Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne or Lamical Perine

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.

Monday, January 8, 2:15 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back La'Mical Perine shouldered a bell-cow role in Week 18's regular-season finale as the team topped the Los Angeles Chargers 13-12, carrying the ball 21 times for 76 yards with three catches for 33 yards. Isiah Pacheco (quadriceps/shoulder) was inactive for Sunday's date, as the Chiefs rested their top playmakers ahead of the postseason, and Perine handled the interim lead-back role fairly well. Clyde Edwards-Helaire made a brief cameo early in the game for three touches before joining the key producers on the sidelines. The 25-year-old former New York Jet is settled in as K.C.'s No. 3 tailback with Jerick McKinnon (groin) on injured reserve but would likely only be called upon during the playoffs in the event of an injury to Pacheco or Edwards-Helaire, so he won't be fantasy relevant on Saturday versus the Miami Dolphins for Wild Card play.