Colston Loveland
vs Travis Etienne

“TEs Colston Loveland has one catch for three yards through the first two weeks of the season. Caleb Williams ’ hamstring injury hurts all Bears pass-catchers, but Loveland turns into a player that I would advise starting with either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum at QB. Tucker Kraft ’s return from a torn ACL has been slower than fantasy managers would have hoped for when drafting him, but the increase to 98% of snaps is a sign of encouragement.”

“Loveland may not mean as much to Ben Johnson ’s offense as Trey McBride or Brock Bowers mean to their offenses, limiting his ceiling when comparing him to the other elite TEs.”

“How crazy is it that Colston Loveland has combined for only one catch for three yards in two games? An absolutely insane outcome compared to the hype he was getting coming into the season. We have no choice but to downgrade Loveland moving forward, especially with Caleb Williams out for the foreseeable future.”

“I was always skeptical that Loveland would reach his elite ceiling, and he certainly hasn’t done anything to change that impression. If you can move him for a top-half TE1 price tag, do it.”

“Colston Loveland ‘s 0.05 YPRR is utterly painful considering he’s run the 6th most routes of any TE.”

“Chicago will be without quarterback Caleb Williams for the near future due to his hamstring injury, so the time to “buy low” on a potential bounce-back for Loveland is now.”

“Loveland was always going to need consistent involvement AND reliable quarterback play to become the weekly TE1 fantasy managers drafted him to be. Unfortunately, the next man up for the Bears at QB is Tyson Bagent who hasn’t thrown a TD since 2023. As it stands, the panic alarm is screaming for Loveland.”

“Etienne has posted a respectable 11.8% explosive run rate and 18% missed tackle rate. Etienne could be an RB2 with a bad matchup this week, but he’s best viewed as a risky flex at this point until his usage improves. The Raiders have allowed the tenth-lowest explosive run rate, the seventh-lowest rushing success rate, and the fourth-lowest missed tackle rate.”

“Kamara is clearly the more involved receiver (6 targets to Etienne’s 2); Etienne is the marginally more efficient runner (3.1 vs. 1.7 YPC). First-half usage: Kamara handled the bulk of it — 5 carries for 10 yards across Q1-Q2 (all of Q2’s carries were his) vs. just 2 carries for 9 yards for Etienne (both in Q1, on the opening drive).”

“As long as this offense funnels heavily through Chris Olave , Etienne looks like a completely non-useful fantasy asset who is utterly dependent on TD efficiency to crack your starting lineup. Conclusion: Sell Travis Etienne Jr . if you still can. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Cleveland Browns Denzel Boston (93%) It is time to officially sound the breakout alarm for rookie second-rounder Denzel Boston .”

“I noted on the Friday DFS Pod that I thought Travis Etienne was a really interesting leverage play as he was essentially the only Saints player not getting steamed up this week. Once Alvin Kamara was ruled out (Knee), I thought Etienne became an even better play given that we could project a bump in his pass catching role. Again, the result didn’t go my way here with Shough passing stacks getting that insane come-from-behind pass volume, but I was really happy with my ownership read, getting him at just 12% in this contest.”

“It’s easily Travis Etienne for me, and I’m struggling to understand why we’re still getting him at RB17. Etienne was the RB6 in points per game in 2023 and RB12 last season, and his career 13.2 PPG is essentially identical to Kenneth Walker ‘s 13.3.”

“” – Adam Dove ( The Fantasy Couriers ) Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – NO) “ Travis Etienne is sitting around RB18 in Half-PPR ECR after finishing as the RB13 in points per game last season and putting up 1,399 total yards.”

“He signed a massive deal with the Saints this offseason after rushing 260 times for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns last season, while also catching 36 passes for 292 yards and six more scores. Etienne will get plenty of action in the passing game and will be the team’s undisputed No. 1 RB.”

“Travis Etienne Jr. bounced back in a big way last season, amassing 1,100 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns for the Jaguars. He's headed into arguably an even better situation in New Orleans, at least in terms of backfield competition. Etienne posted an RB10 overall finish in 2025 with a 65.1% snap share. If that climbs up closer to the 75% range in New Orleans (which feels realistic given the depth chart), I don't see why he can't hit 1,500 rushing yards.”

“The Saints signed Travis Etienne to headline their backfield, but among 43 running backs with at least 150 touches last season, Etienne was 27th in yards per carry (4.3) and 33rd in percentage of rushes that went for zero or negative yards.”

“Etienne is too good a talent for the Saints to put him in a legitimate time share of any kind. Kellen Moore's offense has been capable of producing big fantasy numbers for running backs as well.”

“Travis Etienne is a free agent in 2026 (signed with the New Orleans Saints). They did draft two RBs in last year's draft, likely knowing they could lose ETN on the open market.”