Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like the Colts had a firm grip on the AFC South. Now, they’re in third place with the Jaguars on a four-game win streak and the Texans on a five-game win streak. This divisional race is far from over, making every game meaningful moving forward.
That’s great news for fantasy owners as they can relax knowing their top players won’t be sitting out the fantasy playoffs. One player in particular is Travis Etienne, the starting running back in Jacksonville. He earned the RB1 role again after losing it last season. While part of that is due to Tank Bigsby being gone, Etienne is arguably having his best season to date.
Etienne is up to 917 yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 201 carries in 13 games. With four games remaining, Etienne is on pace for 1,199.2 yards and 9.2 rushing touchdowns on 262.8 carries. This would be his most rushing yards in a season, second most carries and second most rushing touchdowns.
Although Bigsby was traded, the Jaguars have another solid running back backing up Etienne. Bhayshul Tuten is a fourth-round rookie with 277 rushing yards and five total touchdowns this season. This isn’t enough to steal Etienne’s job, but his scoring is enough to provide some fantasy value.
The problem is that he’s entirely touchdown dependent at this point. Tuten isn’t getting enough carries, nor is he catching enough passes for him to be worth starting in fantasy football. Perhaps that changes next season, but for now, especially in Week 15, it’s all Etienne.