Is Travis Etienne playing this week? Injury update, fantasy outlook for Jaguars' RB ahead of Week 7 vs. Patriots
Week 7 marks the second leg of the Jaguars' trip across the pond. Jacksonville will look to bounce back this weekend in London against New England after a tough loss to Chicago in Week 6.
Unfortunately, they may be without starting running back Travis Etienne against the Patriots. Etienne has been dealing with multiple injuries in recent weeks, but a hamstring issue has been his latest ailment.
Etienne was originally labeled as week-to-week with this injury, but there's a chance that he'll be able to suit up this week without missing significant time. Let's check in on the latest reports surrounding Etienne's Week 7 status.
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After his hamstring injury was described as a "week-to-week" issue, the expectation was that we wouldn't see Etienne at practice on Wednesday, or perhaps all week. He was somehow able to log a limited practice all three days this week. He's officially been labeled as questionable for Week 7.
The general belief is that Etienne is truly questionable and he is likely a game-time decision. Be sure to check back here often, as we'll be providing updates as they become available.
Etienne hasn't missed a full game this season, but he's missed chunks of game time on multiple occasions. In his absence, Jacksonville has relied on multiple backs, Tank Bigsby and D'Ernest Johnson.
Bigsby has been Jacksonville's preferred option in rushing situations while Johnson has been trusted in pass protection. If Etienne is unable to play and Jacksonville controls the game, expect to see plenty of Bigsby.
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Etienne has been one of fantasy football's biggest disappointments of the season. He was drafted in the second round of the majority of leagues but has failed to score 15 points in a single game. He's just the RB32 on the season.
Even if Etienne is able to suit up, he's best left on benches this week. Bigsby has ranks ahead of Etienne in just about every efficiency and production metric this year and has likely worked this into a split backfield. Much of Etienne's fantasy value was driven by his bell cow role. Without that workload, it's hard to trust Etienne until he's able to be more efficient with his touches. Letting Etienne rest up on your bench while evaluating how the touches are distributed is the best course of action.