Travis Etienne O/U 1,025.5 Rush + Rec Yards
The Jacksonville Jaguars made a splash in the 2021 NFL Draft by selecting Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall, then teammate and RB Travis Etienne with the 25th overall pick.
The splash had Jags fans excited for the season, but a preseason foot injury (Lisfranc) took Etienne’s rookie season away and left the carries to James Robinson. Robinson played 14 games and finished with 767 rushing yards and 222 receiving yards for 989 total yards. He was on pace for 1,200 total yards before the injury.
However, Robinson is nursing a torn Achilles, so Etienne will takeover the workload for Jacksonville. Reports out of Jaguars camps are reporting Etienne looks primed for the starting role and after a year of learning the playbook from the sidelines, he and former Clemson QB Lawrence should have significant chemistry.
Doug Pederson takes over for Urban Meyer as the head coach. Pederson, the former Super Bowl LII winning coach for the Eagles and former Super Bowl XXXI winner as a player for the Packers, had nothing but positives to say about Etienne, per Jaguars.com.
“It’s exciting to get him out here, get him on the grass this whole offseason and really work with him,” Pederson said of Etienne, the No. 25 overall selection in the ’21 draft. “He’s doing a great job handling a lot of information that we’re throwing at the guys. We’re putting him in different spots and seeing what he can do right now. This is the time to do that stuff, to really experiment on both sides of the ball and see what the guys can do. He’s one of those guys.”
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The Jaguars running back is ranked 16th among running backs on Pro Football Focus’ top 300 big board, which was shocking but that’s a reasonable expectation if he reaches his potential.
Etienne did it all at Clemson. The former Tiger led the NCAA in yards after catch in 2019 (13.5 YAC), yards after contact (5.2) and missed tackles per carry (44%), in addition to reporting around 4.39 and 4.45 40-yard dash times.
In 2020, Etienne had a career-high in receptions (48) and receiving yards (588) yards in addition to rushing for 13-plus touchdowns in four-straight seasons. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry and 11.3 yards per reception in his career at Clemson.
He can do it all and will be asked to this season for Jacksonville. Per numberFire, Etienne is projected to finish with 1,186 total yards on 762 rushing and 424 receiving. That is well over his 1,025 rushing and receiving yards prop (-130).
All aboard the Travis Etienne hype train. After Week 1, we will no longer be accepting passengers, so get your ticket while it’s hot. I would play Etienne up to 1,099 total yards before passing on his prop.
Pick: Travis Etienne Over 1,025.5 Rush + Rec Yards (1u)
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