Will Travis Etienne Jr. Be A Top-12 Fantasy Running Back In 2023? Fantasy Football Outlook

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. was the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The star running back had an outstanding college career playing alongside Trevor Lawrence.

Etienne had 686 rushing attempts for 4,952 yards and 70 touchdowns during his four years at Clemson. Furthermore, he had two seasons with over 1,600 rushing yards. More importantly, the former Tiger star had at least 13 rushing touchdowns every year of his college career.

Unfortunately, Etienne suffered a significant tear to the Lisfranc ligament in his foot during the 2021 preseason. He was placed on injured reserve and missed the year.

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What Did Travis Etienne Jr. Accomplish In 2022?

While the young running back missed his rookie season, Etienne had a productive first year in the NFL. The former Clemson star had 220 rushing attempts for 1,125 yards and five touchdowns. Furthermore, he finished ninth in the NFL in rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Etienne had 35 receptions on 45 targets for 316 receiving yards. The Jaguars had one of the healthiest receiving cores in the league. Unfortunately, that limited the running back’s receiving upside.

Will Travis Etienne Jr. Be A Top-12 Fantasy Running Back In 2023?

The fantasy football community had high hopes for the young running back this season. However, things changed when Jacksonville used a third-round pick on Tank Bigsby. The rookie running back had 540 rushing attempts for 2,903 yards and 25 touchdowns during his three years at Auburn.

Yet, the Jaguars still have high expectations for Etienne. Running backs coach, Bernie Parmalee believes the former Clemson star will have more big plays this season.

Last year Etienne had only five rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, Lawrence also had five rushing touchdowns in 2022. However, Bigsby will likely take over the goal-line role, limiting Etienne and Lawrence’s rushing touchdown upside.

However, the former Clemson star is one of the most explosive running backs in the NFL. He had a 69.8 PPF elusive rating. More importantly, 11.8% of Etienne’s rushing attempts went for 10 or more yards last season. Furthermore, the star running back had only six games with over 13 rushing attempts in 2022. Yet, Etienne had five 100 rushing yards performances.

While the addition of Bigsby will limit his fantasy upside, Etienne has the potential to finish as a top-12 running back in 2023.

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