Travis Etienne has emerged as one of the better draft picks fantasy football managers could have made this year. Through 12 weeks, the Jacksonville Jaguars RB is positioned as the overall RB3 in fantasy and has been a rock-solid option in lineups for the majority of the season.
However, after Etienne was revealed to be dealing with a bit of an injury, should fantasy managers be concerned about his availability for Week 13? Let’s dive into the latest news and information, plus what it means for fantasy.
Latest Injury Update on Travis Etienne
Etienne was able to make it through the entirety of Week 12’s matchup against the Houston Texans, but with Jacksonville playing on Monday Night Football this week, the Jaguars are just kicking off practice as they prepare to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
This led to a bit of surprising news from head coach Doug Pederson as he revealed that Etienne is dealing with a chest injury and is considered to be day-to-day, but he should be able to practice on Thursday.
Update: Etienne was listed as having a ribs injury versus chest in the official practice report.
It’ll be worth keeping an eye on how much Etienne will be able to practice, though, as the practice reports come out at a later time. Still, the fact that he’s suiting up at all is a positive sign for fantasy managers that he should be available on Monday night.
Editor’s Note: Etienne was a limited participant in practice on Thursday for the Jaguars with a rib injury.
Will Etienne Play Week 13?
At the time of writing, it’s too early to determine whether or not Etienne’s chest injury is severe enough to sideline him for the Jaguars’ bout against the Cincinnati Bengals. The practice reports on Friday and Saturday will be crucial to monitor to see if his participation is increasing.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
We will continue to update this article regularly with the latest information, so make sure to check back in frequently for the latest news and its fantasy impact.
What Does This Mean for D’Ernest Johnson’s Fantasy Ranking?
If D’Ernest Johnson is out there on your fantasy league’s waiver wire, now might be the time to go and pick him up to ensure you have a backup plan in place. With the Jaguars playing on Monday night, fantasy managers can’t afford to go into that matchup banking on Etienne playing if there’s any uncertainty later in the week.
Johnson appears to have leapt Tank Bigsby on this team’s depth chart, which would put him next in line to receive a significant workload if Etienne were to miss this next matchup with his chest injury. However, it’s highly unlikely that he would receive every opportunity in this backfield.
The Bengals are a middle-of-the-pack defense when it comes to slowing down opposing RBs in fantasy, so Johnson shouldn’t be instantly vaulted up the rankings to where Etienne has been the majority of this season. However, he could very well be a serviceable low-end RB2 who does possess some upside in full-PPR formats due to his receiving ability.
If you have Etienne on your roster, you need to scoop up Johnson to ensure that you have a plan in place in case Etienne ends up suffering a setback throughout the week or his injury is more severe than initially expected.
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