Fantasy Football Stock Watch: Travis Etienne Jr’s Stock Soars in Jaguars’ Week 1 Win
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The NFL script is ever-changing, fun, thrilling, and unexpected. I am sure I can list many other words to explain the NFL season, but you know what I mean. NFL Week 1, of course, already provided for a great deal of storylines in the fantasy football realm. Justin Fields, Daniel Jones broke out as Xavier Worthy got injured and AJ Brown, Ja'Marr Chase busted. As for Travis Etienne Jr, he broke out in a big way, leading to his much increased value after Week 1.
Travis Etienne's Big Week 1
The Jaguars backfield has been one of uncertainty, leading me to anticipate a split between Travis Etienne Jr and Tank Bigsby. Liam Coen proved that wrong in Week 1 as Travis Etienne ran the ball as the clear majority running back in Jacksonville.
Travis Etienne Jr Stat-Line: 16 Rushes, 143 Yards, 3 Receptions, 13 Yards.
Tank Bigsby Stat-Line: 5 Rushes, 12 Yards, 0 Receptions
This very well could be a one-off, but Travis Etienne has the clear lead in the Jacksonville backfield. When a player is hot, you keep them cooking. This happened to the Clemson product. Etienne reached a speed of 20 MPH in the game, a mark that I did not know he was capable of. Etienne looked fresh in Week 1, back to himself of years prior. If he maintains this level of play, his stock is massive.
Why Travis Etienne Thrived
I have been critical of Etienne that he is a poor yards-after-contact runner in the NFL. However, with a good offensive line, the running back is very elusive. If they continue to block well, he will be a vital piece and thus, need Bigsby less than previously thought. Bigsby is the yards-after-contact weapon.
Travis Etienne goes 71 YARDS on the ground!
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
CARvsJAX on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tvsIl6cNNJ
Jaguars Fantasy Football Outlook
As previously stated, Travis Etienne Jr has the early lead in this backfield. He will surely maintain to be the primary running back in the coming weeks. That being said, Tank Bigsby adds a different element. Though he failed in Week 1, he still may have time to shine.
Etienne is not going to breakout 71-Yard rushes every week. The Week 1 Split was: Etienne 50% Rushes, Bigsby 16% Rushes, Tuten 9% Rushes.
I expect the true split to be more like: Etienne 40%, Bigsby 25%, Tuten 10% going forward. I would not knee-jerk react too quickly off of just one week. Etienne will be a FLEX play in fantasy, RB2 depending on your roster construction. Bigsby is a bench stash without starting status, for now. Tuten is a deep stash.
Other than that, the Jaguars offense debuted for 378 total yards of offense and 26 points under Liam Coen. A nice debut for future progression. Seven players caught a football while another seven players recorded a rushing attempt.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.