Travis Etienne Jr. is a fair Week 3 play — our RB24 at 10.3 projected points, right around the RB starter line.
- Projection
- 10.3 pts
- RB rank
- #24
- Matchup
- vs LV
Travis Etienne Jr.'s fantasy role in Week 3
Travis Etienne Jr. goes into Week 3 of the 2026 season as a every-week lineup piece at RB for the NO. He is rostered in 97% of leagues and actually started in 69% of them, and we rank him RB24 on our own weekly board at 10.3 projected points.
Roster rates are steady week over week, so his role looks settled rather than in flux.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 3 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs LV. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 2 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting RB baseline of 11 points, his 10.3-point projection is 0.7 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Travis Etienne Jr. is a fair Week 3 play — our RB24 at 10.3 projected points, right around the RB starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another RB, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Travis Etienne Jr. (NO RB), our RB24 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season vs LV, projecting 10.3 projected points with a spicy Pepper Meter rating. He's still in 69% of lineups at 97% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. He grades 6% below the average weekly RB number, which is a floor problem more than a ceiling one. LV is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. The Pepper Meter cools him to Spicy, and that reading is doing its job.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Travis Etienne Jr. (NO RB), our RB24 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season vs LV, projecting 10.3 projected points with a spicy Pepper Meter rating. He's still in 69% of lineups at 97% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. He grades 6% below the average weekly RB number, which is a floor problem more than a ceiling one. LV is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. The Pepper Meter cools him to Spicy, and that reading is doing its job.