![Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs off the field after an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://statico.profootballnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/13112741/travis_etienne_injury_week_6_2024-1920x1277.jpg "Travis Etienne Jr. Injury Update: Examining Whether the Jaguars RB Will Play in Week 8 vs. the Packers")
Travis Etienne Jr.’s 2024 season is off to a tough start, and now the Jacksonville Jaguars running back will be sidelined due to an injury.
Let’s examine Etienne’s injury and what it means for fantasy football managers going forward.
What Happened to Travis Etienne Jr.?
During the second quarter of the Jaguars-Bears game, Etienne exited the game with a hamstring injury. By that point, Etienne had only recorded three carries for -1 yards.
Etienne’s final touch in the game came in the second quarter when it appeared he fumbled after a reception. However, the fumble was overturned on review, as it was ruled Etienne had not completed the catch.
After Etienne exited the game, Tank Bigsby led the backfield. This season, Bigsby has been significantly more efficient than Etienne, averaging 7.2 yards per carry to Etienne’s 4.1 yards per attempt. Expect Bigsby to handle the bulk of the carries as long as Etienne is sidelined.
Jaguars head coach Doug Peterson told reporters in London that Etienne is considered week-to-week with his hamstring injury, which made it seem unlikely he would play. He did end up practicing in a limited fashion all three days, however, and was not ruled out after receiving a questionable tag on the final injury report. On-site reporters did suggest that Etienne did not do much in practice all week, however.
Jaguars practice today. Travis Etienne hasn’t done much all week. Good spirits out here. Doug Pederson having some fun with qbs and Mac Jones likes to dance. I missed his one handed catch that was pretty nice. Inside 48 hours until kickoff at Wembley. @ActionSportsJax pic.twitter.com/XZQrGpJkR8
— Brent Martineau (@BrentASJax) October 18, 2024
Fantasy Impact of Etienne’s Injury
With Travis Etienne Jr. now being labeled as “week-to-week,” this is the time for Bigsby to shine. The game script won’t be an issue because the Patriots have yet to prove capable of scoring points in a neutral game state against just about anyone, meaning a career touch count isn’t just possible, it’s projected.
Tank Bigsby is outplaying Travis Etienne and the only ones who don't see it are the Jaguars coaches.@SharpFootball can't make sense of how the Jags are handling their backfield.
Get more hot NFL topics nobody is talking about on the Sharp Football Show below. https://t.co/qnr65CPmXS pic.twitter.com/q2Z7Mu2cmz
— Sharp Football Analysis (@SharpFBAnalysis) October 16, 2024
Despite limited usage, he already has four gains of 25+ yards with plenty of that work coming after the defense got to him. On his 41 carries this season, 80.8% of his yards have come after contact. That could be spun a variety of ways, but in this matchup, I’m not sure it matters as the Pats rank 26th in running back yards allowed both before and after contact.
The lack of prowess in the passing game (one target this season) is what keeps him outside of my top 15, but he’s pretty clearly a strong RB2 in all formats for as long as Etienne is on the shelf (Jacksonville gets Green Bay next week and travels to Philadelphia for Week 9).
