Should I drop Travis Etienne Jr.? Week 7 Fantasy projection for Jaguars RB

Travis Etienne Jr. entered the 2024 fantasy football season with extremely high expectations after finishing as the overall RB3 last year. He appeared to be locked in as the Jacksonville Jaguars' featured running back once again, but things have apparently changed after just weeks into the season.

Etienne has set season-lows in carries in the past three weeks, as his role in the Jaguars' backfield has been decreasing. Things got even worse for the running back when he suffered a hamstring injury last week, putting his availability in jeopardy. This makes him a drop candidate ahead of the Week 7 slate.

Should I drop Travis Etienne Jr. for Week 7 fantasy football?

Travis Etienne Jr.

Travis Etienne Jr. suffered a hamstring injury in the Jacksonville Jaguars' most recent game against the Chicago Bears in London last week. This ended his day early, limiting him to just three carries in 18% of the offensive snaps. He is reportedly week-to-week with the injury, and no definitive determination has been made about whether he will require a trip to the injured reserve list.

This complicates things for fantasy managers who have Etienne on their rosters. They may not be able to use one of their IR spots on him, so he could take up one of their bench spots if he is unable to play against the New England Patriots this week, which seems likely to be the case.

Considering he has already lost much of the backfield workload to Tank Bigsby, it's fair to consider Etienne a drop candidate entering Week 7. He has set season-lows in carries in snap percentage in the past three weeks, as Bigsby seems to be taking the lead role in their backfield.

Despite his RB3 finish last season, he may be better off dropped at this point for a higher-upside option. His hamstring injury further suggests that he is not a mandatory roster option, especially considering how difficult it can be for running backs to recover from such an injury.

Travis Etienne Jr.'s fantasy outlook for the remainder of 2024 NFL season

The Jaguars have been one of the most disappointing teams during the 2024 NFL season thus far, with just a 1-5 record entering Week 7. To spark their offense, they have been giving Tank Bigsby a more prominent role in their backfield. This has resulted in Travis Etienne Jr. playing in fewer than 50% of the snaps in the past three weeks and totaling just nine carries across his past two games.

In those three games, Bigsby has impressed by turning in 28 touches for 243 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars appear to be shifting their depth chart towards Bigsby being the starter, significantly decreasing Etienne's value. Adding his hamstring injury, the veteran's fantasy outlook doesn't look bright for the rest of the 2024 season.