During Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. exited the game with an injury. What is the latest on Etienne’s status, and is he in danger of missing next week’s game?
The Latest on Travis Etienne Jr.’s Status
Etienne suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday’s game, but he was able to return later in the afternoon. This should be a positive sign that the Jaguars’ fourth-year running back will be available moving forward and that this wasn’t a serious injury.
In Wednesday and and Thursday’s practices, Etienne has been listed as a limited participant. While that’s a good sign regarding his availability for Sunday, Etienne’s status in Friday’s practice will be worth monitoring to get a clearer picture for if he’s ready to go for Week 5.
Etienne finished with 11 attempts for 50 yards, while Bigsby took seven rushes for 90 yards.
Travis Etienne (shoulder) was under the 60% RB rush share mark for the second time this season on Sunday. That only happened twice last season. His 6.3% target share against the Texans was a season low (previous low 13.6%), stemming from a season low 40% route participation rate.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB)
Etienne has been held under a 60% rushing share twice this season after finishing below that mark only two times in all of 2023, according to fantasy analyst JJ Zachariason.
Fantasy Outlook
Bigsby is the clear-cut beneficiary as he stands to assume Etienne’s role, one that saw him be responsible for 63.2% of Jacksonville’s RB carries through the first three weeks. It’s also worth noting that Bigsby handled the first carry of the game.
The former third-round pick out of Auburn struggled as a rookie (2.6 yards per carry), but he showed nice burst in the season opener (12 carries for 73 yards) and opened up Week 4 with a nice 22-yard gain. He also had a 58-yard run up the gut.
Meanwhile, Etienne has yet to finish better than RB19 this season.
Bigsby won’t project as favorably as Etienne should the starter miss time, but with a favorable spot awaiting this team in Week 5 (vs. the Indianapolis Colts), he’d certainly hold Flex value in all formats.
