Could the less-than-impressive Week 1 performance by Travis Etienne Jr., along with Tank Bigsby’s solid effort last Sunday, signal a changing of the guard not only in the backfield for the Jacksonville Jaguars but for fantasy football managers as well?
Here is the fantasy outlook for both Etienne and Bigsby for Week 2.
Should You Start Travis Etienne Jr. or Tank Bigsby This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Etienne is the player to start.
His projected 11.5 points include a projection of 50 rushing yards, two receptions, and 19 receiving yards. That outperforms Bigsby’s consensus projection (6.5 points, 32 rush yards, one reception, two receiving yards).
My ranking for these two Jaguars running backs aligns with the consensus. While I believe the margin between these two is closer than the projections, Etienne’s pass-catching ability and his potential to get in the end zone are greater than that of Bigsby.
It is too early to jump off the bandwagon when it comes to Etienne.
Etienne’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
From a fantasy standpoint, Etienne’s Week 1 performance was very much a mixed bag. He managed just 44 rushing yards on 12 carries (3.7 yards per carry) and had a huge fumble in the third quarter just when it appeared he would score a touchdown.
Not only did that lost fumble prevent another Jaguars score, but the Dolphins scored on the very next play, which turned out to be the beginning of a major second-half comeback victory for Miami.
On the other hand, Etienne did have a rushing touchdown, which was enough for him to finish in double figures in fantasy points last week (11.9 points).
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Now Etienne and the Jaguars must host the Cleveland Browns, who had the league’s No. 1 defense last season (270.2 yards per game allowed). And although the Browns were blown out 33-19 in Week 1 by the Dallas Cowboys, they still allowed only 265 total yards in the loss.
So while he was held under 50 yards rushing and had an important fumble last week, Etienne brings a receiving element that Bigsby simply hasn’t shown he has. Although he had only two receptions for 15 yards last week, Etienne did catch 58 passes last season. Fantasy managers likely won’t write off the third-year running back for one fumble, especially since he did not have a single fumble last season.
Bigsby’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
In Bigsby’s brief time on the field last week — 17 offensive snaps — he showed that he is a player fantasy managers should keep an eye on going forward.
Bigsby led the Jaguars with 76 rushing yards on 12 carries, the same number of attempts as Etienne. However, when you break down his performance in Week 1, it should be noted that 43 of his 76 yards came on two separate runs.
As well, Bigsby simply isn’t an option to catch passes out of the backfield. He did not have a single target in Week 1, and last season in 17 games, Bigsby was targeted just four times with one reception to show for it.
While he may at some point overtake Etienne in the Jaguars’ backfield this season, that time is probably not right now.
Kyle Soppe’s Week 2 Fantasy Outlook for Etienne
It’s going to take more than one game from Tank Bigsby to truly make me nervous about my Etienne shares, but Week 1 certainly wasn’t ideal.
Bigbsy started a few drives in the backfield, and when Etienne was on the field (68% snaps), his production wasn’t inspiring. Not only did he lose a fumble on the one-yard line (three lost fumbles last season), but he was stuffed on a 4th-and-1 attempt in the fourth quarter.
I entered this season with the hope that Etienne would flirt with being an RB1. After one week, he’s closer to the back end than the front end of my RB2 rankings. The dip in expectations is real, and Bigbsy is now a rosterable asset, but I do still think this is Etienne’s role. He carries a decent amount of upside in a game where Jacksonville is favored.