Analyze Romeo Doubs's matchup for week 9
Etienne is a locked-in RB2 with upside this week; San Francisco’s front seven has been merely average against the run, giving the explosive Jaguar 15-plus touch upside and a strong chance at a touchdown.
The 49ers enter Week 9 allowing 4.3 yards per carry (18th) and have surrendered six rushing scores to backs over the last four games. With Christian Kirk out, Jacksonville is likelier to lean on a ground-heavy script, and Etienne’s 78 % snap share keeps him on the field for all situational work.
Over his last four outings Etienne is averaging 17.5 touches and 92 total yards while finding the end zone three times; the lone knock is a single red-zone carry inside the five over the past two weeks.
Etienne’s ascendant usage is the centerpiece of this matchup. Since Week 5 he has handled 61 % of the Jaguars’ backfield attempts and every two-minute-drill rep, a workload that projects to 17-20 touches against a San Francisco defense that has conceded 110+ rushing yards to backfields in three straight games. The 49ers’ linebacking corps remains without Dre Greenlaw, and their nickel packages have struggled to set the edge—prime terrain for Etienne’s jump-cuts and perimeter speed. Add in Trevor Lawrence’s ailing knee likely limiting down-field volume, and Jacksonville’s path of least resistance is through Etienne on early downs and scripted screens on later downs.
The touchdown probability is equally encouraging. Opponents have punched in seven rushing scores on San Francisco’s last 55 red-zone snaps; Etienne’s 13 red-zone touches during that span lead the Jaguars, so positive regression is in play if the offense reaches the 20. While Doug Pederson has been pass-heavy inside the five, the 49ers’ recent trend of allowing 4.0 yards per carry in goal-to-go situations should nudge Pederson toward handing it off. Even if the game script flips negative, Etienne’s 85 % route participation keeps him involved as a check-down outlet against a linebacker corps that has yielded the eighth-most receiving yards to RBs.
Bottom line, Etienne combines secure volume, a neutral-to-positive matchup, and multiple paths to fantasy points. Fire him up as a high-floor, high-ceiling RB2 who carries legitimate top-12 upside at home in Week 9.