James Robinson & Travis Etienne Jr.
JT: Robinson or Etienne? A nice problem to have
I, like many I’m sure, or possibly unlike many, drafted Travis Etienne Jr. in my fantasy football league. It was a late round draft pick as there are not many running backs in the NFL these days who do not share time. Seventy-five percent of all teams platoon their runners, making it difficult to select fantasy RBs worth a start. I drafted Travis Etienne because he was the preseason favorite for the Jags. He played while James Robinson was recovering from a nasty Achilles injury. Now, with Robinson 100% healthy, Head Coach Doug Pederson anointed him the more preferred running back in game one against the Washington Commanders.
So where does that leave those who drafted Etienne? The answer is that I have no idea. JaguarsTalk, frankly, believes that Jacksonville will use both running backs so interchangeably that starting either in fantasy would be detrimental to your team. However, the extensive usage of both Etienne and Robinson will be hugely beneficial to the Jaguars.
Since week one, many an article has cropped up talking about Robinson’s comeback and what it means for Etienne moving forward. Titles such as How should fantasy managers value the Jags’ RBs? Or Why fantasy managers should stick with James Robinson. All of this fantasy talk translates to nothing but positive outcomes for the real-life Jaguars. Actual NFL success is downstream of fantasy columns such as these. Meaning, you know you are in a good spot as an actual NFL team when the fantasy world writes these types of columns. So, let’s take a closer look at the Jaguars two solid running backs to see if one should be more utilized than the other, in reality or fantasy.
The stat lines from game one against the Washington Commanders are highly skewed in the direction of James Robinson. Robinson was 11 for 66 with an average of 6 yards per carry with a long of 22 yards. I’ll take six yards and a cloud of dust all day long. I know the run sets up the pass and vice versa, so a team can’t rest solely on one or the other. Six yards per carry, however, makes a strong argument for mixing in more running plays this week against the Colts, whose defensive line is not as strong as that of the Commanders. JT believes that 6-yard average will rise against Indy. Robinson also had two touchdowns in the Washington game, one on the ground and one through the air. He was the bright spot in the Jacksonville backfield.
Travis Etienne, on the other hand, was only given 4 attempts for 47 yards with an average of 11.8 yards per carry. Um, if 6 is good than 11.8 is Tony the Tiger. Etienne exploded for a 27-yard carry on one hand-off just topping Robinson's long of 22 yards, but one can’t help but wonder, had Etienne been given the same workload, would he have produced more yardage? Robinson only gained 19 more yards than Etienne but needed almost triple the number of carries. Yes, Robinson scored two touchdowns, but let us not forget that had Trevor Lawrence been accurate on his pass to a wide-open Etienne on the first drive of the game, Travis would have scored the touchdown. In addition, Etienne dropped a second touchdown opportunity later in the first half. So, both Robinson and Etienne would have had two touchdowns each, had those flukes (let us all pray those were flukes) not occurred. Couple that with Etienne’s more explosive running stats and he might have an argument for more backfield time, but you have to catch those TD passes first.
JaguarsTalk is not taking this opportunity to shine on Etienne or throw shade on Robinson, after all, Robinson delivered while Etienne dropped a sure TD. What we are trying to illustrate is that the combination of the two of these guys would have/should have delivered four total touchdowns in week one against Washington. If not for some missed opportunities, purely the fault of the Jaguars themselves, the game would have been severely lopsided in favor of Jacksonville, from the start. As JaguarsTalk has been saying, Etienne and Robinson are a one-two gut punch for opposing defenses. They complement each other perfectly. Etienne being the quick slasher who can be split out wide and beat any linebacker in coverage, and Robinson being the between the tackle headbanger blessed with soft hands for screens and short outlet passes. We would’ve liked to have seen more running plays against Washington and hope to see more in the beginning of the Jaguars/Colts matchup this Sunday at TIAA Bank Field. JT believes that there will be games this season where both Robinson and Etienne top 100 total yards each (receiving and rushing combined). If Jacksonville can run an offense that produces such stats and if the Jaguars defense can live up to expectations, then there exists no reason why Jacksonville can’t go from bottom of the barrel to division champ (in the dumpster fire that is the AFC South).
So, to answer everyone’s fantasy question…No, don’t start either Robinson or Etienne. Pederson is going to expertly platoon them like an ‘86 Oliver Stone Vietnam film to the delight of Jaguars fans IRL, but to the disgust of fantasy owners. I foresee one touchdown each for Etienne and Robinson in this Sunday's matchup against the Colts. We also hope to see more running opportunities as both of these guys can blow it wide open like LL Cool J in Any Given Sunday. Jacksonville is sitting on a much more explosive powder keg of a backfield than anyone is giving them credit for. Once they figure out how to light the fuse, they will be extremely difficult to stop.
Let us know your thoughts on Robinson and Etienne in the comment section below.