Travis Etienne, Tuten Fantasy Outlook, Waiver-Wire Advice After Tank Bigsby Trade

The Jacksonville Jaguars reshuffled their backfield on Monday, trading running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fifth- and sixth-round pick in 2026.

So what exactly does that mean for Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten in fantasy football?

One of the major assumptions is that Etienne's stock just shot through the roof, especially after he registered 156 yards from scrimmage in Week 1 and led the backfield with 16 carries.

▶️ Full Panthers-Jags Recap

06:00

In the short term, he appears to be the top option in Jacksonville's run game. It was a role he held in the 2022-23 seasons before Bigsby appeared to supplant him last year. But Etienne certainly looked good on Sunday, and new head coach Liam Coen apparently trusts him.

"You could feel him all day. You definitely felt him being a little bit—having a little bit more burst maybe than other guys on the grass. He looked fresh. He looked fast. He took care of the football. Proud of him," Coen told reporters after the game regarding Etienne. "He did a great job, but the whole unit, really all the way through the end of the game, ran the ball effectively."

Let's pump the brakes a bit before we assume that Etienne will ascend to the RB1 category, however.

One, the Panthers aren't exactly world-beaters defensively—the schedule will get tougher.

But two, Tuten looms. We've already seen Etienne settle into more of a committee situation in the past, and it remains possible that Tuten ultimately supplants him as the featured back much as Bigsby did in 2024.

Granted, if Etienne continues to produce like he did on Sunday, that won't happen. And he certainly looks like one of the best draft-day bargains for the fantasy players who nabbed him.

But realistically, he's still probably an RB2 at the moment who would veer more into flex territory if Tuten carves out a larger role. Consider Tuten more of an RB4 and valuable handcuff at this point, though he may have a much larger role as the season progresses. Both players should absolutely be rostered in all formats, however, and Etienne is a must-start for the moment.