Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne or Rico Dowdle

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, March 18, 6:29 PM

The Dallas Cowboys are re-signing running back Rico Dowdle to an undisclosed deal on Monday. With Tony Pollard moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, Dowdle is now No. 1 on the Cowboys' RB depth chart, for now. The 25-year-old former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina entered the league in 2020 with the Cowboys and has just 96 carries for 385 yards and two rushing touchdowns in his three NFL seasons, adding 17 receptions (22 targets) for 144 yards and two more touchdowns through the air. Eighty nine of his career carries came in 2023, when he rushed for 361 yards and two TDs in 16 regular-season contests. Depending on what Dallas does at the position in the upcoming NFL draft, Dowdle could see a substantial role increase in his fourth NFL campaign.