Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne or Jonathan Taylor

Monday, December 16, 3:45 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. took hold of the lead-back role in Week 15 against the New York Jets. He finished with 85 total yards on 18 touches which consisted of 65 yards on 14 carries and four catches for 20 yards. The 25-year-old back has been mostly overshadowed by fellow back Tank Bigsby, but in this week's matchup with the Jets, he out-touched Bigsby 18 to 11. While it isn't surprising Etienne Jr. was more involved in the passing game, it is surprising he out-carried Bigsby given recent games. That might be because Etienne Jr. has become more efficient at running the ball. In Week 15, Etienne averaged 4.6 yards per carry, while Bigsby averaged 3.8. Etienne Jr. will look to continue separating himself from Bigsby in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Saturday, December 21, 1:05 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has 21 or more carries in four of the last five contests with virtually no competition for touches from the other running backs on the team. That is, except for Anthony Richardson who has scored four times on the ground over the last four weeks while Taylor hasn't scored via the rush since Week 8. The 25-year-old nearly had one last week but dropped the ball in celebration before crossing the goal line, resulting in a lost fumble instead. Expect the former second-round draft pick to get a healthy dose of touches again in Week 16 against Tennessee, especially given how good the Titans' pass defense has been, allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing receivers compared to a rush defense yielding the 13th-most points to opposing backs. The fifth-year pro falls to a high-end RB2 in this week's matchup, who should get plenty of work and comes with RB1 upside if he's able to find the end zone.