The Jaguars are caught amidst a Running Back battle that is heightening right before our eyes. This happens given two key factors: Injuries and a Bhayshul Tuten breakout. These two factors have meshed for uncertainty ahead of Week 12, but that is where we come in. I will analyze this backfield a bit further to see if they both will play, in what capacity, and how to expect this rushing offense to playout going forward.
The ball is in the court of Travis Etienne Jr. As of Friday afternoon, Tuten has been deemed a full-go for Week 12 despite having dealt with an ankle injury.
Etienne Jr. has been subject to a shoulder injury. This has affected him through Friday in which he was seen in a non-contact jersey. Good news is that he has been deemed “good to go” for Week 12. This makes for a mostly healthy and competitive Jaguars backfield.
The Jaguars have run with Etienne Jr. as their RB1 all season long. However, Tuten has creeped up behind him, keeping the pressure on. Here is their season-to-date statistics:
Travis Etienne Jr. — 154 Attempts (52% Share), 729 Yards (4.7 Yards per Carry), 5 Touchdowns — RB13
Bhayshul Tuten — 60 Attempts (20% Share), 238 Yards (4.0 Yards per Carry), 3 Touchdowns — RB43
was a very good week for rookie RB Bhayshul Tuten
8 of his 15 carries went for 5+ yards or a Touchdown
and was a shoestring tackle away from breaking a couple LONG ones pic.twitter.com/vTA32s42AL
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) November 17, 2025
Social media has been buzzing about Tuten because of the output that he had in Week 11. Tuten had (15) Attempts to Etienne Jr’s (19) Attempts, He had 74 Yards to 73 Yards by Etienne Jr. Tuten scored (1) Touchdown while Etienne Jr. had (2) Touchdowns.
It is very possible that Tuten rises down the stretch here. Etienne Jr. has an expiring contract and so the team may want to see Tuten and what he has to offer going into 2026. That being said, the Jaguars still must win football games, so they cannot hand the job over either. This is a very volatile situation.
As a Fantasy Football manager, I would expect Etienne Jr. to maintain at least a 60% Snap-share, if not over 70%. He is not much devalued as he is a relatively safe RB2.
Bhayshul Tuten has rightfully gotten a lot of press lately, but Travis Etienne’s Usage Scores have still been very strong. Usage Scores in the 80+ range generally represents that of an RB1/high end RB2. #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/Z5DSFqnnOE
— Ethan Kreager (@EthanKreagerFF) November 21, 2025
I would pay more attention to the upside of Tuten. He is mostly not a Fantasy Football asset this year, but he must be rostered as a handcuff. If he gets any opportunity to be the starter for a game, he has tremendous upside. The Jaguars are 8th in Total Rushing Offense.
Travis Etienne Jr. is a solid RB2 with RB1 upside and is not threatened as much as some people have hyped.
Bhayshul Tuten is a must-roster handcuff with great dynasty value as a potential 2026 starter in Jacksonville.
Bhayshul Tuten: RB29