All stats are from Pro Football Focus unless otherwise mentioned.
No running back looked more explosive in Week 5 than Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby. The 2023 third-round back out of Auburn torched the Indianapolis Colts for 139 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 14 total touches. The day’s highlight came on a 65-yard dash to the end zone with 5:05 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Jacksonville a two-score lead.
Before the season, most rankings had starter Travis Etienne as a potential top-10 running back and Bigsby as an afterthought. But when Bigsby has been healthy this season, he has looked considerably better running the football compared to Etienne. The two games in which Bigsby was compromised due to a shoulder injury made fantasy owners forget his Week 1 performance. Once he returned to full health in Week 4, he put everybody back on notice when he turned seven carries into 90 yards against a solid Houston Texans defense. Yet he remained available on most waiver wires through this past week. Jacksonville came into Sunday’s game 0-4, desperate to find a spark and identity on offense. It was only a matter of time before he started taking snaps and touches away from Etienne.
On a per-touch basis, Bigsby is one of the best in the business in terms of efficiency. Despite Etienne having 14 more carries, Bigsby leads the Jaguars in rushing yards this season. He has shown that he doesn’t need the ball a ton to impact the game. Bigsby ranks fourth in overall rushing grade compared to 57th for Etienne in 2024. He’s averaging a whopping eight yards per carry, which ranks second in the NFL compared to 2.6 his rookie year. That’s significant, considering the Jacksonville offensive line has been mediocre when it comes to run blocking, ranking 23rd out of 32.
Tank Bigsby lol pic.twitter.com/ovW4GaUWZZ
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 7, 2024
In year two, Bigsby has started flashing parts of his game that we expected to see more of in year one. His strength was on full display during his 19-yard touchdown run when he dragged multiple defenders into the endzone. Through Week 5, he ranks 12th in yards after contact (220) despite missing two games and third in yards after contact per attempt (6.47). That’s not all. Bigsby has also shown the ability to make defenders miss at an elite level, ranking fifth in missed tackles forced after rush. To put it in perspective, on the 65-yard touchdown run I mentioned earlier, the NFL’s next-gen stats expected the run to gain -3 yards. Once he hit the open field, he traveled at a top speed of 20.93 mph, showing he has the speed to break away from defenders.
Rest Of Season Outlook
Can we count on Bigsby to give us RB1 totals weekly? Absolutely not. However, he has shown an ability to create big plays and be very efficient with a limited workload. Despite head coach Doug Pederson sticking by Etienne in the post-game press conference, it’s clear Bigsby has carved out a role that could grow down the stretch. Going forward, it’s very possible we see Bigsby handle the ball more in the red-zone as well. If Etienne were to miss any time, Bigsby would instantly become a top 10-12 RB. Soon enough, we could see him as a weekly flex play, even with a 50/50 split in that backfield, especially with Jacksonville’s schedule presenting several good matchups going forward.
Regardless, I’m confidently adding him in all league formats. He remains available in 69% of leagues on sleeper, 76% of Yahoo leagues, and 90% of ESPN leagues. Your league mates are likely aware he’s available, so act fast.