Jaguars Running Back Fantasy Football Outlook: Travis Etienne vs. Tank Bigsby

The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a postseason appearance and have high hopes for the upcoming season after putting up a strong fight against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. The playoff appearance was the first for the franchise since 2017, and now the team is hoping to make the playoffs for consecutive years for the first time since the late 1990s.

Trevor Lawrence guides the team on the field, but there's no shortage of playmakers around him. The team had a 1,000-yard rusher and receiver last year and will add some new skill players to the mix this year. It sets some high expectations for the team and has fans buzzing.

A big part of the success of the offense in 2022 was running back Travis Etienne, the college teammate of Lawrence. Tank Bigsby was added in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft to give the room another talented player to turn to.

Our ADP tool has Etienne as the 10th-ranked running back for the season, while Bigsby is 47th. Will Etienne produce enough to justify picking him so high in the draft? Should you draft Bigsby with one of your late picks? Let’s dive in.

Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs, grab our fantasy football rankings, and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.

Travis Etienne Fantasy Football Outlook

Etienne proved some doubters wrong in 2022, amassing 1,125 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He missed the entire 2021 season after being drafted 25th overall with a Lisfranc injury but bounced back in his sophomore season. Etienne also added 316 receiving yards on 35 grabs, proving he can do it all for the Jags.

Even after the Jaguars selected Bigsby, there’s no reason to think Etienne’s workload will shrink in any way. In fact, it’s reasonable to expect an even larger workload after handling his first NFL season so well.

As mentioned before, Jacksonville has a host of playmakers to look to in the passing game, but the team isn’t just going to abandon the run. The team finished in the middle of the league in terms of most rushing statistics and was a touch better than average in yards per attempt. They also spent their first-round pick on offensive tackle Anton Harrison, who should help solidify the offensive line even more, helping protect Lawrence and opening running lanes for Etienne and company. 

Tank Bigsby Fantasy Football Outlook

Bigsby enjoyed a strong three-year run at Auburn while in college. He ran for over 830 yards in each season and scored 10 times in his final two seasons. Bigsby also was a threat out of the backfield, increasing his catch total each season.

Teams won’t draft players in the first couple of rounds without a long-term plan for them. Do the Jags see Bigsby as the team’s next feature back, or will he serve a secondary role to Etienne for several years?

Whatever the case might be, it’s hard to imagine the rookie overtaking Etienne at any point in the upcoming season. He should be the clear No. 2 option on the team but should get a handful of touches each week. In what figures to be one of the better offenses in the league, Bigsby could be worth a late pick depending on how your squad looks at that point. 

Who Should You Draft?

There shouldn’t be a debate about which Jaguars back to target first this season. Etienne is the clear No. 1 guy and is likely going to be a workhorse for most of the season. Bigsby also has a pretty clear role as the backup and should see a decent amount of touches per game.

Etienne has been going somewhere in the middle of the second round of most drafts, and like many of the guys above him, he’s the undoubted No. 1. He’s likely one of the last workhorse backs you can draft this year, so if you missed on some of the stars early on, Etienne is one of the last chances you have.

I am fine with Etienne’s current ADP, and would even consider an earlier second-round pick on him. There isn’t much standing in the way of Etienne possibly being a top-five back this season. I also think his floor is pretty high, and he shouldn’t fall too much lower than 10th among running backs if he’s able to play the entire year.

Bigsby is being drafted on average in the middle of the 11th round. With any pick that late, there’s plenty of risk involved, but I also see a handful of players being drafted after him on average that I’d instead take the risk on. If he falls an additional round or two, I’d be fine with taking a flier on him, but at his current ADP, I'd probably pass unless I'm desperate for backs.

#jaguars #travis-etienne #tank-bigsby