Travis Etienne Fantasy Outlook 2024 – Elite Upside or Bust?
The 2024 fantasy football season is fast approaching and many drafts will be taking place in the next few weeks. A polarizing player in the fantasy community is Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. Will Etienne be the elite back he was during the first half of last season, or the one with disappointing numbers during the second half? Continue reading to discover Travis Etienne’s fantasy outlook for 2024 and beyond.
In this article, I’ll dive into Etienne’s 2024 fantasy football value, analyzing last year’s performance, his current team dynamics, and his potential for the upcoming season. I’ll explore his strengths, potential red flags, and compare him to other running backs in the league. Whether you’re contemplating drafting him or trading for him in your dynasty league, this comprehensive analysis will help you make an informed decision whether to have Etienne on your fantasy team or not.
RB Travis Etienne Fantasy Outlook
After being drafted in 2021 by the Jaguars, Etienne suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in preseason. He came back strong in 2022, finishing as the RB17 in PPR formats with almost 1,500 total yards and five touchdowns.
In 2023, Etienne had a breakout season, finishing as the RB2 only behind Christian McCaffrey, despite having a bottom-three offensive line. In fact, from Weeks 5-11 he was the RB1 overall.
There have only been two running backs in the past two seasons to have more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage. They are Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne. As well, both backs were the only ones last season to have 250+ carries, 70+ targets, and 10+ touchdowns.
Travis Etienne Fantasy Outlook 2024
Etienne finished as the RB2 last year, but it truly was a tale of two seasons. From Weeks 1-8, he averaged 18.9 attempts per game, 106 total yards per game, and had eight touchdowns. However, from Weeks 10-17, he averaged 12.5 attempts per game, 68.5 total yards per game, and four touchdowns.
In late May of this year, comments by head coach Doug Pederson about keeping Etienne healthy all season by possibly getting backup running back Tank Bigsby more involved. Needless to say, this sent the fantasy community into a tizzy. Many were linking the comment back to the second half of last season and to a possible decrease in Etienne’s workload for this year.
Dynasty Football Outlook
As of recently, Etienne’s dynasty fantasy football ADP is RB6. That’s just one spot ahead of De’Von Achane and one behind Jonathan Taylor. Etienne will be turning 26 by the end of the 2024 season and is in the prime of his career. Depending on where you stand on Etienne, he is easily one player you could trade for or shed from your dynasty roster.
Furthermore, if there is a dynasty manager who is scared of Etienne this upcoming season and willing to give you a discount, then he is a player you could trade for. Ideally, he would make a very solid RB2 for your dynasty squads. With plenty of upside, of course.
Conversely, if there is a manager who believes that Etienne is a potentially elite RB1, you might consider selling high. In the end, it comes down to the structure of your dynasty rosters and what your opponents are valuing him at.
Check out where Etienne is ranked in our latest dynasty fantasy football rankings.
Conclusion
Etienne had the third most touches last year with 325. Notably, he accounted for 76.1% of the backfield touches for the Jaguars which was second only behind Joe Mixon. The validity of coachspeak is always hard to assess, but one would expect Etienne’s carries and overall touches to decrease a bit.
The question remains, if Etienne does experience a reduced workload with relatively the same suspect offensive line, will we see the early season Etienne of last year? Or the not-so-good one from the second half?
Etienne’s ADP is currently RB7 even though he finished as the RB2 last year. There seems to already be a baked-in decrease in his ADP due to Etienne’s second half of last season and the suspect offensive line. Clearly, a case can be made to draft Etienne and one to avoid him.
At his current ADP, Etienne is worth “the risk” and someone who can at least produce mid-RB1 numbers. In the end, he can certainly be your fantasy team’s RB1 this year.
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