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Scoring
#1 Start

Marks

RB · HOU vs DAL

Sun 1:00 PM

Proj pts

12.4pts

market

Mod Conf
Bench

Etienne

RB · NO vs ATL

Mon 8:15 PM

Proj pts

10.5pts

opportunity

Mod Conf

Travis Etienne or Woody Marks: who should I start in Week 4?

Start Woody Marks. Bench Travis Etienne. Woody Marks leads at 12.4. Travis Etienne is the first one out, 1.9 short.

Availability & news

  • Woody Marks

    Marks turned five carries into 15 yards and a touchdown and hauled in his lone target for six yards during the Texans' 19-17 loss to the Colts on Sunday. He also returned two kickoffs for 52 yards.(rotowire, Sep 28, 2026)

  • Travis EtienneIr

    The Saints are placing Etienne (hamstring) on injured reserve, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.(rotowire, Oct 1, 2026)

Highlights

Woody MarksStart
RB · HOU vs DAL

Pros

  • Run-funnel matchupRun-funnel vs RB

Cons

  • Committee back26% of touches
Travis EtienneBench
RB · NO vs ATL

Pros

  • Positive game scriptFavored
  • Spike upside21.0 ceiling

Cons

  • Below your start line1.9 pts short

Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).

MarksStart
EtienneBench
Projection12.410.5
Floor7.28.4
Ceiling13.521.0
Touch share26%36%
Opportunity score11.014.2
Matchup grade(recency weighted)A-C
Implied team total25.525.8

Week 4 · Updated Tue 29 Sep, 6:00 AM ET

The widest gap between them, in proportion, is boom rate: Marks 21%, Etienne 6%.

Marks: “Marks turned five carries into 15 yards and a touchdown and hauled in his lone target for six yards during the Texans' 19-17 loss to the Colts on Sunday. He also returned two kickoffs for 52 yards.” — RotoWire, Sep 28, 2026.

Etienne (Ir): “The Saints are placing Etienne (hamstring) on injured reserve, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.” — RotoWire, Oct 1, 2026.

Latest game on the card: Marks 9.1 (PPR points).

Why Woody Marks

Start Woody Marks — projects 12.4, a run-funnel matchup vs DAL.

Woody Marks projects 12.4 points on a 7.2–13.5 range. The matchup grades as run-funnel against DAL. Usage: carries / game at 12.2. Net: start Woody Marks this week.

Working for Marks: Run-funnel matchup (Run-funnel vs RB).

Working against Marks: Committee back (26% of touches).

Where Marks leads the head-to-head: Projection (12.4 vs 10.5); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (A- vs C); vs season (-0.8 vs -4.8); Boom rate (21% vs 6%).

Why Travis Etienne

Sit Travis Etienne — projects 10.5, an even matchup vs ATL, but the role is cooling.

Travis Etienne projects 10.5 points on a 8.4–21.0 range. The matchup grades as neutral against ATL. Usage: carries / game at 15.3. Net: bench Travis Etienne this week.

Working for Etienne: Positive game script (Favored), Spike upside (21.0 ceiling).

Working against Etienne: Below your start line (1.9 pts short).

Where Etienne leads the head-to-head: Floor (8.4 vs 7.2); Ceiling (21.0 vs 13.5); Touch share (36% vs 26%); Opportunity score (14.2 vs 11.0); Implied team total (25.8 vs 25.5); Last 3 avg (10.3 vs 7.5); Last 5 avg (9.4 vs 7.6); Consistency (55% vs 34%); Bust rate (18% vs 21%); Carries / game (15.3 vs 12.2); Touches / game (17.4 vs 13.8); Target share (10% vs 7%); Yards per carry (4.3 vs 3.6); Snap share (60% vs 52%); Goal line carries (12 vs 9); Red zone carries (56 vs 41).

Recent form

Woody Marks's last 5 games: PPR points 8.5, 6.8, 5, 8.5, 9.1 (oldest to newest).

Travis Etienne's last 5 games: PPR points 4.8, 7.1, 9, 11.2, 14.8 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).

Marks has already beaten Etienne's 10.5 projection in 0 of his 5; Etienne has beaten Marks's 12.4 in 1 of his 5.

At least 1 of these 5 games was played before the 2026 season.

Matchup

Woody Marks (HOU) faces DAL, kickoff Sun, Oct 4, 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated run-funnel. Betting line: implied team total 25.5, spread -2.5.

Travis Etienne (NO) faces ATL, kickoff Mon, Oct 5, 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated neutral. Betting line: implied team total 25.8, spread -3.0.

What flips it

Marks's edge is 1.9 points (12.4 to 10.5). Etienne's ceiling (21) clears Marks's projection, so a big game from Etienne flips it. Marks's floor (7.2) sits under Etienne's projection, so a quiet game from Marks flips it too. Confidence in the call: moderate.

How to read these numbers →

More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.

More Travis Etienne comparisons

More Woody Marks comparisons

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