Who Should I Start? Travis Homer or Travis Etienne

Thursday, October 19, 3:27 PM

Chicago Bears running back Travis Homer (hamstring) was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Thursday. Homer was injured in Week 5 and sat out of the Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but he's trending toward returning this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Khalil Herbert (ankle) is on Injured Reserve and rookie Roschon Johnson is still in the league's concussion protocol, so Homer could have an elevated role as a pass-catcher out of the backfield alongside D'Onta Foreman and Darrynton Evans this weekend if Johnson is inactive again. However, the 25-year-old is nothing more than a desperation flex play in PPR leagues with rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent likely to be leading Chicago's offense against the Raiders this week.

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.