Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne or Rachaad White

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, 2:34 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White did not receive a touch in Sunday's 27-19 win over the New Orleans Saints. Woof. Despite playing 18 snaps (27%), the Arizona State product was not utilized. It's the second time in his career -- and first since Week 3 of his rookie season -- that he was active and did not get any work. Backfield mate Bucky Irving dominated touches, and even rookie back Sean Tucker garnered two carries over the third-year pro. It's a poor ending to the year for White, who now enters 2025, bolstering little more than handcuff appeal after finishing 2023 as the PPR RB4. He'll get a slightly tougher test in next weekend's Wild Card round against the visiting Washington Commanders. Still, he'll be tough to trust as a DFS option after goose-egging fantasy managers in the season finale.