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Is Travis Etienne Jr. or Tank Bigsby starting for the Jaguars? Should you draft Etienne or Bigsby in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Don Fanelli's expert draft analysis and advice.
The Jacksonville Jaguars enter the 2025 season with a new head coach and a murky backfield, leaving fantasy managers with a crucial question: What is the hierarchy in the Jaguars running back room?
Last year's production was lackluster, with starter Travis Etienne Jr. seeing a significant drop in production, while his counterpart, Tank Bigsby, flashed moments of high-end potential. With both players listed as co-starters heading into training camp, it's a difficult call for fantasy drafters.
Should you target the established, pass-catching veteran who saw his workload halve last season? Or is the young, bruiser running back the better pick with his tackle-breaking upside? Let's dive in and find out which running back you should be drafting in 2025.
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Travis Etienne Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
After finishing as a top-5 running back in 2023, Etienne's fantasy value took a significant hit last season. Etienne's usage and production plummeted from his career-best 2023 campaign, where he logged 267 carries for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns in 17 games.
Last year, in just two fewer games, he saw his carries drop to 150 for only 558 yards and two touchdowns. His yards per carry also dipped slightly from 3.8 to 3.7. He did manage 39 receptions and 254 yards receiving, but scored zero touchdowns through the air.
The impact was felt most in his fantasy performance, where he finished as RB35 in full PPR, averaging just 8.7 FPPG, a far cry from the high-end RB1 numbers he once provided.
Etienne's value now lies almost entirely in his pass-catching ability, and his fantasy output is heavily dependent on league scoring. He managed 39 receptions for 254 yards in 2024, but his red-zone touches fell to just 24 (RB37).
He is no longer the workhorse back, and his days as a top-tier fantasy running back seem to be behind him based on his declining usage and efficiency. His snap share dropped from over 74% in 2023 to 55% last year.
Travis Etienne's ADP is 95... 😔 pic.twitter.com/GzF5nz8ZiA
— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) July 16, 2025
Fantasy managers should view Etienne as a volume-based pass-catching back in the vein of a player like Rachaad White. While he is capable of a big play, his longest run last year was only 22 yards.
He could still provide value in PPR leagues as a complementary piece to a ground-and-pound running back, but his ceiling is capped by the presence of a new coach, a committee backfield, and a more crowded target share with studs like Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter on the outside.
Tank Bigsby Fantasy Football Outlook
While Etienne saw his production fall off a cliff, his counterpart, Bigsby, had a surprisingly productive 2024 season. In 16 games, Bigsby amassed 766 rushing yards on 168 carries, averaging a solid 4.6 yards per carry, with seven touchdowns.
His receiving work was limited to seven catches for 54 yards, but his longest run was an impressive 65-yard touchdown. While RotoBaller projects a slight decrease in his stats for 2025, Bigsby’s role as the team’s bruiser and goal-line back should not be overlooked.
Bigsby had a few boom weeks that fantasy managers remember. In Week 5 against the Colts, he was the RB1 of the week, finishing with 24.9 fantasy points on 13 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Two games later, he put up a stat line of 26-118-2 against the Patriots. He got the majority of the team’s red-zone carries with 35 touches and seven carries inside the 5-yard line.
RB yards after contact and tackles avoided per carry last season:
-Kenneth Walker lol
-Tank Bigsby and Bucky Irving balling. Is RB success more likely for guys with really cool names?
-James Conner still got the juice
-Jordan Mason is going to get a lot of carries in Minnesota.… pic.twitter.com/48csY9i4JW— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 6, 2025
Bigsby's running style is also supported by advanced metrics, as he ranked in the top three in yards after contact and tackles avoided per carry last season.
While he is only 22 years old and possesses an impressive 4.7 yards per carry, he has yet to prove the consistency needed to be a true workhorse. He was also a little fumble-prone last year (four), an issue that he will need to clean up to earn more trust from the new coaching staff. He is a high-upside, tackle-breaking back who fantasy managers should keep on their radars.
Who Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
The Jaguars backfield is shaping up to be a committee, with both Etienne and Bigsby designated as co-starters heading into training camp. This likely means we'll see a continuation of what we saw last year: Bigsby handling the early down and goal-line work, while Etienne is the primary back on third-down and passing situations.
This split backfield has a new variable this year: new head coach Liam Coen, who came from Tampa Bay, a team that produced two top-24 RBs last year in a similar offensive system. However, the Jaguars offensive line is a concern, as Pro Football Focus ranks it 26th heading into the season.
When it comes to your fantasy draft, the choice between Etienne and Bigsby depends mostly on your draft strategy and league format. Their current average ADP reflects this, with Etienne at just over 100 and Bigsby at 141. RotoBaller has them closer together, with Etienne at RB34 and Bigsby at RB39.
If you are in a full-PPR league and have already drafted a more traditional, ground-and-pound running back like Josh Jacobs or Kyren Williams, Etienne could be a valuable RB3 or RB4 to complement your roster. His floor is based on his pass-catching abilities, and he could fill a similar role to White in a committee. That being said, his upside is capped as his opportunities have been nearly cut in half from his 2023 season.
If you are in a half-PPR or standard league and need a solid, young, upside RB3, Bigsby could be a sneaky steal at his current ADP. While his big games were inconsistent last season, all signs point to him having a good camp.
His youth, upside, tackle-breaking abilities, and goal-line opportunities give him a higher ceiling in this offense. However, there is a third name to watch out for as well: rookie fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten could steal some carries and catches from both Etienne and Bigsby.
Ultimately, the choice between these two backs comes down to risk tolerance and league format. Bigsby offers the more explosive upside at a lower cost, while Etienne offers a safer floor, but with a more limited ceiling than we’ve seen in the past.
