The Jags mustered only 9 points in Sunday's loss to Kansas City. That meant a big-time dud from QB Trevor Lawrence, who tallied just 216 passing yards on a 53.6% completion rate. He managed only 5.3 yards per attempt. “We’re better than that. We’re a better team than that … it’s kind of embarrassing,” Lawrence said afterward. Calvin Ridley (2 catches) and Zay Jones (0 catches) played through minor knee injuries in this one, but we’re not expecting any missed time. Expect a Lawrence bounce back in Week 3 vs. Houston.
Jaguars Edge Josh Allen left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury. We'll see about his status heading into a Week 3 home date with the Texans.
Lions WR Josh Reynolds followed up a 4-80-0 line in the opener with five catches for 66 yards and two TDs in the Week 2 overtime loss to Seattle. His six targets tied for third on the team and were a 17.1% share. Reynolds is an every-down player with downfield ability in a strong offense. You could do worse as a WR4 in deeper fantasy leagues – at least until WR Jameson Williams’ six-game suspension is over.
Patriots QB Mac Jones threw for 316 yards and 3 TDs on 35-of-54 passing. He hit WR Kendrick Bourne for a pair of scores and TE Hunter Henry for the other. Jones also took just 2 sacks against a Philly D that racked up 70 last season. Overall, it was an impressive outing for a pass offense that stunk in 2022. Jones looks like at least a solid superflex play for a Week 2 home date with the Dolphins. Weeks 3 and 4 look tougher on the road against the Jets and Cowboys.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence threw 32 times for 241 yards and two TDs in Sunday's win over the Colts. WR Christian Kirk saw just three targets (9.4% share), catching one for nine yards. WR Calvin Ridley, WR Zay Jones, TE Evan Engram, and RB Travis Etienne tallied more targets. There will be better days ahead for Kirk. But Ridley certainly looks like the top dog in this passing game -- and Kirk might not be significantly ahead of Jones and Engram. Consider him a WR3 going forward.
Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby popped in a one-yard TD in Sunday's season-opening win over the Colts. The rookie got both of Jacksonville's carries from the 5-yard line and in. But he was out-carried overall by RB Travis Etienne 18 to 7. Bigsby also saw just one target -- and dropped it, resulting in an INT. We'll see how this backfield evolves over the course of the season. But, in the short term, Bigsby looks like a TD-or-bust fantasy play.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne racked up 104 total yards and a TD in the Week 1 win over the Colts. The score was a 26-yard burst in the fourth quarter to put the game away. More importantly, Etienne out-carried RB Tank Bigsby 18 to seven and out-targeted him five to one. Bigsby did vulture a one-yard TD and might continue to be favored at the goal line. But if Etienne continues to get this type of volume, he'll deliver as a top-15 fantasy RB. Etienne will find himself in a likely shootout vs. the Chiefs in Week 2 and then gets favorable matchups against the Texans and Falcons in Weeks 3 and 4.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson is turning over play-calling duties to OC Press Taylor, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "I totally trust Press," Pederson told NFL.com. "We think alike. We've been together for a long time, and he's around Trevor [Lawrence] all the time and knows what Trevor likes." We'd prefer Pederson continue calling plays considering Jacksonville's success last year. But we're ultimately not expecting a significant fantasy impact here. Taylor has worked under Pederson for six NFL seasons.
Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby mixed in liberally with the first-team offense in Saturday's preseason finale. The rookie played nine of 25 snaps (36%), carrying 6 times for 37 yards (6.2 YPC). The bad news: He lost a fumble near the goal line. The good news: He got a carry near the goal line, and he continued working with the starters on the next series. Bigsby might see enough volume to be a RB3 or flex option in larger fantasy leagues this season. And, at minimum, he's a high-end handcuff to RB Travis Etienne.
Jags HC Doug Pederson praised QB Trevor Lawrence in a recent interview. "I'll tell you what, he's throwing the ball the best I've seen him in the year and a half I've been with Trevor," Pederson said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "And just really, the sky is the limit with this guy. And if we just continue to improve and just really keep those pieces around him healthy, this offense could really take off." Our QB rankings page turn up career-best numbers for Lawrence. He’s fairly priced with an ADP around QB8.
Bills WR Gabe Davis sat out Wednesday's practice, but Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 reports it's just "general soreness" and that the team considers Davis day-to-day. This doesn't look like anything more than a rest day, but we'll keep watch.
Jaguars insider John Shipley writes that the coaching staff has "seemingly thrown water on the idea of [RB Tank] Bigsby having a massively expanded role, at least this early on in his career." The rookie has had a strong training camp and already earned the No. 2 RB job. "But for now it seems that the No. 2 role is as large as it will get for Bigsby, at least early on in his career," Shipley writes. "Perhaps that changes during the season as Bigsby gets more experience, but the Jaguars are a playoff team with a veteran running back already entrenched as the starter. As a result, there might not be an overbearing pressure to expand Bigsby's role early in his career." Shipley adds that one specific area where Bigsby could contribute this season is at the goal line, which would obviously be a boon to his fantasy value and an issue for RB Travis Etienne. But it doesn't sound like Bigsby is in line for enough volume to be a reliable play in lineup-setting fantasy leagues. Consider him more of a high-end handcuff than standalone fantasy asset.
Jaguars beat writer John Shipley believes TE Evan Engram has performed better in training camp this year than he did in 2022. Engram, of course, broke out with 73-766-4 in his Jags debut. Calvin Ridley’s arrival takes some shine off Engram’s fantasy appeal. Still, the 29-year-old profiles as a top-12 option.
Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell sustained a concussion in Saturday's practice, SI.com's John Shipley reports. Campbell did, at least, return to the sideline with a trainer for the end of practice. He has plenty of time to recover before the regular season and isn't moving down our IDP rankings.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne has gotten some work with the WRs in training camp, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "His route tree isn't extensive yet, but he's a very natural pass-catcher," Fowler adds. Etienne underwhelmed in the receiving department last year and faces additional competition for that work this season from rookie Tank Bigsby. But don't forget that Etienne racked up 85 catches over his final two college seasons. There's still room for the 24-year-old to improve his passing-game chops. We'll be keeping a close eye on Etienne and Bigsby's usage this preseason.
Per beat writer John Shipley, Jaguars WRs Christian Kirk and Zay Jones “have picked up where they left off [last season].” Kirk and Jones enjoyed career years, finishing at PPR WR12 and WR26, respectively. A healthy Calvin Ridley figures to limit target volume. But the Underdog Fantasy ADPs on Kirk (WR27) and Jones (WR49) put them in a draftable range. See where they sit in our updated WR rankings.
Bills WR Gabe Davis suffered a high ankle sprain in practice ahead of the team's Week 2 game last season. He missed only that contest, but the injury likely impacted much more of his season. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia reports that Davis "felt like he 'lost a step' ... and that impacted his whole year." The report adds that Davis "feels fully back to normal and healthy now." Even with that issue, Davis finished 35th among PPR WRs last season. That's higher than his WR41 ADP so far this year. We like the fourth-year wideout as a best ball value. Check out his standing in our 2023 WR rankings.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes New England’s WRs corps “seems only marginally better than last year’s.” Graff calls DeVante Parker an “x-factor” but admits he’s “not sold yet” on Tyquan Thornton. He also questions the contract given to JuJu Smith-Schuster because of his injury history. Kendrick Bourne, meanwhile, isn’t considered a roster lock. (Yeah, it’s pretty clear why the Pats pursued DeAndre Hopkins.) We’ll monitor this unit come training camp. The chemistry between JuJu and Mac Jones is something to really focus on, as the 26-year-old missed most of the spring with a knee issue.
Per beat writer John Shipley, Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby “took a big step” toward winning the team’s No. 2 RB job at OTAs/minicamp. The rookie reportedly stood out in the passing game, impressing RB coach Bernie Parmalee and others. Parmalee even praised Bigsby going back to the pre-draft process. "This is the type of back we wanted to bring to the table, and he fit everything that we were looking for, Parmalee said. “And he popped off the screen. And that's the thing when you sit down, you watch the tape, you say, Okay, that's a good play. But for someone to say, Oh, woah, my goodness, I'm running this [tape] back. I said, Oh my God. I think we got one. I put a double star. Here's one right here.” As a late-round stash, the former SEC Freshman of the Year should be part of your fantasy football draft strategy.
The Jaguars have agreed to a three-year deal with TE Evan Engram, ahead of Monday's deadline to extend franchise-tagged players. Engram will get $41.25 million total, with $24 million of that guaranteed, according to NFL.com. Jacksonville extended Engram after he finished among the top 6 TEs across fantasy formats in his first season there. Engram sits low in TE1 territory in our 2023 TE rankings.
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