Is Travis Etienne The Starting Running Back For The Jaguars When He Returns?

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) had the worst performance in his career in Week 6, when he rushed three times for negative-one yard. He had been dealing with a shoulder injury, ended up playing, then dropped that dud and was pulled. It was later revealed he was suffering from a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, backup running back Tank Bigsby scored 24.9 and 23.8 PPR fantasy points in Weeks 5 and 7. He has been a revelation in the Jags offense, easily looking more explosive than ETN, posting a ridiculous 6.2 yards per carry on the season, and scoring four touchdowns in the last three games.

These developments have led many to speculate whether No. 1 is still the starter. So will Travis Etienne Jr. still be the lead running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars when he returns?

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Will Travis Etienne Start For The Jaguars When He Returns?

While Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson has affirmed repeatedly that the former Clemson Tiger will be the starter upon his return, it's likely that he will cede more touches to his backup. He's looked nothing like he was in previous seasons, and No. 4 has looked like a stud.

If you don’t know, now you know.@tank_bigsby | @GEICO

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 23, 2024

Etienne's efficiency has been far worse -- he averages just 4.1 yards per carry. He's been ineffective all year and has struggled to stay healthy. While he'll still have a role in the passing game no matter what, it's worth questioning whether he'll lose early-down and goal-line work to his backup.

#Jaguars HC Doug Pederson on whether Tank Bigsby will replace Travis Etienne as RB1:

“I don’t think so. I’m a believer where injury doesn’t replace your position. I think you have to have a fair competition… It’s still [Etienne’s] job. But Tank has done some really good things,… pic.twitter.com/UczAjywZg4

— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) October 20, 2024

Pederson isn't very reliable when it comes to describing player usage, so this will be something to monitor. A 50/50 split in overall snaps isn't impossible, and could still lead to both backs being fantasy relevant.

Travis Etienne Fantasy Football Outlook

When healthy, he could still present some value in PPR scoring formats. He's likely to lose at least some volume to Bigsby though. Dating back to last year, Jacksonville expressed that they'd like to reduce ETN's workload. At that point, the former Auburn Tiger hadn't been playing well enough to eat into the starter's workload, though.

Last year, Tank Bigsby truthers believed he could make the backfield a 50/50 split. Turns out they were just on a 1-year delay. 100+ yards on the ground in 2 of his last 3 games. pic.twitter.com/0TKqy5Ht6B

— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) October 23, 2024

That's obviously changed. The fourth-year pro's fantasy outlook will hinge largely on his health now. He won't be what he was in 2023, and it will be hard for him to finish inside the top-15 running backs if something doesn't change. If he returns to full health, he will benefit from plenty of positive game scripts, though.

He should remain the primary pass-catching running back, and Jacksonville has one of the league's worst defenses. He should be on the field quite often during those games and get a healthy dose of targets. He's a RB3/FLEX with RB2 upside if he can put his injury issues behind him and the team gets snared in shootouts.

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