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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. was brought in as a high-priced free-agent addition to the team's offense, and he was expected to be the team's featured running back. He was drafted in most fantasy leagues as a regular fantasy starter, but he has been missing from the lineup for multiple weeks.
Etienne began dealing with a hamstring injury in preparation for Week 3 and aggravated it in that contest. Ultimately, he landed on the IR and has yet to return.
When is Etienne coming back? Will he miss most of the season? Let's dive in!
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Travis Etienne Jr. Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Etienne's injury first appeared on the practice report in preparation for Week 3. He was limited in practice that week, and then was forced to leave the game after pulling up and grabbing at his hamstring at the end of a 16-yard run in the third quarter.
The Saints opted to put Etienne on IR after that game, meaning he was required to miss at least four games. With a Week 8 bye, he could have returned as early as Week 9, when the Saints played the Browns.
However, Etienne is still not ready to return to action, and he remains on IR. Last week, coach Kellen Moore indicated that he was hopeful that Etienne could return to practice before the team's Week 9 contest, but ultimately his 21-day practice window was not opened yet.
Travis Etienne Jr. Still Isn't Practicing https://t.co/c8tOPtMx0X
— RotoBaller (@RotoBaller) November 5, 2026
When asked about Etienne returning in Week 10, Moore said, "We'll see. He is progressing well." Etienne is eligible to return at any point, but that doesn't guarantee that he will, as we saw last week. Watch for his 21-day practice window to be opened; then the team will have three weeks to activate him before he is required to remain on IR for the rest of the season. There hasn't been any indication that there is concern that he'll miss any more extended time, and it seems like he's nearing a return.
Travis Etienne Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
If Etienne is able to get back this week, he'll come back into a great matchup against the Panthers, who have allowed the second-most PPR fantasy points to RBs this season, including 12 total running back touchdowns and an average of 110.5 rushing yards and 28.8 receiving yards per game to the position over eight games.
Etienne showed potential as both a rusher and a receiver throughout his career with the Jaguars, and before he was injured, he took 30 carries for 128 rushing yards and caught 11 of 13 targets for 51 yards. He didn't get into the end zone in any of those games, and will still be searching for his first Saints touchdown when he returns.
The Saints have used a mix of Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, CJ Donaldson, and Audric Estime while Etienne has been out. The team signed Estime after he was waived by the Browns last Monday and released Miller on Saturday. Donaldson was inactive in Week 9 as well, while Estime had a big game with 15 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. He will likely remain the lead back if Etienne is forced to miss any more time.
Estime could remain a short-yardage consideration and change-of-pace play even after Etienne returns, so he's worth a look if you need help from the waiver wire.
ESTIME YOU ̶D̶A̶W̶G̶ SAINT!!!
📺: CBS https://t.co/V9C1NTPnDb
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 8, 2026
Etienne is still likely to regain his lead back role, but Estime's arrival and emergence could allow the Saints to bring their top running back along more slowly. If Etienne returns, he'll be a high-risk, high-reward play in Week 10 against the Panthers, and if Etienne is out another week, Estime will be a solid RB3 or FLEX option.
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Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Audric Estime, Alvin Kamara, Jordyn Tyson. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 10 for Audric Estime, Alvin Kamara, Jordyn Tyson:
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