Isiah Pacheco vs Travis Etienne: Who Should You Start?
Travis Etienne and Isiah Pacheco are at different tiers heading into 2026. The New Orleans Saints running back averaged 13.9 PPG in 2025, a full 7.9 points per game ahead of Isiah Pacheco's 6.0 with the Detroit Lions. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
A 7.9-PPG gap gives Travis Etienne the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Both profile as early-down workhorses. Isiah Pacheco ran for 462 yards and 1 touchdowns; Travis Etienne posted 1107 and 7. Goal-line share, red zone touches, and which team is favored are usually the tiebreaker when neither back offers passing-game volume.
Isiah Pacheco has his bye in Week 5, and Travis Etienne rests in Week 12. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at running back for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
