Travis Etienne Jr.’s Dynasty Value | Fantasy Outlook, Ranking, and More

The Travis Etienne Jr. dynasty conversation has to start with what he has shown us through two full fantasy football seasons. He’s proven the ability to produce in a variety of ways but is seeking the ability to marry all of his skills and give us a truly special season.

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars RB ever manage to do that? Could he do it in 2024?

Let’s dive into the data to see exactly how high of a ceiling we’re talking about and if chasing that in the trade market is a reasonable move.

Travis Etienne Jr.’s Dynasty Outlook

Scouting reports are great, and they provide an outline as to what we can expect at the pro level, but they come without an ETA. We know that player development is a non-linear thing — that is, everyone does it at different rates, but we’re rarely willing to show the discipline required to fully embrace what a player can be.

We, as fantasy managers, want every college player to enter the NFL with a skill set that is 100% transferrable on Day 1. Sometimes that works, but often there is a learning curve that requires patience.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was your dominant dynasty roster — remember to evaluate the underlying numbers and understand that the showing of skills is encouraging, even if early on, they aren’t consistently present.

The talk surrounding Etienne coming out of Clemson focused on his ability to make plays as a pass catcher and the impact that a skill like that could have at the professional level as a rookie.

The evaluation was right; we just had to wait for Year 2 to see it and/or see him used in that way. As mentioned as a part of the 124 fantasy football stats to know, Etienne recorded more catches in 2023 than he did targets in 2022.

The pass-catching growth gave Etienne the ability to produce like a fantasy superstar. From Weeks 5-8, he posted four straight top-five running back finishes. That sort of production is in his profile and is something I expect we will see more of moving forward.

Etienne’s Dynasty Ranking

Where does Etienne land in the dynasty RB landscape going into the 2024 offseason? Here are Soppe’s latest rankings, featuring where Etienne lands in comparison to other top names at the position.

1) Bijan Robinson | ATL
2) Christian McCaffrey | SF
3) Breece Hall | NYJ
4) Jonathan Taylor | IND
5) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
6) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX
7) Kyren Williams | LAR
8) James Cook | BUF
9) Saquon Barkley | NYG
10) Kenneth Walker III | SEA
11) De’Von Achane | MIA
12) Isiah Pacheco | KC
13) Tony Pollard | DAL
14) Alvin Kamara | NO
15) Javonte Williams | DEN
16) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
17) Josh Jacobs | LV
18) D’Andre Swift | PHI
19) Rachaad White | TB
20) Aaron Jones | GB

Should You Trade Etienne in Dynasty?

Are you considering trading Etienne? Our PFN Trade Analyzer allows you to find the best trades to make in seconds!

Etienne’s 2023 box score was impressive, but there’s room for growth, which is why I’d be more likely to trade for him than move on from.

MORE: Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Value Chart 

This past season, Etienne saw his yards per carry before first contact decline by 55%. For an older running back, this would be a major red flag, as I’d question his vision and/or explosiveness — is he just not capable of keeping up with the speed of the game anymore?

Travis Etienne ended the year as the RB3 in fantasy football!

Is he a top-5 dynasty RB? 🤔🤔

(🎥 Via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/kvb7KgDjsz

— PFN Fantasy (@PFNFantasy) January 17, 2024

But that isn’t the case with a running back who will enter the 2024 season at 25 years of age.

The Jaguars own the No. 17 pick in the 2024 draft, and given stats like that, along with the inability to keep QB Trevor Lawrence healthy in 2023, they figure to address the offensive line in a significant way.

KEEP READING: Dynasty Trade Advice — Saquon Barkley, Chase Brown, Roschon Johnson

Etienne averaged 5.1 yards per carry as a rookie and 3.4 catches per game in his second season. That’s not far off of the San Francisco 49ers version of Christian McCaffrey (5.1 ypc and 4.4 receptions) and tops what Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler gave us through three seasons (4.8 ypc and 3.4 receptions) during his ascension to fantasy royalty.

The best days are certainly ahead of Etienne, making him a great dynasty buy and a borderline first-round pick in my 2024 fantasy football rankings. I wouldn’t even open the dialogue if approached about moving him — this is a stock I want as many shares as possible of!