The Jacksonville Jaguars’ backfield quickly became a subject of much contention over the offseason when the team added fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten to the mix with Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. Fantasy football managers picked sides in what became a bit of a three-way civil war between fans of each running back, but with the dust now settled on Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, a clear winner emerged from the group.
Etienne posted a fantastic first game in new head coach Liam Coen’s offense, and the Jaguars then traded Bigsby away on the following day. The backfield seems nearly locked in for the immediate future, but should fantasy managers hold on to Etienne or try and sell high on the heels of his impressive outing heading into Week 2?
Is Travis Etienne a sell-high in fantasy football?
When Liam Coen came to Duval County, expectations for whichever halfback served as the top player in the Jaguars backfield soared. After all, Coen’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense ranked among the NFL’s five best units last season and the run game finished second in the league with 5.3 yards per carry. With the benefit of the head coach’s offensive design and the talent in place, Jacksonville should produce plenty of scoring opportunities in an attractive situation for fantasy football.
After months of speculation about which player would assume the lead role, Travis Etienne saw the bulk of rushing work with 16 of the team’s 32 carries, as well as a backfield-high snap share of 61%. He turned those rush attempts into a highly productive day with 143 yards — including four explosive runs of 10+ yards, one of which he took for a whopping 71 yards downfield. As an added bonus, Etienne received three of four backfield targets on the day, catching all three for 13 yards.
While he didn’t score a touchdown, the 26-year-old still racked up 18.6 fantasy points in PPR formats to finish as the overall RB5. Etienne served as a very pleasant surprise for those who called their shot on him as the Jags’ lead back, but are fantasy players better off trading him away for value now before Tuten potentially sees the chance to take over?
The verdict
Were Bigsby still in this backfield, the answer to selling high on Etienne would likely be a resounding yes. However, now’s not the time to part ways with the now-veteran. Instead, he’s a player to hold and start every week for as long as signs indicate he’s the lead back in Jacksonville.
The upside for RB1 in this offense remains immensely high. The Jaguars scored 26 points while totaling 378 yards against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, a very solid start to the Coen era in Duval. Really though, this team could’ve put forth an even more impressive outing had a weather delay not stopped play midway through the contest, throwing off the offensive rhythm of both teams and killing momentum that had been building. Trevor Lawrence may have been impacted by that stoppage in particular, completing just 61.3% of his passes. Had there been no delay, the Jaguars may have found the end zone one or two more times and provided Etienne with an even bigger finish.
Coen’s tenure didn’t quite begin with a bang, but it did start on a high note and it’s easy to see the potential for growth as players get more comfortable in the new head coach’s system. With his pass-catching ability and breakaway speed, Etienne may actually be able to come close to recapturing the form of his magical 2023 season in which he totaled nearly 1,500 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns to finish as the RB3 in PPR formats with 16.6 FPPG. Week 1 felt nice for those with Etienne on their roster, but it’s best to hold him moving forward or even go trade for him if you don’t have him yet. With a bump to around the RB16 mark in fantasy football running back rankings for as long as he’s the main guy, even brighter days could be on the horizon.
