Travis Etienne
vs Malik Nabers

“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.”

“Here’s the thing: Malik Nabers is not back to full health yet. He’s near the bottom of the league in separation score this season and is sitting behind Isaiah Likely in target share. With every passing week, Nabers should be inching closer to his old self.”

“As a result of Winston getting back to slinging it, Malik Nabers had six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, and Isaiah Likely had seven receptions for 66 scoreless yards on 12 targets. Winston’s showing provides gamers with hope for Nabers and Likely. That said, it may be best to use this as a selling window for Nabers.”

“Winston was trying to keep it simple by going to his first read at the seventh-highest rate, and even though Malik Nabers was the first read on 37% of plays, it counted for nothing because of the poor weather and the crowded area the ball was thrown into. We have to face the fact that this could be another lost season for Nabers, who hasn’t yet reached 10 half-PPR points in any game. The Cardinals’ pass defense ranks 30th in EPA allowed and has given up the 12th-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to wide receivers.”

“If you drafted Nabers expecting a weekly WR1, there is plenty of reason to panic. I’m not selling him for scraps, and I’m not outright dropping him, but he’s fallen into risky FLEX territory. On the plus side, the Giants have three favorable matchups coming up.”

“Nabers was targeted on four occasions in the loss , missing a handful of snaps due to – what later turned out to be – a dislocated shoulder…and this is what concerns me way more than who happens to be throwing the former first-round pick the ball for the rest of the year. With Dart out, you could be forgiven for proclaiming this an already lost season for John Harbaugh’s men – so would it be crazy to suggest they may just shut down their star WR to save any more damage being done for little to no gain?”

“Stack Idea: Dart + Nabers + Kyren + Mevis Malik Nabers $13,500 Nabers is my lower-owned CPT alternative, as I currently have him at just under 10%. He caught six passes for 69 yards in his return last week, and his projected CPT ownership is less than half Dart’s. I want some lineups where the Giants’ biggest receiving performance belongs to Nabers, with Dart collecting the passing points in FLEX.”

“Nabers ran a route on 24 of those 36 snaps and quickly commanded nine targets.”

“Malik Nabers (WR – NYG) Going as the WR11, around the 27th overall pick, Nabers has shown real positive injury progression, moving out of the no-contact jersey and into full team drills.”

“Malik Nabers completely avoided the PUP list this offseason and has been trending towards starting the season as close to completely healthy as anyone could have hoped for. Nabers is still a potential value at his current ECR and ADP, as it was at this time just a year ago, when he was a popular first round draft target.”

“At the start of the offseason, this was a no-brainer selection for “riskiest player to draft.” After all, Malik Nabers could barely hobble to first base in a friendly kickball game.”