Travis Etienne Could be the Future RB1
This article will look at Travis Etienne’s career arc mainly concentrating on his future value in dynasty leagues. However, there will be some tidbits suggesting that he is being undervalued in 2021 redraft as well. His landing spot in Jacksonville appears to limit his upside at first glance. However, it is actually the catapult for what should be a tremendous career for the former Clemson Tiger.
Etienne’s college career was nothing short of prolific. He rushed for over 1600 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons averaging just under eight yards per carry. He followed that up with a senior season where he improved drastically as a pass-catcher hauling in 48-of-60 targets for 588 yards in 12 games.
His athleticism was on full display at Clemson’s pro day as he ran a 4.45 unofficial 40-yard dash time while weighing in at 215-pounds. His burst, speed and size earned him an impressive pro comp to my personal favorite 2020 rookie RB, D’Andre Swift.
TRAVIS ETIENNE PUTS ON THE BURNERS 🔥
(via @ClemsonFB)pic.twitter.com/Cqgg6ZBKhX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 11, 2020
He is also an exceptional runner out of the shotgun formation. This is a staple in head coach Urban Meyers’ game plan. His ability to be violent at the LOS and turn the burners on as he gets to the secondary is reminiscent of Alvin Kamara.
2021 Outlook
Much like Swift, Etienne enters a situation where he is not expected to be the early-down ground and pound back. Those carries will likely go to James Robinson. The thing about those carries is that they are not all that valuable for fantasy purposes anyway.
Every time that Etienne is on the field he will be in a prime position to rack up fantasy points. He is locked into the third down role which means he will also be on the field when the Jaguars are trailing. For a team that just finished 1-15 a season ago, they are expected to be trailing a lot of the time. No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence will be looking to his familiar friend as a safety valve.
Kamara is the standard for RBs that don’t need a traditional workhorse role to be a fantasy stud. Etienne is the closest to meeting this criteria that we have seen. Etienne is currently being drafted as the RB22 on Sleeper which would be an absolute steal if he played a similar role to what Kamara did in his rookie season.
Dynasty Outlook
A role similar to Kamara’s would cement Etienne as a RB1 while simultaneously prolonging his career. Piling up yardage on high-value touches while preserving health is just what the doctor ordered for RBs in dynasty. Kamara is entering his age 26 season in the prime of his career because the Saints consistently used other backs to play the tough short-yardage situations. Compare this to Le’Veon Bell, whom was asked to do it all in Pittsburgh and burnt out after his age 26 season.
We all think we want the every-down ball carrier to fill in at RB in fantasy. But what we really want is the RB that gets the majority of the high-value touches. This will ensure that your RB will put up fantasy points and enjoy a prolonged career. Etienne is talented enough to make the most of his limited, high-value touches. This in return gives you a high-scoring player with a lengthened career.
This is precisely why we have Etienne listed at RB10 in our dynasty rankings. A top ten ranking could even prove to be bearish if he comes close to replicating what he accomplished in college.
Wherever @ClemsonFB RB Travis Etienne lands in the @NFLDraft…
He'll make an immediate impact. 😤 @swaggy_t1
📺: 2021 #NFLDraft — April 29 – May 1 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/jZR3be6nrN
— NFL (@NFL) April 7, 2021
