Okay, let’s talk about this Etienne or Montgomery thing. I actually went through this exact headache myself not too long ago during my main league draft prep.
My thought process
So, I was sitting there, looking at my draft board. It was getting to that point, maybe late third, early fourth round, where both guys were staring me in the face. Travis Etienne Jr. and David Montgomery. Tough one, right?
Here’s what was going through my head:
- Etienne: Man, the guy can explode. You see those long runs he breaks off? That juice is tempting. Jacksonville’s offense looked like it could be pretty good, and he’s the main guy, mostly. But, they didn’t use him near the goal line as much as you’d like sometimes, and Tank Bigsby was kinda lurking. That worried me a bit. Consistency felt like a question mark.
- Montgomery: Now, Monty, he felt like the opposite. Maybe not as flashy, not gonna rip off 60-yarders every week. But Detroit loves running the ball, especially near the end zone. He felt like a safe bet for volume and touchdowns. Reliable. The injury history gave me a little pause, though, and Jahmyr Gibbs was there too, eating into some work.
Making the pick
I stared at the screen for what felt like forever. My gut was pulling me in two directions. I usually like chasing upside, and Etienne definitely has that ceiling. But then I thought about my first couple of picks – maybe I needed a steadier guy, someone I could count on for 10-15 points most weeks.
In the end, I actually went with Montgomery. Yeah, I know, maybe the boring pick. But here’s why: touchdowns are king, especially in my league settings. I just felt Detroit was more committed to giving Montgomery those high-value touches inside the five-yard line. I saw him as having a clearer path to consistent scoring, even if Etienne might have a few bigger boom weeks.
How it’s going
Looking back? It’s been okay. Montgomery delivered those touchdowns when he was healthy, which was great. He definitely won me a couple of weeks. But yeah, he missed some time, and Gibbs definitely got more involved than I initially hoped. Etienne had some huge games, which made me second-guess myself on those weeks, for sure. He also had some duds, though.
It wasn’t a slam dunk win, wasn’t a total disaster either. Just one of those fantasy decisions, you know? You weigh the info, make a call, and live with it. For my team build at that moment, aiming for Montgomery’s perceived floor and touchdown upside felt like the right move for me. Sometimes safe is okay.
