Just like the Jacksonville Jaguars themselves, starting running back Travis Etienne started the 2023 season hot before slowing down dramatically in the second half of the year. Originally selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Clemson product missed his rookie year with a Lisfranc injury. After showing some promise in his de-facto rookie year, Etienne entered 2023 as one of the biggest breakout candidates in the league.
At first, the running back looked like he was going to live up to and even exceed those expectations. Through the first eight games of the season, Travis Etienne averaged over 100 yards and one touchdown per game for the Jaguars. However, the wheels quickly fell off the wagon, as Etienne’s numbers plummeted to just 70 yards and half a touchdown per game in the second half of the year.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson believes that this drop in production stemmed from giving Travis Etienne too many touches. Speaking to NBC Sports, the one-time Super Bowl champion spoke about potentially limiting Etienne’s workload in 2024.
“He was getting it done. D’Ernest Johnson got hurt a little bit in there, and then Tank [Bigsby] was a rookie and learning and coming on. We really like Tank and he’ll have a bigger impact for us this year. It’s not the recipe, necessarily, to put Travis in that situation. So I would consider knocking a few of those reps down to keep him healthy throughout the course of the year.”
Doug Pederson: Travis Etienne Will Receive Fewer Touches For the Jaguars In 2024
While this report might be unwelcome news for Etienne’s fantasy football owners, it’s not too surprising. The Jacksonville Jaguars gave Travis Etienne an absurd 336 touches last year, the third-most in the league behind only Christian McCaffrey and Rachaad White. There aren’t many human beings capable of taking that type of workload without slowing down a little bit, and there is no shame in delegating some of those touches to a backup.
It also makes sense that the Jaguars want Tank Bigsby to have a bigger role. Selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the 6′-0″, 213-pound running back out of Auburn has the size and running style to be the thunder to Etienne’s lightning. While he hardly saw the field last year, you don’t take a running back with a top-90 pick if you don’t plan on using him at some point.
Dynasty Outlook
Losing touches is never a good thing for fantasy football, but it was inevitable for the Jaguars and Travis Etienne. At the end of the day, there are only a small handful of players capable of handling 300+ touches in consecutive seasons, and Etienne simply isn’t one of those guys.
The good news is that it appears as though the Jaguars aren’t going to add outside competition for Travis Etienne. While Tank Bigsby hardly did anything as a rookie, head coach Doug Pederson seems to think that the future is bright for the Auburn product. Bigsby profiles as a great short-yardage runner, but he is not a threat in the passing game. Everyone who knows anything about fantasy football knows that targets are far more valuable than carries, so Etienne should receive most of the important touches.
Additionally, just based on pure talent, Bigsby is never going to be good enough to challenge Travis Etienne for the starting job. So, with all this in mind, Bigsby should see more touches, but Etienne will still be the starter and be on the field for third down. While he might not repeat his 2023 RB3 finish, he still has a good shot of being a mid- to low-end RB1 in 2024.
Main Photo: Steve Roberts – USA Today Sports
