The Jacksonville Jaguars were the NFL’s breakout team in 2022 after going 9-8 to win the AFC South Division. Under new head coach Doug Pederson, the Jaguars would go on to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round and go head-to-head with the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
With a talented core returning for 2023, which includes running back Travis Etienne Jr., the Jaguars are expected to be a trendy team for fantasy football managers this coming season.
2023 Fantasy Football: Travis Etienne Jr. Profile
Recap of 2022 season
Etienne appeared in 17 games for the Jaguars last season and led the team in rushing with 1,125 yards on a team-high 220 carries. He added five rushing touchdowns with 316 receiving yards. Etienne averaged 12.1 PPR fantasy points last season while ending the year as the RB17 in total fantasy points.
Updated Jaguars outlook
Not much has changed offensively for Jacksonville over the offseason, and the expectation is that Etienne returns as the unquestioned RB1 in the backfield. The Jaguars added former Browns tailback D’Ernest Johnson through free agency, which is more of an insurance move in case Etienne catches the injury bug in 2023.
Best-case scenario
Truth be told Etienne’s numbers fluctuated at the start of the season given that he was splitting carries with James Robinson. After the latter was traded to the New York Jets, it marked the start of Etienne’s breakout campaign. Now with him as the undisputed top back in Jacksonville, and so long as he stays healthy, the best-case scenario would be for him to comfortably surpass the 1,125 rushing yards he had in 2022.
Worst-case scenario
It’s key to note that Etienne suffered a Lisfranc injury during the 2021 preseason, with it being later revealed that he suffered a significant tear that required surgery. Though Etienne is young, he’s already gone through a significant injury that forced him to miss plenty of time, so the worst-case scenario would be a repeat of what’s happened before.
Prediction
With no questions remaining about Etienne’s status as RB1, he should easily breeze past his rushing totals from 2022 and become a candidate to finish within the top-5 when the 2023 season draws to a close. The benchmark for a top back should be around 1,500+ yards. So long as Etienne stays healthy, an average of 15.0 to 18.0 PPR fantasy points per game feels reasonable.