Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or Travis Etienne

Wednesday, April 10, 11:05 PM

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz sees running backs Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard as 1A and 1B in some combination at the RB position for the team heading into the 2024 season. Holz said both backs will get a lot of touches. It's clearly bad news for Pollard's fantasy value after he served as the lead back for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023, recording his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season with six touchdowns but a career-low 4.0 yards per carry in 17 regular-season starts. Expecting a third straight 1,000-yard season in his first year in Tennessee would be unwise. If both Spears -- who had 453 rushing yards and 385 receiving yards with three total TDs as a rookies last year, -- and Pollard split the backfield work evenly, they'd both be more of RB3/flex plays in fantasy on a weekly basis in an offense that could be transitioning to more of a balanced attack rather than run-heavy.

Sunday, April 28, 1:02 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said on Saturday that the team is picking up the fifth-year option for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne Jr. It's no surprise that the Jags will pick up the options for the former Clemson teammates with the deadline to do so coming next Thursday. The 24-year-old Lawrence has been given even more weapons in Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas after Calvin Ridley left in free agency this offseason. Injuries hurt Lawrence in the second half of 2023, and with better health in 2024, he could easily rebound as a strong midrange QB1 for fantasy. Etienne has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons while also catching 93 total passes for 792 yards. Tank Bigsby could be a thorn in his side as he gets more involved in the backfield, but Etienne is still an attractive fantasy RB in an offense that could be even more explosive this year.