Will Travis Etienne Bounce Back in 2025? (Fantasy Football)

Travis Etienne’s 2024 season was a complete disaster, making it difficult to remember that he finished the season as the RB3 just a year earlier. His breakout performance in 2023 had him firmly entrenched in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts, but those who expected him to replicate that success were severely burned. Etienne plummeted to an RB36 finish, averaging a meager 7.4 fantasy points per game, which ranked 43rd among all RBs. Despite scoring twice in the first two weeks, he failed to reach the end zone again all season. He battled lingering injuries, his efficiency completely disappeared, and his role became a weekly headache for fantasy managers.

Despite such a disastrous season, there is still a justifiable case for a 2025 rebound. While many fantasy managers may understandably hesitate to willingly take on the risk again, that caution could open the door to a buy-low opportunity on Etienne. There is still a spark of upside that he can put last season behind him, and the potential discount helps offset the risk of betting on a bounce-back. In this article, we will break down the key factors that could fuel Travis Etienne‘s path back to fantasy relevance and explore why he still has the potential to provide sneaky value at a more affordable cost.

What Went Wrong?

When a player has an unexpectedly poor season, it is always more encouraging if you can point to clear, fixable issues rather than signs of permanent decline. That is the silver lining with Etienne. While many have already written him off, assuming the 26-year-old is past his prime and falling off of a cliff without a major injury to explain it, the reality may be more nuanced. A handful of identifiable issues derailed his 2024 season, and there is sound reason to believe those problems may not persist into 2025.

1. As Efficient as a Screen Door on a Submarine

The most concerning trend in Etienne’s 2024 season was his sharp drop in efficiency. In 2023, Etienne led the NFL with 31 broken tackles, but that number plummeted to just three in 2024. His yards created also took a dramatic hit, falling from fourth in the league to 38th. This is a steep and unexpected downturn for a player who appeared to be one of the NFL’s top RBs just a year ago. So, what happened?

Although Etienne missed his entire rookie season due to a significant foot injury suffered in the 2021 preseason, he entered the league as a relatively clean prospect. Even with that early setback, he bounced back to play in all 17 games in each of the next two seasons and quickly became a fantasy football standout. But in 2024, his health began to slip again. He managed to appear in 15 games, but it was clear he was not operating at full strength down the stretch. In Week 4, he injured his shoulder against the Texans. While the injury did not force him to miss time, it severely limited his practice participation and led to a noticeable dip in usage. After consecutive poor outings on reduced touches, he injured his hamstring in Week 6 against the Bears. Unfortunately, this injury was considered more serious, and he was sidelined for two games.

While Etienne was sidelined, backup Tank Bigsby seized the opportunity, delivering back-to-back breakout performances, including a dominant Week 7 showing with 118 yards and two TDs on 26 carries. However, a closer look at Bigsby’s season reveals that aside from those two standout games, his performance was nearly as inefficient as Etienne’s for the rest of the year. When Etienne returned in Week 9, he was limited to just three carries, sparking questions about his health and role moving forward. Hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky to manage, often lingering or re-aggravating. This could have played a significant role in Etienne’s lack of burst and overall inefficiency throughout the season.

2. Major Reduction in TD Production

Etienne’s yards per carry dropped from 5.1 in 2022 to 3.8 in 2023 and 3.7 in 2024. While the last two seasons are nearly identical on paper, neither figure is promising, and both reflect a sharp decline. This raises reasonable concerns that his regression could be more than just a temporary slump.

Ironically, despite the start of a sharp decline in rushing efficiency, Etienne’s 2023 season marked his best fantasy finish. Although he rushed for 117 fewer yards on 57 more carries than in 2022, he finished the season as the RB3 thanks to a significant increase in TD production, with 12 total scores. In contrast, while he was much more efficient and productive on the ground in 2022, he found the end zone just five times and finished as the RB17.

Unfortunately, the positive TD momentum did not carry over into 2024. Etienne scored just twice, which played a major role in his disappointing RB36 fantasy finish. While some may argue that his 2023 breakout was inflated by unsustainable scoring, the same reasoning could point to a potential bounce-back in 2025. Even with Bigsby surpassing Etienne by a wide margin with seven TDs in 2024 and likely taking on some goal-line duties next season, it is difficult to imagine Etienne finishing with such a low TD total again. As a result, he stands out as a prime candidate for positive TD regression in 2025.

3. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen?

Revisiting the unexpected breakout of Bigsby in his second year, it is clear his emergence played a major role in Etienne’s disappointing 2024 season. While the TD disparity between the two backs drew attention, the more troubling development was Etienne’s sharp drop in overall workload. After back-to-back seasons with 220+ carries and over 1,000 rushing yards, he logged just 150 carries for 558 yards last year. In contrast, Bigsby handled 168 carries for 766 yards over 16 games. Although Etienne missed two games and was clearly limited in several others due to his lingering hamstring injury, the reduced volume raises valid concerns. If he remains this inefficient with a capped workload, it is difficult to envision a strong fantasy rebound in 2025.

Even if the rushing volume does not bounce back, there is still a glimmer of hope. Bigsby has offered almost nothing in the passing game, managing just eight catches for 60 yards over his first two seasons. Meanwhile, Etienne has long thrived as a receiving threat, dating back to his days at Clemson. In his breakout 2023 campaign, his receiving role was a major part of his RB3 finish. That year, he saw 73 targets and turned them into 58 receptions for 476 yards, averaging a healthy 6.52 yards per target.

Last season, despite the Jaguars’ offensive struggles, Etienne still earned 52 targets, seven more than he did in 2022. However, efficiency again became an issue. He caught just 39 passes for 254 yards, averaging a career-low 4.88 yards per target. In 2022, despite fewer targets and receptions, he still managed 62 more receiving yards, thanks to a career-best 7.02 yards per target. If he can return to form in this key area, it could provide a much-needed boost to his fantasy ceiling in 2025.

4. A Ship Is Only as Steady as Its Captain

Despite leading the Jaguars to the playoffs in his debut season as head coach in 2022, Doug Pederson’s tenure in Jacksonville ultimately ended in massive disappointment. Following a 4-13 finish in 2024, he was dismissed after three seasons marked by inconsistency. The Jaguars boasted one of the league’s worst offensive lines and ranked 25th in total offense, 26th in rushing yards, and 26th in total points scored, highlighting their offensive struggles. Yet they still managed to score 13 rushing TDs, the 11th-most in the league, which only makes Etienne’s two-TD season all the more puzzling.

While Pederson deserves his share of the blame, Trevor Lawrence’s midseason shoulder injury all but erased any chance of stability on offense. Limited to just nine games, his absence exposed deeper flaws throughout the entire roster, and the unit never found its rhythm. The setback may have been particularly damaging for Etienne, whose chemistry with Lawrence dates back to their championship run at Clemson. Between the injuries, poor blocking, and overall dysfunction, 2024 became a season the Jaguars would rather bury than remember.

When you’re at the bar enjoying yourself but then you remember you drafted Travis Etienne last year: pic.twitter.com/HtGRRbw0p8

— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) March 31, 2025

Path to Redemption in 2025

Looking ahead to 2025, there is a compelling case to be made that Etienne can rebound from his disastrous 2024 campaign and re-establish himself as a valuable fantasy asset. The first point of optimism centers around the lingering hamstring injury that derailed his explosiveness and contributed to his steep drop in efficiency. Hamstring issues are among the most common injuries in football, and while they often do not require surgery, they are notorious for lingering, being reinjured, and severely limiting a player’s performance. Far too often, players try to push through and return to action before their injury is fully healed, resulting in diminished performance week after week.

If Etienne can put the health concerns that hampered his previous season behind him, the combination of Pederson’s departure and hiring Liam Coen as the team’s new head coach could significantly boost his fantasy outlook. While Coen’s quirky introduction press conference may have given rise to several jokes, his track record as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers last season speaks volumes, especially his success in utilizing his RBs. Under Coen’s leadership, Bucky Irving (RB14) and Rachaad White (RB24) formed one of the NFL’s most dynamic backfield duos, and it is reasonable to expect that Coen can bring similar success to Jacksonville’s depleted running game.

Last season, the Jaguars RBs accounted for just 15% of the team’s targets, ranking 24th in the league, while the Buccaneers finished 4th with 21%. White (393 yards) and Irving (392 yards) finished just a yard apart from each other, both ranking in the top 10 among RBs for receiving yards. While neither Etienne nor Bigsby is likely to match Irving’s explosive playmaking ability as a runner, what is especially exciting for Etienne is the potential for increased involvement in the passing game. This is particularly significant given that Bigsby offers little in the passing game, leaving Etienne well-positioned to become Jacksonville’s primary receiving threat out of the backfield.

Additionally, with Evan Engram‘s departure, Jacksonville has a substantial number of vacated targets to distribute. Coen will likely be keen to maximize Etienne’s involvement in the passing game to help fill that void. If Coen can replicate his success from Tampa Bay and views Etienne as the focal point of the Jaguars’ backfield, a major rebound season could be on the horizon. With increased efficiency as a runner, a larger role as a receiver, and a bit of TD luck, Etienne could provide immense fantasy value in 2025. Due to this, he has a chance to emerge as one of the more intriguing draft-day bargains while others may prematurely write off his fantasy upside.

While it is understandable to have concerns after two straight seasons of declining efficiency, there is increasing evidence that Etienne’s struggles in 2024 were more due to health issues and team dysfunction than a genuine decline in his talent or potential. If he can stay healthy and regain his burst, a bounce-back season is very much within reach, even if he falls short of RB1 status in fantasy. Fortunately, the risk will likely already be factored into his draft cost, making him an intriguing value pick. Etienne still possesses the talent and opportunity to show why he was once considered one of the NFL’s most dynamic young backs. The 2025 season is his chance to prove he is more than just a fading name and that he still has plenty left in the tank.