Travis Etienne's injury was among the latest in a long line of concerns for the Jacksonville Jaguars as they prep for their Week 6 game in the United Kingdom. The Jaguars will take on the Chicago Bears in London on Sunday morning in what will serve as the NFL's second London game of the season after the New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings showdown last Sunday.
Given the Jets-Vikings game led to Robert Saleh being fired, Jaguars HC Doug Pederson will be hoping he has lead running back Travis Etienne fit in time to go up against the Bears.
Will Travis Etienne Jr. play against the Bears?
Earlier this week, Etienne had this to say to reporters about his shoulder injury:
"I'm feeling good, finding ways to continue to push through the game and be a spark."
The Jaguars running back noted that he will continue to "push through for real," adding that the pain is coming and going.
"I just gotta find ways to continue to get healthy," Etienne Jr. said.
Read more: Is Brian Robinson Jr. playing today? Week 6 update on RB for Commanders vs Ravens
"The Around The NFL" podcast's injury roundup reports that Etienne Jr. is expected to suit up against the Bears. The Jaguars' official injury report had the RB as a limited participant all week. However, considering he was not a DNP, things are looking good for Etienne Jr's availability for the London game.
Travis Etienne Jr. fantasy outlook for Week 6
There are a few NFL coaches on the hot seat but it's hard to argue against Doug Pederson's name being the one in the most peril.
Through five weeks of football, the Jaguars have a 1-4 record and Pederson is likely playing for his job these next few weeks. With that in mind, we've seen a shift in how he's using this backfield of Travis Etienne Jr and Tank Bigsby.
In the limited capacity that we've seen Bigsby on the field, he has looked far more impressive than Etienne Jr. Week 5 was Bigsby's breakout game where he racked up 129 total yards on 14 touches with two scores.
We like Bigsby's fantasy outlook a little more than Etienne Jr's this week, especially after taking the latter's shoulder injury into account. If you have him on your roster, consider him as a flex pick if your other options aren't as enticing.
Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer predicts a return of 10.2 points for Bigsby this week but if Pederson chooses to be cautious with Etienne Jr. expect that number to balloon.
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