Coming into the 2023 season, Travis Etienne’s price in drafts just seemed way too high. The volume was there for him in 2022, but the production was not – and even when he had the lead role locked up, he failed to be a factor in the passing game, logging more than 3 receptions in a week just three times last year. However, that all changed on Sunday out of left field…
Etienne logged a 68.6% route participation in Week 1 against the Colts, which ranked as the third-highest among all NFL RBs and was the highest route participation he’s seen in his entire career. With that added work, Etienne reeled in all five of his targets on the afternoon, making him a real threat in PPR formats.
What’s most confounding about this sudden spike in work in the receiving game is that the Jaguars waited until AFTER Calvin Ridley joined the offense to start getting Etienne involved in passing situations. It’s a one game sample size, but this usage is unlike any we’ve seen so far for Etienne in his career – and if it continues, he could potentially live up to his high ADP coming into the year.