Travis Etienne Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

ESPN's Adam Schefter calls Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence "uncertain" for Thursday night's game vs. the Saints with his knee sprain. Lawrence's injury “is not a significant thing," a source tells Schefter. But the short turnaround comes at a bad time. We'll keep you updated on Lawrence's status over the next few days. QB C.J. Beathard is Jacksonville's backup.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne scored twice on the ground in Sunday's win over the Colts. That helped hide that he gained just 55 yards on 18 carries (3.1 per rush). Etienne added 28 yards on 3 receptions. He dominated backfield work once again, so there's no reason to worry about the lagging efficiency. A Thursday night matchup with the Saints in Week 7 could be difficult, though.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne posted a hefty 184 total yards and 2 rushing TDs in Week 5 vs. the Bills. His 136 rushing yards mark the second-highest single-game total in his career, and at this point, he’s buried his teammate Tank Bigsby into obscurity. The rookie only received 3 carries in the contest. HC Doug Pederson’s history of utilizing a committee backfield approach hasn’t proven to matter much in 2023. This is the Etienne Show until further notice. He’ll be an exciting play in Week 6 vs. the Colts.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne recorded 20 carries for 55 yards in Sunday’s win vs. the Falcons. He also hauled all 3 of his targets for 17 yards as a receiver. This effort didn’t result in the biggest fantasy day, but the fact that Etienne again dwarfed his positional counterparts in touch opportunities should be encouraging. He’ll look to have a more productive outing in Week 5 vs. the Bills.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne shined as the lone bright spot for this offense in Week 3. The third-year pro compiled 138 total yards across 19 carries and 4 catches vs. the Texans. Etienne continues to face little backfield competition from his teammates Tank Bigsby (2 carries, 10 yards, 1 TD) and D’Ernest Johnson (3 carries, 6 yards) and should figure to have another good game next week vs. the Falcons. It remains to be seen if we can say the same about any of his skill-position teammates. This Jacksonville offense is experiencing major troubles thus far in 2023.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne handled 15 of 17 team RB opportunities in a Week 2 loss to Kansas City. Rookie Tank Bigbsy didn't see a carry or a target, as D'Ernest Johnson filled in as the RB2. Etienne tallied just 42 total yards, but the usage signals future RB1 lines. Next up is a home date with a Houston squad that allowed Zack Moss to post 18-88-1 rushing.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne racked up 104 total yards and a TD in the Week 1 win over the Colts. The score was a 26-yard burst in the fourth quarter to put the game away. More importantly, Etienne out-carried RB Tank Bigsby 18 to seven and out-targeted him five to one. Bigsby did vulture a one-yard TD and might continue to be favored at the goal line. But if Etienne continues to get this type of volume, he'll deliver as a top-15 fantasy RB. Etienne will find himself in a likely shootout vs. the Chiefs in Week 2 and then gets favorable matchups against the Texans and Falcons in Weeks 3 and 4.

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson is turning over play-calling duties to OC Press Taylor, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "I totally trust Press," Pederson told NFL.com. "We think alike. We've been together for a long time, and he's around Trevor [Lawrence] all the time and knows what Trevor likes." We'd prefer Pederson continue calling plays considering Jacksonville's success last year. But we're ultimately not expecting a significant fantasy impact here. Taylor has worked under Pederson for six NFL seasons.

Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby mixed in liberally with the first-team offense in Saturday's preseason finale. The rookie played nine of 25 snaps (36%), carrying 6 times for 37 yards (6.2 YPC). The bad news: He lost a fumble near the goal line. The good news: He got a carry near the goal line, and he continued working with the starters on the next series. Bigsby might see enough volume to be a RB3 or flex option in larger fantasy leagues this season. And, at minimum, he's a high-end handcuff to RB Travis Etienne.

Jaguars insider John Shipley writes that the coaching staff has "seemingly thrown water on the idea of [RB Tank] Bigsby having a massively expanded role, at least this early on in his career." The rookie has had a strong training camp and already earned the No. 2 RB job. "But for now it seems that the No. 2 role is as large as it will get for Bigsby, at least early on in his career," Shipley writes. "Perhaps that changes during the season as Bigsby gets more experience, but the Jaguars are a playoff team with a veteran running back already entrenched as the starter. As a result, there might not be an overbearing pressure to expand Bigsby's role early in his career." Shipley adds that one specific area where Bigsby could contribute this season is at the goal line, which would obviously be a boon to his fantasy value and an issue for RB Travis Etienne. But it doesn't sound like Bigsby is in line for enough volume to be a reliable play in lineup-setting fantasy leagues. Consider him more of a high-end handcuff than standalone fantasy asset.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne has gotten some work with the WRs in training camp, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "His route tree isn't extensive yet, but he's a very natural pass-catcher," Fowler adds. Etienne underwhelmed in the receiving department last year and faces additional competition for that work this season from rookie Tank Bigsby. But don't forget that Etienne racked up 85 catches over his final two college seasons. There's still room for the 24-year-old to improve his passing-game chops. We'll be keeping a close eye on Etienne and Bigsby's usage this preseason.

Per beat writer John Shipley, Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby “took a big step” toward winning the team’s No. 2 RB job at OTAs/minicamp. The rookie reportedly stood out in the passing game, impressing RB coach Bernie Parmalee and others. Parmalee even praised Bigsby going back to the pre-draft process. "This is the type of back we wanted to bring to the table, and he fit everything that we were looking for, Parmalee said. “And he popped off the screen. And that's the thing when you sit down, you watch the tape, you say, Okay, that's a good play. But for someone to say, Oh, woah, my goodness, I'm running this [tape] back. I said, Oh my God. I think we got one. I put a double star. Here's one right here.” As a late-round stash, the former SEC Freshman of the Year should be part of your fantasy football draft strategy.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne got a big boost in rushing volume after the team quit on RB James Robinson last season. He went from 32% carry share over the first six games to 61.4% from Week 7 on. But Etienne actually lost target share after Robinson's demotion. He drew 8.9% over the first six games vs. just 6.5% the rest of the way. That's a legitimate concern heading into Year 3, especially after Jacksonville selected RB Tank Bigsby in Round 3. The rookie claimed a class-leading 15.3% target share at Auburn in 2022. If Bigsby beats -- or even matches -- Etienne in receiving opportunities, the incumbent's ceiling would come down. Etienne's RB13 ADP matches his current spot in our PPR rankings. But there's downside risk from that position.

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson complimented his team’s RB depth. “I feel really good about that room,” Pederson said. “There's a lot of depth there. There's some great competition that's going to show up with training camp. This is one of our stronger rooms on the team, and we're excited about that.” Travis Etienne returns, but Jacksonville spent a Round 3 pick on Auburn’s Tank Bigsby. ESPN reporter Michael DiRocco points out that Etienne handled a hefty 74% carry share following the James Robinson trade — a mark the Jags don’t want repeated. See our projections for this new-look backfield.

The Jaguars selected Auburn RB Tank Bigbsy in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Bigsby played his college career behind one of the nation’s worst offensive lines. Through four head coaches in three years, he tallied no fewer than 900 scrimmage yards in every season in the Tigers’ offense. In many ways, Bigsby single-handedly carried the Auburn offense throughout his career. Between his creativity and phenomenal center of gravity, Bigsby is among the toughest runners in this rookie class. In Jacksonville, he projects as the long-term compliment to Travis Etienne. Current backfield depth options include Snoop Conner, D'Ernest Johnson, and JaMycal Hasty.

The Jaguars signed RB D'Ernest Johnson to a one-year deal. Johnson was excellent in a trio of spot starts back in 2021, posting 22-146-1, 19-99-0, and 25-123-1 rushing lines. He led all 50 qualifying RBs in 2021 Pro Football Focus rushing grades. Johnson got on the field for just 35 offensive snaps this past season, though, with both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt healthy. Johnson now joins JaMycal Hasty behind Travis Etienne in Jacksonville's backfield. Neither guy is likely to have standalone fantasy value. But, if Etienne misses time, we'd expect Johnson to lead in carries, with Hasty handling passing-down work.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne told reporters Monday that he was "happy" to finish his 2nd season healthy. But, according to Jaguars Wire, he added, "I just want to put on a little muscle mass, a little more weight, because those guys are really big." Etienne later listed pass protection as an area in which he wants to improve. Weakness in that area might have helped limited Etienne's playing time over the final 4 games, when he played fewer than 30 snaps 3 times (compared with 49+ in 8 straight non-injury games before that). Adding bulk isn't always a great thing for a speedy back, because too much extra muscle can slow him down. Even if that doesn't happen, this change doesn't seem likely to address Etienne's main fantasy issue: a lack of receptions. We'll certainly be watching all factors as the former 1st-round pick approaches his 3rd season. Etienne looks decent as an option in Round 3 or 4 of early best-ball drafts.

Jags RB Travis Etienne ripped off 62 yards and 1 score in Saturday’s loss at Kansas City. He did so on only 10 attempts. Backup JaMycal Hasty chipped in with 4 carries, although the bigger story here was Hasty’s involvement as the go-to back when Jacksonville played from behind. On the year, Etienne tallied only 35 catches (2.05 per game) on 45 targets — 5th most on the team. Target competition will remain stiff next fall given the addition of Calvin Ridley. We’ll see if the Jags tinker with the backfield, as Hasty is slated for restricted free agency.