Top Fantasy Options for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016

Shane Davies
Updated
Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) throws the ball during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) throws the ball during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016 NFL season is months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about your fantasy football draft. And for the first time in a long time, the Jacksonville Jaguars offense had several relevant playmakers that contributed heavily throughout the fantasy football season in 2015.

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Looking ahead to 2016, the Jaguars offense is expected to perform at even higher levels than last season with another year of experience under their belt, but who exactly will reap the benefits?

STUDS

Blake Bortles: In terms of ADP, Bortles was an absolute steal last fantasy football season. Sure, his league-leading 18 interceptions weren’t ideal, but he threw for over 4,400 yards and had 35 touchdowns. Bortles only got better as the season went on, and with one of the best receiver units in the NFL, Bortles won’t be creeping up on anyone’s radar this season. You could make the case that Bortles is a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 heading into 2016.

Allen Robinson: If you bought into the A-Rob hype train heading into last season, your fantasy team reaped the benefits. I think Robinson’s numbers will be slightly down next year, mostly due to the fact that defenses will have a year of game-tape to study on him and 14 touchdowns will be difficult to replicate. And it’s safe to assume that he won’t be receiving as many single coverage opportunities anymore. I also expect defenses to hone in on Robinson more around the red-zone, given how productive he was in that area last season. However, Robinson is too talented to be ignored, and will likely be drafted as a top 10 receiver for 2016.

Julius Thomas: I expect Thomas to make the biggest leap in terms of fantasy production next year. He was a forgotten piece in the Jaguars offense last season, for multiple reasons.

  • 1) He was injured to start the year. Health was the main reason why Thomas didn’t have a ‘great’ fantasy year. From an outsider’s prospective, it felt like he was playing catch-up from Week 6-on and the consistency was never really there.

  • 2) The emergence of the Allen’s. With more focus on the Allens on the outside next year, and with Clay Harbor gone, Thomas will have the entire middle of the field to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. With more attention on Robinson in the red-zone, I expect Thomas to catch more touchdowns in that area in 2016. Yards up, and touchdowns up for Thomas.

DUDS

Chris Ivory: Ivory is a lot of fun to watch due to his reckless running style, but he’s in a backfield-by-committee next season with Yeldon, so his numbers will be lower than 2015. But, you can expect more touches around the red-zone. Short-yardage situations were one area that Jacksonville really struggled with last year, and is one of the main reasons why they brought Ivory in this offseason.

T.J. Yeldon: Yeldon doesn’t have breakaway speed, so don’t expect any long touchdown runs in 2016. I’m a big fan of how he runs in-between the tackles, I think he has fantastic vision on cutback lanes, which is one of the reasons why he averaged over 4.1 yards per rush in 2015. But, as stated above, this is a backfield-by-committee now, which will hinder Yeldon’s upside.

Marqise Lee: Lee has struggled to stay healthy during his time in Duval, and it’s obvious that the coaching staff’s patience is growing thin in that regard. I expect Rashad Greene to surpass Lee on the depth chart this off-season and become the primary slot receiver in this offense. Lee has the talent, but you can’t expect him to stay healthy for a lengthy period of time given his history.

DEEP SLEEPERS

Rashad Greene: As stated above, I expect Greene to take over Lee’s position as the team’s main slot receiver. Injury derailed a large portion of his rookie season, but he flashed game-breaking ability as a punt-returner when healthy. I wouldn’t recommend drafting Greene, but he could be a compelling bye week fill-in or a flier in DFS.

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