, Etienne's total touches will be managed more.

Saturday, August 26, 8:28 AM

New England Patriots running back J.J. Taylor had one carry for three yards and one catch for 10 yards in Friday's 23-7 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans. He briefly appeared in Friday's game while Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris handled most of the touches. The 25-year-old is competing with Harris, Strong, and Ty Montgomery for a spot on the Patriots running back depth chart behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott. He had 10 carries for nine yards and caught his only target for eight yards in his only game for the Patriots in 2022. Taylor is fighting for a spot on New England's 53-man roster but is far from being fantasy-relevant in 2023.