The Jacksonville Jaguars blew a big lead against the Miami Dolphins, but the struggles didn’t end there for Travis Etienne Jr.’s fantasy managers, as the supposed lead back for Jacksonville recorded just 44 yards on the ground.
With Tank Bigsby emerging as a viable option for the Jaguars, is it still worth holding onto Etienne on your fantasy roster?
Is Travis Etienne Jr. a Buy-Low Candidate for Fantasy Managers?
This is a great time to go after Etienne.
Bigsby’s big day (73 yards) mostly shows positive potential for the Jacksonville ground game as a whole, especially given the fact that it came against a Miami run defense that performed very well a season ago.
However, there is reason for caution. It would be rash to say that Bigsby is taking over for Etienne.
Despite their yardage totals, they both received 12 carries. It’s worth considering the notion that Etienne may be a “1A” running back for Jacksonville in a balanced room rather than a clear-cut top rusher.
Even so, Etienne’s role differs from Bigsby’s in a couple of ways that make him a more enticing fantasy option.
Firstly, Etienne is more of a receiving threat. Last season, Etienne caught 58 passes for 476 yards and a score, while Bigsby caught a solitary pass, picking up 6 yards in the process. On Sunday, Etienne caught two passes for 15 yards, while Bigsby was not targeted.
Etienne was also a touchdown scorer on the ground for Jacksonville, providing plenty of fantasy value that Bigsby may not be able to bring.
Overall, there’s no reason to believe that, given similar carries, Etienne should produce so much less than Bigsby every week in terms of yardage. Etienne underperformed in terms of expected yards and didn’t produce well after contact, but he should bounce back in both regards. Etienne has plenty left in the tank at the age of 25.
Of course, Etienne’s day would be viewed very differently had it not been for one big play. Just in front of the end zone, he turned the ball over with an ugly fumble, creating a huge swing for his fantasy value.
If his day included two touchdowns and the extra 13 yards from that carry, few fantasy managers’ alarm bells would be ringing.
Week 1 wasn’t exactly a banner day for Etienne from a fantasy or real-life football perspective, but there’s little reason to be concerned about the third-year back who has rushed for 1,000+ yards in each of his previous NFL seasons. Etienne should keep catching passes and certainly won’t fumble within a few feet of the goal line every week.
If you need a running back and are in a league with a manager who is pessimistic about having Etienne on his roster, now is the time to act and make a trade. Conversely, consider sending Bigsby in a trade to shore up other needs while his value is high.