Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne or Jahmyr Gibbs

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, January 6, 12:51 AM

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 139 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 23 carries during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He also caught all five of his targets for 31 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. When all was said and done, Gibbs totaled 170 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns while leading the Lions to a division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The 22-year-old running back was terrific while playing alongside David Montgomery (knee) for most of the 2024 season, and he has jumped to the elite tier ever since his backfield-mate went down with a knee injury. Even if Montgomery returns for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, Gibbs will remain a high-end RB1 for fantasy purposes thanks to his nearly unparalleled rushing, receiving, and touchdown upside.