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When is Travis Etienne Jr. coming back? Will Travis Etienne Jr. play again this season? Read about Travis Etienne Jr.'s return date and injury updates for 2026.
New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) is in the midst of an extended absence due to a hamstring injury that he suffered in Week 3.
He's now missed four games, and the Saints have a bye this week, meaning he'll have been out five weeks before their Week 9 contest.
Etienne signed a large contract with the team this offseason and was seen as the potential starter and workhorse RB1 for the Saints. But when will he be back from his injury?
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Travis Etienne Jr. Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Etienne is on injured reserve. He was placed on the list after Week 3, meaning he's technically already missed all the games he's forced to miss due to the designation. And the bye week is a nice boost here. He gets an extra week to recover without having to miss another game.
While every hamstring injury is different, Etienne's case is a classic one where he simply pulled up while running at full speed. The hamstring is put under immense stress when running at full speed. That's the situation under which it's maximally loaded.
Hamstring issues have at times held players out for extended periods. There hasn't been much signaling out of the Saints organization that this case is especially severe, though. In fact, it may be on the milder side, with the team taking every precaution to get him healthy.
These injuries are especially notorious because you can feel great for multiple days or even weeks, then pull your hamstring yet again. They can linger for a long time and be re-injured over and over again.
We almost prefer players to get put on IR when they get hamstring issues so they don't recur. Signs seem to be pointing to his return in Week 9 for now. It's unlikely he's held out beyond Week 10.
Travis Etienne Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
His first two games were extremely disappointing from both a volume and production standpoint. He had just 17 carries in those two games and didn't show clear RB1 volume. That improved in Week 3, as he took a commanding lead over the backfield touches before his injury.
That begs the question whether he had hamstring problems in the offseason and saw his touches restricted as a result, then aggravated the same injury and was placed on injured reserve to actually recover this time.
It's known that his hamstring was bothering him during the week, but it's just not clear if it was throughout the offseason; it's certainly possible. We'll see how things turn out here.
Upon his initial return, though, it's hard to imagine he'll be a must-start fantasy RB1. We could see him splitting reps with the team's other running backs in an ugly three-way committee. RBs Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara have seen substantial touches this year.
Alvin Kamara made history on this TD 😌
NOvsNYG on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/XzOyYGj0Ms— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
Etienne had nine targets in Week 1, so it appears they had substantial plans for him as a pass-catcher this season. But he was targeted just twice in Week 2 while Kamara saw six targets. Kamara didn't play in Week 1, so it looks like Etienne's receiving role is less than stellar.
Kendre Miller With The Goal Line Touchdown To Give The Saints The Lead. Nice Push.
New Orleans Takes Over. 🔥 https://t.co/AUZgIhMUp4
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 11, 2026
That plants him firmly in RB3 range until he shows us otherwise. The Saints' run-blocking has not been good this season, unfortunately.
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Popular Week 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
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