Could Travis Etienne Be the Jaguars' Next Fantasy Relevant Star?

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't exactly been known for their offensive prowess in recent years. There is a reason that few Jaguars outside of Maurice Jones-Drew have ever been what one could call a fantasy football star.

Throughout the franchise's history, they have been a run-first team built on strong defenses and opportunistic passing games. That hasn't changed in recent years, even with strong seasons from DJ Chark (2019) and James Robinson (2020).

But could it change with former first-round running back Travis Etienne finding his way back onto the field?

Maybe. There are obstacles ahead, but Etienne has the potential to be the Jaguars' first fantasy-relevant star since Jones-Drew as long as he can clear them.

As things stand today, no other player on the Jaguars roster has a chance to be the potential fantasy football difference-maker that Etienne could be in 2022. Robinson, for as talented as he is, is still recovering from his Achilles tear and there is uncertainty on when exactly he will re-join the offense.

Christian Kirk was paid a staggering amount by the Jaguars this offseason and is clearly the favorite the lead the Jaguars in targets, but there are also a lot of mouths to feed in what has always been a balanced offensive scheme. Plus, there are other free agent additions like Zay Jones and Evan Engram who will demand some of the passing attack attention.

But for Etienne, there is little in his way in terms of opportunity. The No. 25 overall pick from a year ago and former star Clemson running back is certainly unproven since he suffered a season-ending foot injury in the second preseason game last year and saw little action in the preseason even before his injury.

Now, though, Etienne is back. He is a full-go at the Jaguars' OTAs and has drawn positive reviews from coaches and teammates for how he has looked this offseason.

“Travis has been cleared for everything. He’s been doing really well through the whole offseason program," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said last week.

"We’re still going to monitor and make sure he’s 100 percent. We don’t want to have any setbacks at this stage, but he’s been doing really good. Obviously getting Snoop [Conner] caught up to speed and Rock [RB Ryquell Armstead] and the guys. It’s just a matter of this is the time to let these guys play a little bit to see exactly what you have going into camp.”

Letting Etienne play a little bit is exactly what the Jaguars intend to do. The last time he played a real game, he was wearing Clemson Tiger orange and was not yet being cross-trained as a receiver and running back like he was last season.

Now, though, Etienne is set to take a big role over for a Jaguars offense that is searching for a spark after a stagnant year in 2021.

According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Jaguars finished No. 26 overall in explosive play rate last year and No. 19 in explosive run rate. The passing game was worse at creating big plays than the running game, but Etienne can help the Jaguars in each area.

This leaves the two most important part of Etienne's fantasy outlook: opportunity and fit. In terms of opportunity, the Jaguars are clearly able to lean on Etienne sooner than Robinson at this point. Robinson's injury came at the very end of the year, while Etienne's came before Week 1. It is an unfortunate occurrence, but the timing of their injuries means Etienne has a window of opportunity to establish himself as Robinson recovers.

An ideal Jaguars offense would have a blend of Robinson and Etienne, each maximizing their contrasting skill sets to help the Jaguars get their offense over the hump. But until Robinson is back on the field, Etienne has the chance to be the Jaguars' workhorse.

There is also the fit. Etienne was a gifted pass-catcher at Clemson, catching 102 passes for 1,155 yards and eight touchdowns during his four years with the Tigers. Meanwhile, there were three different years when Doug Pederson led the eagles that they had a running back see 50 targets. Pederson has leaned on running backs in the passing game before, and Etienne is the ideal fit for his offense from that perspective.

There are still obstacles in the way toward Etienne's fantasy legitimacy. For one, he still has to actually prove it on the field. He was a first-round pick for a reason, but we still don't have any NFL snaps to base any projections on. There is also the fact that he is recovering from a serious injury that has proven to be difficult on running backs in the past.

Then there is the Jaguars' running back pecking order. With Robinson sidelined, Etienne is the clear top back on the roster, but there has never been much clarity with Robinson's timetable to return. If he returns sooner than later, he is a more established three-down back than Etienne, even if he doesn't have the same explosiveness.

But Etienne has the opportunity to rack up targets, carries and yards from scrimmage in 2022 if all goes his way. He didn't get to show what he could do as a rookie, but there looks like there is a strong chance he will be able to in a big way this year.