The Jacksonville Jaguars' backfield is headed for a very interesting debate. In fact, we have probably already arrived to the question. Does the second-year running back Tank Bigsby deserve to overtake the two-time 1,000+ yard rusher Travis Etienne?

Bigsby has totaled 273 rushing yards on 34 carries (8.0 per rushing attempt) compared to Etienne's 231 yards on 53 carries (4.4 per rushing attempt), and Tank did this while getting zero touches in Week 2 after suffering a shoulder injury on a kickoff return. The overarching stats certainly point to more Bigsby, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

Regardless, this battle will surely impact fantasy football. Let's jump into Bigsby's recent numbers and how it impacts Jacksonville's backfield going forward.

Tank Bigsby's Week 5

Bigsby has constantly flashes big-play ability throughout the season. This included 12 rushing attempts for 73 rushing yards (6.1 per carry) in Week 1 and 90 rushing yards on 7 attempts (12.9 per attempt) in Week 4. He produced the most big plays yet in Week 5, racking 101 rushing yards on 13 attempts (7.8 per carry) while also producing one catch for 28 receiving yards. Tank even made a 65-yard house call in his breakout performance.

Etienne still took the bulk of the receiving work with seven targets and six catches, but he only took 6 carries to Bigsby's 13. The efficiency wasn't even in the same realm as Tank logged 61.3 rushing yards over expectation (RYOE) in Week 5 compared to Etienne's -6.3, via NFL's Next Gen Stats. Even in the receiving game, Bigsby finished with 9.3 receiving yards over expectation (RecYOE) while Etienne posted -3.8 RecYOE.

After Etienne took 20 of 37 snaps to start the game, the workload shifted as the game progressed. Thanks to Bigsby's absurd efficiency, the Jags finished the game by awarding Tank with 11 snaps to Etienne's 2 during the span. The snap share was pretty much even as Etienne logged 22 to Bigsby's 23. Tank had yet to see his snap share surpass 32.0% prior to Week 5; his 40.0% snap rate this past Sunday could be a sign of things to come. Etienne also logged a season-low 38% snap rate (previous low was 52%).

How should we handle Week 5's results going forward? What does it mean for each running back's fantasy value?

Bigsby's Fantasy Football Outlook

Starting with the positive, Bigsby should be rostered in most leagues after Week 5, as our weekly waiver wire adds point out. He did not reach 10.0 fantasy points in a single game prior to Week 5 but erupted for 25.4 points in half-PPR leagues on Sunday (first among his position).

Part of Bigsby's fantasy outburst was thanks to a rushing touchdown. While it came on a 65-yard scamper to the end zone, Tank did also see his red zone share jump in Week 5. In fact, the second-year tailback enjoyed a 60.0% red zone rushing attempt share compared to Etienne's 20.0%. Prior to Week 5, Etienne took 75.0% of the red zone carries while Bigsby was given only 20.0% of the rushing attempts within the 20-yard line.

Why would the Jaguars not give Tank most of the red zone carries going forward? He's been the far more efficient rusher with 4.19 RYOE per carry (RYOE/C) this season while Etienne holds 0.54 RYOE/C. This isn't a poor mark by Etienne; in fact, it's much better than last season's -0.27 RYOE/C. While Etienne has answered some of the questions surrounding his rushing inefficiencies from a season ago, Bigsby is simply on a different level as his RYOE/C is the second-highest mark among qualifying players across the league.

Additionally, Bigsby is averaging 4.9 yards after contact per rushing attempt (first among qualifying players). For reference, the best we saw among backs with at least 50 rushing attempts in the 2023 season came from De'Von Achane with 3.0 yards after contact per attempt. Etienne is no where close to Tank's ridiculous mark, averaging only 1.8 yards after contact per attempt. A quick look at this graphic shows just how mind-boggling Bigsby's efficiency has been:

While Tank posted a season-high snap share in Week 5, his snaps were still at only 23. That's only 6 snaps higher than his previous season-high of 17 snaps in Week 1 and Week 4. Bigsby is no "slam dunk" to take over this backfield right now, but the efficiency has gotten so absurd that it only feels like common sense that he should get more rushing attempts and red zone work going forward. After holding an average draft position in half-PPR of RB62 -- via FantasyPros -- Bigsby is already tracking to smash his value as RB37.

Etienne's Fantasy Football Outlook

Then, the question becomes is there any value in playing Etienne at this point?

According to FantasyPros' ADP, Etienne was the eighth running back off of boards. After finishing as RB3 while logging 14.9 fantasy points per game (tied for sixth-most) in 2023, Etienne is on track to be far, far below his ADP. He's currently RB26 with 10.0 fantasy points per game (32nd among position).

Bad news for Etienne managers -- this pick looks to be a bust. It could only get worse too with Bigsby pushing for more touches.

However, there a couple of angles for Etienne to stay on the field. First off, he's the veteran that's an established starter. That always holds a ton of value, explaining why Bigsby has had such a hard time getting more snaps. In addition, Etienne's rushing success rate is actually a little better at 56.6% compared to Bigsby's 50.0%.

As we discussed, Etienne is still the clear receiving back of this offense, as well. Even in Week 5, Etienne received seven targets to Tank's one. The vet has a 14.1% target share on the season (fifth-highest on team) while Bigsby has a measly 0.8% share. This is even in question, though, with Etienne holding -8.8 RecYOE per game compared to Tank's 2.3. It goes on as Bigsby holds a 11.4% catch rate over expectation (CROE) while Etienne is once again in the negative (-8.3%).

According to Pro Football Focus' player grades, Etienne has a 70.8 receiving grade compared to Bigsby's 58.0 grade in the category. However, this also points to Tank (85.9 rushing grade) being the much more efficient rusher than Etienne (66.8 rushing grade). Bigsby currently ranks as PFF's third-best running back with a 86.8 player grade; he's been too good to keep off of the field.

In short, Etienne's role is firmly in trouble. For now, we can expect the third-year tailback to keep dominating the receiving game, keeping some of his value in PPR leagues. However, the rushing load and red-zone work seems to be moving toward Bigsby's favor after he logged seven more carries than Etienne in Week 5 paired with unheard of efficiency. This makes Bigsby a must-add for the waiver wire ahead of Week 6, and Etienne managers should be closely monitoring this situation.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.