Etienne gets light work but big production

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne carried just 9 times in Sunday's easy win over the Texans. But he turned that into 108 yards and a TD, thanks largely to a 62-yard scoring run. Etienne added 3 receptions for 32 yards on 3 targets. RB JaMycal Hasty led the team with 10 carries, gaining 33 yards and scoring the team's 1st TD from 5 yards out. RB Snoop Conner came on late for 5-17-1 rushing. hasty also led the backfield in targets and catches, ranking 2nd on the team with 6 looks and tying for the lead with 6 receptions (for 23 yards). Jacksonville plays Tennessee for the division in Week 18, a matchup that has ranked among the league's toughest for rushing production all season.

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.

Jags RB Travis Etienne racked up 109 yards on 20 attempts in a (wild) Wild Card win over Los Angeles. It’s amazing that he saw that type of volume, as Jacksonville fell behind 27-0 in the 1st half. Yet for the 4th time over the past 5 weeks, Etienne reached 100 total yards. We expect the Clemson product to face Kansas City in the Divisional Round. Back in Week 10, Etienne posted 11 carries for 45 yards (plus 3-28 receiving) against the Chiefs.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne carried 22 times for 83 yards in Thursday night's soggy win over the Jets. He added 3 catches for 29 yards, the RB's largest receiving-yardage total since Week 5. JaMycal Hasty and Snoop Conner shared the other 5 RB rushing attempts. Hasty, though, matched Etienne's 3 targets, continuing to eat into the starter's receiving work. This marked the 3rd straight game of Etienne running a route on less than 60% of QB Trevor Lawrence's dropbacks, with the past 2 weeks coming in at 56%. Etienne hasn't sen more than 3 targets in a game since Week 7 (before the James Robinson trade). That shouldn't matter for next week's ceiling matchup with Houston. But it will hurt Etienne's fantasy floor and ceiling for a Week 18 rematch with the Titans. He went 17-32 rushing with 0 targets in their Week 14 meeting.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's OT win over the Cowboys. It was his 1st game with more than 54 yards on the ground since Week 9 but the 2nd straight week of 17+ attempts for Etienne. He gets a tougher matchup with the Jets in Week 16 but 1 of the league's most favorable rushing matchups in Week 17: Houston.