Etienne a 'full go'

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said Monday that RB Travis Etienne is a "full go" for OTAs this week, according to NFL.com. Etienne is coming off a Lisfranc injury that cost him his entire rookie season. But the fact that he's all the way back for on-field work this early in the 2022 cycle removes his primary concern. We'll watch for setbacks, but consider us excited for Etienne's fantasy upside this season (and beyond).

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said this week that he'd like to limit the 2024 workload for RB Travis Etienne vs. what the starting back got in 2023. Pederson pointed to a D'Ernest Johnson injury and rookie Tank Bigsby's learning curve as two key factors in Etienne's touch total, which ranked third-highest behind Christian McCaffrey and Rachaad White. "It's not the recipe, necessarily, to put Travis in that situation," Pederson said. "So I would consider knocking a few of those reps down to keep him healthy throughout the course of the year." That makes sense. Etienne struggled with efficiency at times in 2023. You'll still find him inside the top 10 in our 2024 RB rankings, though. Johnson is headed for free agency in March. Bigsby obviously remains under contract heading into his second season, and it doesn't sound like the Jags have given up on him yet. "We really like Tank, and he'll have a bigger impact for us this year," Pederson said. We're certainly not betting on strong production from the former third-round pick after he managed just 51 touches and 2.7 yards per touch as a rookie. But consider Pederson's words enough to make Bigsby worth keeping on dynasty benches and considering in the mix of last-round best ball picks.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne carried a season-low six times for a season-low 12 yards in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. He added just 19 more yards on 3 receptions (among 3 targets). That marked Etienne's third straight game with 35 rushing yards or fewer. Etienne gets a positive rushing matchup with Carolina in Week 17 but will be tough to get excited about even in that spot. Check back to see where he lands in our updated Week 17 RB rankings.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne totaled 14 carries for 35 yards and a TD in Week 14 vs. the Browns, adding 4 catches for 37 yards. If you've rostered Etienne all season, you've undoubtedly noticed the dropoff in touch volume over the past several weeks. After averaging 23.3 opportunities per game through Week 8, Etienne has dropped to 17.8 since Jacksonville’s bye in Week 9. A Week 12 rib injury might have factored in the past two games. His 78% snap share against Cleveland, though, marked the RB's most playing time since Week 8. Backup D'Ernest Johnson also saw a slight dip in his playing time: from 40% and 36% the previous two games to 26%. That fell in line with his two games immediately following the bye. Etienne gets tough matchups the next two games, against the Ravens and Bucs, that figure to limit his upside. But touch volume should be in his favor. A nice spot against Carolina awaits in Week 17.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne (ribs) is active for today’s game vs. the Browns. The rib issue shouldn’t be a factor. Jacksonville figures to lean on the run today against a run-funnel Cleveland defense and with a gimpy QB Trevor Lawrence.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Jaguars RB Travis Etienne (ribs) is expected to play vs. the Browns today. He played through this issue in Monday night's loss to the Bengals and was never in danger of missing this one. Etienne's fantasy stock got a slight boost with QB Trevor Lawrence now likely to play today.