Jaguars Fantasy Football Week 3: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

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You know the drill. Let's get to it!

By Jordan de Lugo - @jordandelugo

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A quick preface: The Jaguars were abysmal on the field last week. The offense didn't look like a group that had several rising fantasy stars and a bunch of good role players, instead a team bereft of talent. My thinking is that performance was an outlier and that they will get back on track when they return home to the friendly confines of EverBank Field.

Start 'Em

Despite throwing 2 INTS and losing a fumble Blake Bortles was actually a success in terms of fantasy in the Jaguars 38-14 loss to the Chargers. Bortles threw the ball 50 times (no, that is not a typo), and racked up 329 yards and 2 TDs in the process. He's a guy that you can throw in you're lineup pretty much any week and look for about 300 yards and 2 TDs. This week he faces a Ravens D/ST that hasn't been allowing fantasy points to opposing QBs this year. But the only two QBs they've faced, Tyrod Taylor and Josh McCown, aren't exactly fantasy juggernauts. Bortles is a safe play at home in all formats. In DFS he's cheaper than 10-11 other QBs depending on which site you use. Put Bortles in your lineup and be confident, because no matter how bad he plays in real football, he's almost always a safe bet in fantasy.

So far in the 2016 campaign Allen Robinson hasn't exactly had the real life or fantasy impact that was expected of him following a monster 80 catch, 1,400 yard, 14 TD season in 2015. A-Rob didn't have a single 3 game stretch in 2015 with out reaching the end zone. If he fails to score against the Ravens, that's exactly what he'll have. I'm betting Robinson gets back on track after catching only 3 balls against the Chargers. Robinson is still a WR1, but he'll need to show it this week against one of the top secondaries against opposing WRs. 

Allen Hurns has had at least 4 catches and 64 yards in both games so far this season, but like Allen Robinson, he has failed to reach the end zone in 2016. Hurns hasn't been terrible by any stretch of the imagination, he's actually on pace to rack up 72 catches and over 1,100 receiving yards this year. He's a solid WR2 or FLEX play this week and in DFS could be a huge value play as he is cheaper than about 25 other receivers this week. 

T.J. Yeldon is only averaging 2.4 yards per carry in 2016, but that hasn't been his fault -- his offensive line has failed to create any running room time and time again in 2016. Despite the awful yards per carry average, Yeldon has been relevant in fantasy. He's averaging 6 catches per game so far and also found the end zone against the Packers in week one. If you're in a PPR league Yeldon is even more attractive as a RB. His best value is as a FLEX, but if you need him as an RB2 he might just work out for you against a Ravens D/ST that has allowed at least 70 total yards and a TD to both starting running backs they have faced this year. You will need to monitor the status of Chris Ivory as he is recovering from an undisclosed illness. If Ivory plays it will greatly impact Yeldon's value. So this is a conditional start 'em -- If Ivory doesn't play then you should definitely start T.J. Yeldon.

Sit 'Em

Julius Thomas has been the Jaguars most consistent receiving threat so far in 2016, but that isn't likely to hold up against a Ravens D/ST that been downright rude to opposing TEs since the start of the 2015 season. They've only given up 77 yards to TEs so far in 2016 and they've faced two pretty good ones in Gary Barnidge and Charles Clay. There's a decent chance that Thomas will be able to have a productive day, but I'm betting on the Ravens D/ST focusing their efforts on him as opposed to the other offensive weapons deployed by the Jaguars. 

Chris Ivory owners will certainly be displeased by the mysterious illness that held Ivory out of the first two games of 2016. It's not yet clear whether he'll be suiting up against the Ravens or not, so keep an eye on his status through out the week. Even if he does suit up there's no guarantee that he'll get the lion's share of the work. I would advise you to stay away from this ferocious runner in week 3.

Neither Marqise Lee or Rashad Greene have proven to be fantasy worthy options so far. Sure, either one of them could have a break out game any week and they both possess the skill necessary to do so, but until they can prove it, there are many safer options to role with in your fantasy line up.

Jaguars D/ST shouldn't be owned in any leagues right now. If they're on your squad you may want to take a real hard look in the mirror and ask yourself "what the hell have I been doing". Then go drop them and find a fantasy player that can actually help you win games.

Oh, and the same thing goes for Marcedes Lewis. I love the guy and he is a great team leader, but don't let a week 1 screen play that went for 37 yards or a garbage time week 2 TD make you think he should be on your squad. 

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