After drafting Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. in the third round of my 10-man home fantasy league and trading him after a few weeks, I regret that move looking back even if it was the right decision at the time for my roster. Especially when I lost to that same team I traded him to in the fantasy championship.
Sometimes you don’t know you drafted a fantasy stud till it’s too late.
Anyway, now the star rusher for the Jags is being drafted at the top of the second round of most fantasy leagues, as he rated higher in PPR compared to standard or half PPR.
Will drafting Etienne be worth it at his current ADP as a top 5-10 running in fantasy football in 2024?
Travis Etienne Jr. 2023 Stats and Fantasy Production
Travis Etienne had another 1,000-yard season on the ground in 2023, despite slowing down a bit later in the season, and wasn’t as consistent after their bye week. This past season, Etienne’s touchdowns more than doubled, going from 5 total touchdowns in 2022 to 12 in 2023, with 1 receiving and 11 on the ground last year for the Jaguars.
The only negative was his efficiency went down, going from 5.1 yards per carry to 3.8, barely getting over 1,000 rushing yards while in his second year as the 11th-ranked back, Etienne went over 1,125 on 47 fewer carries in the same amount of games played with 17.
His role did change interestingly enough from each season, as he was a hybrid pass catcher, with 23 more catches and 160 more receiving yards in 2023 than in 2022. While Etienne is not known as an inside runner at 5’10” and 215 pounds, he did bulk up and was used more as a power back ultimately last year.
Former third-round rookie Tank Bigsby could not carve out the power-back role the Jaguars intended when he was drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Travis Etienne finished as the third overall running back in PPR, according to FantasyPros, and had six games over 20 points. Despite this statistic, 5 of his big games came before the Week 9 bye week, as he struggled with a tougher run defense schedule to finish out the year, besides the Panthers in Week 17.
This was championship week in my fantasy football league, where Etiennes’ 25.8 points against Carolina’s porous run defense was the finishing blow to my fantasy hopes and dreams of winning my first title in this league.
Travis Etienne Jr. 2024 Fantasy Outlook
Currently, Travis Etienne is being drafted as the 21st pick overall in PPR, making him one of the first picks in the second round for drafts, according to FantasyPros. This makes him either a top 7 running back or a top 9 back whether you are in a PPR or standard league. If it is half PPR, Etienne is the 8th back taken, making him one of the core pieces for your fantasy team as a user’s second pick potentially.
While he has running back 1 type upside for the Jaguars, Jacksonville has the second hardest schedule against running backs, making it peculiar if you can justify taking him that early.
Maybe if Etienne slips a bit past the third round, he would be a steal then but otherwise, his ADP seems more of a fringe early to middle second round at the moment.
The Jacksonville Jaguars running back is being taken around the range of starters like Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Kyren Williams, and Rashaad White in PPR. In standard and half PPR, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry are also in the mix as one thing Travis Etienne does have is the touchdown and receiving volume equity in the Jags offense.
Final Thoughts on Travis Etienne Jr.
His rookie season in Jacksonville was a nightmare in 2021, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise for Travis Etienne looking back.
The 25-year-old running back for the Jags missed the whole first year due to a season-ending foot injury he suffered in the preseason and never had to play under former head coach Urban Meyer.
The former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence had a disastrous rookie season but with current head coach Doug Pederson, showed flashes of promise the following year in 2022 as the top overall pick from the previous draft class.
The year coming off that Lisfranc in 2022, with his former college teammate, the former 25th overall pick Etienne and Lawrence both had career highs statistically, as they were in the same 2021 NFL Draft class.
With new weapons to replace the old with the likes of Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas Jr., along with hopefully a healthier and improved offensive line, the former first-round running back from Clemson is looking to have another consecutive season rushing over 1,000 yards for Jacksonville.
The duo of Lawrence and Etienne should thrive once more as the staple focal points for the Jaguar’s offensive attack in 2024.
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