The running back landscape continued to take shape today with Travis Etienne landing in New Orleans, another huge signing.
Let's examine the fantasy football implications of this move for Eteinne's fantasy value as well as how this signing affects the Jacksonville running back room.
For full contract details and more of a “real football” look at the biggest moves, see our NFL Free Agency Signing Tracker.
Explore more 2026 NFL Free Agency content:
| 2026 NFL Free Agency Content |
|---|
| 2026 NFL Free Agency Tracker: Best Available Free Agents |
| NFL Free Agency 2026: Analyzing Every Major Signing (Updated Daily) |
| 2026 NFL Franchise Tag Tracker: Every Tagged Player & Values |
| NFL Free Agency Fantasy Impact 2026: Every Big Signing |
| NFL Free Agency Betting Implications: Which Signings Move the Needle Most? (Coming soon) |
| NFL Free Agency Fantasy Winners and Losers 2026 (Coming soon) |
Travis Etienne Fantasy Value With the New Orleans Saints
Travis Etienne Career Stats
| Year | Att/Gm | RuYd/Gm | Rec/Gm | ReYd/Gm | TD | PPR/Gm | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12.9 | 66.2 | 2.1 | 18.6 | 5 | 12.1 | RB24 |
| 2023 | 15.7 | 59.3 | 3.4 | 28.0 | 12 | 16.6 | RB7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 37.2 | 2.6 | 16.9 | 2 | 8.7 | RB41 |
| 2025 | 15.3 | 65.1 | 2.1 | 17.2 | 13 | 14.9 | RB14 |
Etienne rebounded from a down 2024 season that featured career lows in several areas, turning 296 touches into 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns with Jacksonville a year ago.
Early word following the Etienne announcement suggested that Alvin Kamara could retire.
Kamara just adjusted his contract last week.
Stick a pin in that coming to fruition, but we will initially approach this as Kamara will not be part of the 2026 plans.
If Kamara does leave, that means Etienne will once again be a volume-based option on the RB1/RB2 line with added upside should his efficiency spike.
Etienne is lined up for another high workload, but this is a step back in terms of offensive environment, even factoring in the Saints' potential improvement.
Jacksonville was sixth in the league in points per game last season (27.7) while the Saints were 28th (18.0).
Etienne was being selected at the RB18 in early drafts before the signing, which is more than palatable if Kamara is no longer with the team.
That is relevant because Etienne has struggled on a per-touch basis, needing a heavy workload to propel his fantasy floor.
Travis Etienne Advanced Stats
| Year | YPC | Success% | Rn10+% | Stuff% | 1D/Att | YBCt/Att | YAC/Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5.1 | 41.8% | 11.8% | 21.8% | 23.6% | 2.02 | 3.10 |
| 2023 | 3.8 | 33.3% | 8.2% | 25.5% | 19.9% | 0.91 | 2.87 |
| 2024 | 3.7 | 34.0% | 10.7% | 18.0% | 20.7% | 1.24 | 2.48 |
| 2025 | 4.3 | 34.6% | 10.0% | 21.2% | 18.5% | 1.22 | 3.04 |
The counting stats were in place for Etienne in 2025, but he was more of a touchdown-based producer for his spike weeks.
He did not rush for 100 yards in a game after Week 4.
After Jacksonville's Week 8 bye, Etienne rushed for 3.6 YPC (24th out of 32 backs with 100-plus attempts) with a 31.9% success rate (30th).
He failed to gain any yardage on a league-high 25.8% of his attempts over that span.
But Etienne had at least 15 touches in 10 straight games to close the year, which is why sustaining a high workload is of the utmost importance.
Etienne joins a New Orleans roster that was in desperate need of shaking up their backfield.
Year 1 of Kellen Moore provided several positives, but the backfield production was not one of them.
New Orleans running backs combined for:
- 3.7 YPC (29th)
- 34% success rate (30th)
- 6.7% rate of runs for 10+ yards (31st)
- 0.96 yards before contact per rush (28th)
- 2.76 yards after contact per rush (29th)
Even if Etienne has not been the most hyper-efficient back, he is a clear upgrade on what New Orleans fielded a season ago.
Kamara, Kendre Miller, and Devin Neal all picked up injuries that cost them games.
In the final game of the season last year, the Saints handed the ball off 21 times to Audric Estime.
Not only did New Orleans have to dive deep into the free agent running back pool and force them touches, but the offensive line was once again one of the league’s most beleaguered units.
The Saints ranked 31st in run blocking grade per Pro Football Focus and ranked 23rd in ESPN’s run block win rate (70%).
Jacksonville was 15th in run blocking grade at PFF and sixth in ESPN's run block win rate (73%).
The Sants were ravaged again up front.
Their most frequently used offensive line combination was on the field for only 16.9% of their plays in 2025.
Only the Chargers had a lower rate (16.5%).
New Orleans has been snakebit the past few seasons in keeping their line together.
In 2024, their top unit played 20.3% of the snaps (30th).
In 2023, they played 25.9% of the offensive plays (24th).
In an effort to bolster their unit heading into 2026, the Saints also signed guard David Edwards from the Bills.
The Saints went through three left guards last season: Dillon Radunz, Trevor Penning, and Torricelli Simpkins.
Tyler Shough 2026 Fantasy Value
The additions of Etienne and Edwards are early positives for Tyler Shough, who closed the season strongly amidst an offense falling apart.
Shough was the QB16 in points per game (16.6) after taking over the starter role in Week 8.
The Saints had a light schedule to close the year, but Shough was working with guys who might not even be on the team this season.
We already touched on the second-most-injured offensive line and handing off to Estime to close the season, while Kevin Austin (Editor's note: How dare you?) and Mason Tipton were the WR2 and WR3 in the offense to end the season.
The Saints have more work to do, but Shough is a target in the QB2 range where he is currently being selected in early 2026 drafts.
Bhayshul Tuten & LeQuint Allen 2026 Fantasy Value
While not a lot changes for Etienne’s early-season price point, him leaving Jacksonville creates a plethora of available touches.
Etienne accounted for 69.7% of the backfield touches in Jacksonville, which was RB9 for the season.
Liam Coen has had 20 backfield touchdowns in each of the past two seasons with Jacksonville and Tampa Bay.
The Jaguars are a good bet to add another running back with experience to their room, but Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen are set up for more work in 2026.
Tuten was selected in the fourth round last spring.
He played 21% of the offensive snaps as a rookie, turning 93 touches into 386 yards (4.2 yards per touch) and 7 touchdowns.
Tuten was utilized as a short-yardage clasher for the majority of his rookie season.
26 of Tuten’s touches (27.9%) were inside the red zone.
Only Chris Rodriguez had a higher red-zone touch rate (28.7%) and as many overall touches as Tuten last season.
That rookie-season role impacted Tuten’s top-down efficiency.
He rushed for 10 or more yards on only 6% of his runs as a rookie, ranking 58th out of 65 running backs with 50 or more carries.
Tuten was an explosive back out of college, so opening up his role outside of the red zone should lead to more explosive runs.
I do expect Jacksonville to add a veteran here, but even if they do not add a major threat, Tuten’s passing-game usage is still a question mark.
He struggled in pass protection at Virginia Tech and had a limited role as a rookie in the passing game.
Tuten ran a route on only 15.4% of the dropbacks in his games played and logged only 21 snaps in pass protection.
Allen managed only 33 touches for 148 yards and a rookie, but he is a potential hindrance to Tuten inheriting an overall workload comparable to Etienne's.
Pass protection was a staple of Allen’s prospect profile.
He played 61 pass blocking snaps as a rookie (Etienne was at 83).
Tuten has been drafted at RB27 in early drafts with the uncertainty of Etienne leaving.
Assuming he climbs a few spots, the cost has potential to pay off, but it is not one I am aggressively excited about outside of best ball formats.
I am more into buying Coen’s backfield than Tuten himself.