Injury alert
On injured reserve — hamstring injury
Updated Thu 4:44 PM ET · Est. return Nov 8 · Source: ESPN injury report
Is Travis Etienne playing this week?
Injured reserveTravis Etienne is on injured reserve (hamstring injury), so is not available to play in the week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Estimated return: Nov 8.
Kickoff: Mon, Oct 5 · 8:15 PM ET.
Checked Oct 3, 7:46 PM ET against the ESPN injury report and the NFL's official weekly report (via nflverse). Injury news can change up to kickoff, so confirm with the team close to game time.
From the beat
What reporters are saying about him, last 3 days.
Rap: Alvin Kamara expected to "carry the load" with Travis Etienne on IR.
Underdog NFL @UnderdogNFL · 2d ago · View on X
Saints are placing RB Travis Etienne on injured reserve due to his hamstring injury.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter · 2d ago · View on X
#Saints Travis Etienne to IR, Kevin Austin signed to 53
Aaron Wilson @AaronWilson_NFL · 2d ago · View on X
Travis Etienne (hamstring) placed on IR; will miss at least 4 games.
Underdog NFL @UnderdogNFL · 2d ago · View on X
Injury ripple · Week 4
Travis Etienne Out for Saints, No Clear Backfield Leader Yet
Travis Etienne (hamstring) is out for New Orleans, but there's no track record to lean on since he hasn't missed a game with this team in the last two seasons. Without a with-and-without split, the read is limited to what he was doing and who else has carries.
Read the full note →Ask StatGrades about Travis Etienne
Ask your own questionOur numbers plus what they can't show: injuries around him, role changes, weather, rest and travel, line moves and the latest reporting, all linked.
Fantasy football · Week 4
Our own start/sit calls for every player, with a projected score, the range of likely outcomes and the reasons spelled out. Built from usage, matchup, Vegas lines and injuries. How we rank
Ruled out — find a replacement.
Why we say out
- On injured reserve — hamstring injury.
- Averaging 10 carries and 4.3 targets a game.
- Played 38% of the offense's snaps last game.
- No. 4 RB on the depth chart.
Recent form
Dashed line: the usual 13.4 a game
This week's matchup
- Expected team score
- ~25 pts
- Vegas line
- NO favored by 2.5
- Game total
- 47.5
- ATL vs RBs
- 11% fewer points
- Last game snaps
- 38%
All week 4 running back rankings →Start or sit tool →How our past calls did →
Age
27
Height
5'10"
Weight
215 lb
College
Clemson
Experience
5 seasons
Draft
2021 · Pick #25 (JAX)
Status
RES
Grade Breakdown
What do these mean?Why 69.0?
Etienne grades as a solid above-average back, helped by carries that regularly kept the offense on schedule and by facing tougher-than-average defenses. His per-touch value is close to break-even, and his game grades swung from 14.9 in week 1 to 89.6 in week 3. The sample is small, at 44 touches over 3 games.
Lifting the grade
- Rushing success rate of 48%, 9th of 50 RBs (success rate is the share of carries that kept the offense on schedule).
- EPA per touch of -0.021 is 20th of 50, but defenses faced were tougher than average, and the grade credits him 0.020 expected points per play for that.
- Week 1 vs DET: a 16-yard catch from Shough on 2nd and 6 added 1.6 expected points, and the week 2 two-point conversion against BAL added 1.1.
Written by StatGrades AI from this season's play-by-play through week 4. It explains what happened; a grade isn't a forecast (what grades do and don't predict).
EPA / play
-0.004
Success rate
48%
WPA (sum)
-0.03
Opponent adj.
0.020
Plays graded
44
Advanced stats
2026 season through Week 3 · tracking data from NFL Next Gen StatsWhat do these mean?
- Rush yds over expected:
- Rushing yards above what the blocking and defenders in each carry would be expected to produce.
- Yds over exp / att:
- Rush yards over expected per carry.
- Carries over expected:
- Share of carries that gained more than expected.
- Expected rush yds:
- Yards the carries would be expected to gain on average, based on tracking data.
- Efficiency:
- Distance traveled per yard gained. Lower means a more direct, north-south runner.
- Vs 8+ in the box:
- Share of carries against eight or more defenders near the line.
- Time to line:
- Average seconds from the handoff to reaching the line of scrimmage.
Next Gen Stats data via nflverse (CC BY 4.0). Updated after games are final, not live, and covers QB, RB, WR and TE.