Bhayshul

Tuten

In his “bold predictions” piece, Shipley said he also believes Boerkircher will play on 45.0 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, catch 16 passes, produce 200 yards and score three times. In other words, he is very unlikely to be fantasy-relevant. That said, Shipley’s most notable point is that Boerkircher “has in-line blocking value as well as the ability to be detached from the line of scrimmage” and can block well on the outside, which is a plus for the Jaguars’ run game. The team has consistently harped on improving the run game this offseason. If Boerkircher can quickly establish himself as the Jaguars’ TE2, the impact could trickle down to RBs Chris Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten.

Shipley published his expected depth chart today, with the 2026 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror. He believes RB LeQuint Allen will once again be the top passing down back. Veteran RB DeeJay Dallas will duke it out with undrafted free agent rookie RB J’Mari Taylor for the last spot. The Jaguars return all nine offensive linemen from last season and add to the unit with third-round OG Emmanuel Pregnon. If Rodriguez and Tuten indeed split carries, both players could warrant RB3/FLEX treatment, though each player’s presence lowers the other’s upside. Shipley reported earlier this month that Tuten’s role and opportunity is going to see a major hike” this season.

Consider Shipley one of many who believe Tuten is on track for a breakout 2026 following the departure of Travis Etienne. In his latest mailbag article, Shipley said he believes Tuten will be a breakout player for the Jaguars in 2026, citing his efficiency as a runner while also noting Tuten’s “legit home-run speed.” Tuten rushed for 83-307-5 as a rookie while adding another 10 receptions for 79 yards and two scores. He blazed the fastest 40-yard dash of any RB at the Combine in 2025 (4.32 seconds), and saw eight of his 87 carries go for 10 or more yards last season, per PFF. While the Jaguars could still add a back in the draft to compete with Tuten and free agent signee Chris Rodriguez, Shipley seems to think Tuten is on the fast track to a strong workload, which could bode well for fantasy managers in the mid to late rounds of drafts this season.

As things currently stand, incumbent second-year RB Bhayshul Tuten and free agent signee RB Chris Rodriguez are set to duke it out for the backfield committee’s lead role. Rodriguez, 5'11/224, is built to handle a hefty workload, though the coaching staff willingly deployed Tuten, 5'9/209, in scoring position last year. Fellow second-year RB LeQuint Allen likely has the edge for the primary receiving role. Should one player win the starting role outright this summer, they should produce in the RB2/FLEX range come Week 1.

If this is starting to remind you a lot of last offseason’s Jaguars running back scuttlebutt, well, it should. There were no fantasy-trustworthy options for the majority of the offseason before Travis Etienne eventually emerged as the surefire No. 1 back and Tank Bigsby was dispatched to the Eagles. At least this year’s room only has two options instead of three — for now — with Tuten and Chris Rodriguez both potential leaders of a committee. Whoever wins that job has plenty of fantasy juice backed with what looked to be an ascending pass offense in the last 10 weeks of the season.

The Jaguars let Travis Etienne walk in free agency and signed Rodriguez, formerly of the Commanders, to join second-year, oft-injured RB Bhayshul Tuten in the backfield this season. The new details of Rodriguez’s two-year contract — including a $4 million signing bonus — confirm he’ll play a significant role in the Jacksonville backfield. Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley said the team would take a “committee” backfield approach in 2026. “What he’ll be able to do is provide the complementary skill set, in particular when it comes to the inside running, the hidden yards that come with his style of play,” Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said during a recent radio interview. “You know, the tough demeanor. You know, that’s a real thing. And when given a higher workload, it can wear out those that have to stop it from going forward.” An efficient early-down back in Washington, Rodriguez could be in line for lead back duties if Tuten struggles in offseason practices and training camp or deals with injuries once again. Rodriguez had 500 yards and six rushing touchdowns in 2025, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and posting an impressive 59 percent rushing success rate.

It’s the first sniff of free agency buzz we’ve gotten on White, which goes to show you how few teams view him as a top-line back. However, DiRocco believes White could fit in as a great screen-pass catcher and could share the workload with incumbent Bhayshul Tuten. Gainwell could also fit into that role. Overall this is a very encouraging report for Tuten’s fantasy value, as it doesn’t seem like the Jaguars want to put a major obstacle ahead of him on the depth chart.

“The figurative writing was on the wall for Etienne and [Devin] Lloyd in the last month when the Jaguars extended receiver Jakobi Meyers and left tackle Cole Van Lanen to ensure they wouldn’t hit the market,” O’Halloran writes, continuing: “Did the Jaguars choose Meyers/Van Lanen over Etienne/Lloyd? Ultimately, yes.” If Etienne does leave Jacksonville, O’Halloran believes Bhayshul Tuten will be the No. 1 back in 2026 with LeQuint Allen as the “No. 2/third-down back/kick returner.” Etienne isn’t much of a between-the-tackles pounder (see Trevor Lawrence’s red zone rushing role) and is probably a better committee back, but he might have a chance to find his way into a No. 1 role in free agency after a strong 2025 season.

Tuten repeatedly gashed the Bills, but Liam Coen leaned on his passing game, so there wasn’t much work to go around in the backfield. As has been the case all year, he was comfortably behind Travis Etienne in the pecking order for touches. Tuten got frustratingly close to earning a larger role at multiple points as a rookie, but minor injuries or changes in the weekly game-plan prevented him from truly breaking out. He missed two games late in the year with a finger injury and was on the injury report several times early in the year. His rookie season came to a close with 83 carries for 307 yards and five touchdowns. Etienne is a free agent, meaning it’s possible that Tuten can earn significantly more work in his sophomore campaign. The Jags’ free agency plans will determine how excited fantasy managers can get about Tuten next season.

Tuten has missed two weeks after having finger surgery, but looks like he’ll be available for Week 18. The Jaguars could give him a real run if they happen to script the Titans into submission early. If the Titans make a game of it, they’ll probably stick with Travis Etienne for the majority of the game. Tuten still has a little RB3 steam if active, especially given the Jaguars being 13.5-point favorites.