Foles parlayed his playoff heroics of the Eagles Super Bowl run
into a lucrative free agent deal with the Jaguars over the off-season.
For the Jaguar skill position players, a functioning toaster or
other small household appliance would be a better quarterback
option than what Blake Bortles gave the team over the past five
seasons.
Foles will provide the team with an accurate and competent signal-caller,
and someone who will not make as many boneheaded mistakes as his
predecessor. But for fantasy purposes, Foles lacks the upside
of others at a position that is as deep as ever.
On the positive side, the Jaguars’ offensive line should
be much improved by additions in the draft and the return of multiple
injured o-lineman. However, Leonard Fournette will once again
be the focal point of an offense that will be intent on running
the ball heavily while leaning on a stout defense.
Bottom line: Foles could be a streaming option in certain matchups,
but should mostly be avoided in non-super flex leagues.
Injuries and behavioral issues forced Fournette to play in just
eight games last season, effectively torpedoing the seasons of
those unfortunate owners who used a first-round draft pick last
summer on former LSU star.
In those eight games, Fournette averaged just 3.3 yards per carry,
but he did reach the end zone six times and posted 185 yards on
22 receptions. Fournette has yet to reach the 4.0 YPC plateau
in the NFL, and he continues to be a risk due to possible injuries
and being a knucklehead on and off the field.
Those risks have pushed his draft stock from a consensus late-round
pick in 2018 to a third or fourth-round value in 2019. Volume
and the ability to score touchdowns makes Fournette a nice RB2
target for owners willing to take the risk, and the lack of any
real competition on the depth chart leads us to believe he will
garner a sizable percentage of the Jaguar carries.
Westbrook finished the season one of 28 wide receivers in the
league to garner at least 100 targets. Although he managed to
convert his 101 targets into a paltry 66 receptions for 717 yards
and five touchdowns, it should be noted that those targets came
from the hand of Blake Bortles, one of the most inaccurate quarterbacks
over the past decade.
The addition of Nick Foles will be a massive upgrade over Bortles,
especially considering Foles’ history of targeting wide
receivers out of the slot while a member of the Eagles. Westbrook
took a majority of his routes from the slot last season and projects
to once against start in that role in 2019.
Marqise Lee, the No.1 WR heading into the season last year, is
listed on the PUP and not practicing with the team. All signs
point to Westbrook, D.J. Chark, and newly acquired Chris Conley
working as the top three WR options to start the year.
A knee injury suffered in the preseason last year forced Lee
to miss the entire 2018 season. As expected, the team placed Lee
on the PUP list at the start of camp, making his status for opening
day up in the air. The team expects him to be ready for Week 1,
but his unknown status and the emergence of Dede Westbrook and
D.J. Chark, and the addition of Chris Conley make Lee a risky
fantasy pick.
WR Chris Conley
(2018 WR Rank - No.77, 4.9 FPts/G)
Conley joins the Jaguars after four relatively quiet seasons
with the Chiefs. The former Georgia Bulldog posted a career-high
five touchdowns last season as one of the secondary WR options
for Patrick Mahomes, but he has yet to live up to his draft cost
as a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
The fact that Conley is leaving the best offense in the NFL to
join a run-first Jags team makes him a questionable draft pick.
Add in the fact that he is listed as the No.3 WR on the team and
is learning a new offense of the first time in his career, and
you have the recipe for avoidance in all but the deepest of leagues.
The Jags used their second-round pick of the 2018 NFL draft on
D.J. Chark, a 6’3”, 200-pound wide receiver from LSU.
Chark did not blow the doors off the barn as a college player,
with 66 catches for 1351 yards and six total touchdowns in three
seasons with the Tigers. He also didn’t do much as a rookie,
which 14 catches for 174 and zero touchdowns in 11 games with
the Jags.
Chark projects to be the third or fourth wide receiver on the
depth chart and could end up losing playing time to Keelan Cole,
Terrelle Pryor, and Chris Conley. Of the wide receivers to own
in Jacksonville, Westbrook would be at the top of the list with
Chark coming in as a wait and see player to pick up off of waivers.
Swaim joined the Jaguars as a free agent this offseason after
four mostly uneventful years with the Dallas Cowboys. The 29-year-old
veteran will likely start the season as the No.1 tight end with
rookie Josh Oliver working in as well. Neither player projects
to have much fantasy value, but it should be noted that Nick Foles
does have a history of targeting tight ends. It is possible some
value may emerge from this position, but owners should likely
avoid drafting Swaim or Oliver until we see how the Jags offense
unfolds.
