With eight minutes to go in the second quarter of the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Week 12 game against the Houston Texans, RB Travis Etienne went to the locker room with an injury. What happened, and should the Jags expect him to return?
Travis Etienne Injury Update
According to Jaguars senior writer John Oehser, Etienne was questionable to return with a chest injury. Etienne was being evaluated by trainers on the sideline earlier in the contest, and backup RB D’Ernest Johnson replaced him on the field.
After taking a few more snaps, Etienne exited and went to the locker room. He returned to the sideline but went straight to the blue medical tent. The nature of the injury and when it occurred is unclear, but the “chest” label usually refers to the ribs/sternum.
MORE: Jacksonville Jaguars Depth Chart
With just over four minutes left until halftime, Etienne returned and handled a rushing attempt. It may simply be a pain tolerance issue from here on out, but it’s something to monitor during the contest.
At the time of writing, the third-year back has generated 10 yards on 10 carries and 14 yards on two receptions. If he misses any more time, Johnson will handle the bulk of the workload, with third-round rookie Tank Bigsby providing support out of the backfield.
Fantasy Fallout From Etienne’s Injury
Trevor Lawrence has been trending in the right direction, and this injury would likely result in more of a fantasy-friendly role for this passing game than anything of significant use in the backfield.
That said, a role does open up for a back to flirt with the Flex radar. In recent weeks, Johnson seems to have jumped Bigsby on the depth chart and should be considered the preferred add. This, however, profiles as an offense that will prefer to move the ball through the air, making neither RB a reliable fantasy option.
— PFN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe
