The Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars both hit the road this week for divisional matchups. Both teams feature a dual-threat option at running back, an important weapon to have when going on the road to face a familiar foe.
Minnesota’s Aaron Jones and Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne Jr. are coming off season-best performances. They both figure to be top options in their team’s offense this Sunday, too.
Which is a better option for fantasy managers in Week 4? Let’s examine.
Should You Start Aaron Jones or Travis Etienne Jr. in Week 4?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Etienne, by a slight margin, is the choice. The optimizer projects Etienne to score 12.0 points on 52 yards rushing and 20 receiving yards on a pair of catches.
Jones, meanwhile, is projected to score 11.9 points on 61 yards rushing but only 14 yards receiving.
It is about as close a margin as one will find on the optimizer, but the scales are tipped in Etienne’s favor by 0.1 points.
Injuries are so often a factor in fantasy football, but that is not the case in this particular dilemma as neither Etienne nor Jones appear on their respective team’s Week 4 injury report.
Jones’ Fantasy Outlook for Week 4
If you’re looking for a statistical edge working in favor of either player to help solidify a decision, there’s two major ones working in Jones’ favor.
First, the matchup. Etienne squares off against the Houston Texans while Jones faces his former mates in the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay ranks worse in overall run defense (10th) with 317 yards allowed and in yards per carry allowed (26th) at 4.7; Houston ranks seventh (293) and 10th (4.1) in those respective categories.
Additionally, while generally Green Bay has been middle of the road against the run, they have been a poor tackling team against running backs, allowing an average of 3.60 yards per carry after contact, fourth-worst in the NFL.
At the same time, Jones has been one of the NFL’s best at breaking tackles, ranking third among running backs in yards after contact per carry at 4.02.
The Packers defense could have trouble wrapping up Aaron Jones 👀
Jones ranks 3rd among RBs in yards after contact per carry. He'll face a Green Bay defense that ranks 28th in yards after contact allowed per rush. pic.twitter.com/I2agawBBaF
— PFF MIN Vikings (@PFF_Vikings)
Etienne’s Fantasy Outlook for Week 4
While the season-long numbers indicate Houston is a better defense against the run, it’s important to note Etienne faces the Texans one week after Jones throttled them.
Last week in Minnesota, Houston was unable to contain Jones as a runner or a receiver. He carried the ball 19 times for 102 yards plus added five receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Etienne can also impact the game as a runner and receiver, and that will certainly be a part of Jacksonville’s offensive plan on Sunday. While the Jaguars had a rough go of it last Monday night against the Buffalo Bills, losing 47-10, Etienne was a bright spot and registered his best effort of the season with 68 yards on 11 carries and four catches on six targets for 17 yards.
