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Player Outlooks (2023)
QB Trevor Lawrence: Coming off a season in which Jacksonville made the playoffs, Lawrence is primed to turn the “flashes” of greatness into more as he runs the show for an offense that returns their key playmakers and adds former Pro Bowl wideout Calvin Ridley to the mix. Remember, the former No. 1 overall pick essentially had a lost rookie campaign under Urban Meyer, so becoming a superstar is very possible in 2023. Considering his mobility and how much Doug Pederson likes throwing the ball, Lawrence is a no-doubt QB1 option.
RB Travis Etienne Jr.: The usage for Etienne was somewhat inconsistent last year, but he was phenomenal when fully featured, with the highlight stretch being three games from Week 7 through Week 9 in which he rushed 66 times for 379 yards (5.7 YPC) and four touchdowns—rushing for 100+ yards and a score in all three games. Etienne should have things slow down for him this year, and we’re expecting more chunk plays to overcome any concerns about splitting work with rookie Tank Bigsby.
RB Tank Bigsby: Doug Pederson made it known that Jacksonville needed to upgrade their RB2 spot, and Bigsby was an intriguing selection in the third round. Oddly enough, we compared him former Jaguars starter James Robinson as a one-cut runner with impressive power and vision, and his overall skillset perfectly complements the speed of Travis Etienne Jr. Bigsby will likely have some FLEX-worthy weeks, but he projects to have more value as a handcuff in 2023.
RB JaMycal Hasty: Hasty showed well down the stretch last season and even played 57% of the team’s offensive snaps in the AFC Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs, but there will be a limited path to standalone value with Etienne healthy. At best, Hasty will be a desperation start in deeper PPR leagues with the hopes of a full-blown rotation being implemented.
RB D’Ernest Johnson: The play of Johnson two years ago when called upon as the lead back for Cleveland was very impressive, as he averaged a whopping 152.7 total yards per game in three such appearances. Unfortunately, the hopes for a significant role might have been dashed by the Jags taking Tank Bigsby in the draft, so Johnson will need a strong summer to win the backup job.
WR Calvin Ridley: Jacksonville made a bold move to acquire Ridley at last season’s trade deadline while he was serving a suspension for gambling on NFL games, and the expectation is that he will be a No. 1-caliber target for Trevor Lawrence. In a trial run as “the guy” with the Falcons (with Julio Jones banged up), Ridley caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games, and it sounds like he expects to be extremely productive after nearly two full years away from the game.
WR Christian Kirk: We have been high on Kirk’s talent since he came into the league out of Texas A&M, so he could very well build on an impressive first season with Jacksonville to again finish as a high-end WR2 option. The production becoming more hit-and-miss down the stretch last year combined with the addition of Ridley will creates some hesitation, but Kirk did see 14 targets in both playoffs games, and the Jags appears to have an easy schedule for both him and Ridley to return low-end WR2/FLEX value.
WR Zay Jones: Jones was a big-time target for Trevor Lawrence last year, but a drop in production is expected with Ridley joining the team and Evan Engram returning—not to mention Travis Etienne possibly being more involved in the passing game. Basically, we’d expect a decent decline in the 121 targets that Jones saw in 2022, and a three-touchdown performance to begin the fantasy playoffs last year might be inflating the appeal for those expecting him to be a consistent FLEX.
WR Jamal Agnew: Agnew is a better real-life weapon for the Jaguars than he is a fantasy option, and his biggest impact will likely come in the return game after making the Pro Bowl last season. On offense, Agnew caught 23 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, also turning 12 carries into 86 yards.
WR Parker Washington: Not being the biggest or most athletic wide receiver caused Washington to slip into the sixth round of April’s draft, but dynasty owners should target him as a bench stash. The Penn State product projects as the perfect complementary wideout alongside Ridley and Kirk with toughness and natural pass-catching feel/skills, so he could step into a starting role in 2024.
TE Evan Engram: Engram had always flashed with the Giants, but he seemed have to his confidence unlocked in Jacksonville—putting up career-best reception (73) and yardage (766) totals. Tight ends are typically a major part of Doug Pederson’s offense, and Engram going off a couple of times down the stretch last season could lead to being featured more despite the team now having Calvin Ridley. The former first-rounder should be a solid TE1 option that would benefit from the Jaguars getting into shootouts.
TE Brenton Strange: Engram playing on the franchise tag could mean Strange will be the starter as soon as next year, and Jacksonville didn’t draft him in the second round to be a long-term backup. That said, Strange is more of an all-around tight end that projects to be a very good blocker, and the receiving ceiling might be modest—particularly playing behind Engram as a rookie.
Other Notes
Best IDP value: DE Josh Allen
We are still hoping for a monster statistical season for Allen, but he’s become a star-level player for Jacksonville, and the numbers started piling up with 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and the clutch fumble returned for a touchdown over the final five games to help the Jags win the AFC South in 2022. Entering a contract year, Allen has major upside and the mentality to continue improving.
Stat to know (via draft guide)
Including playoffs, Travis Etienne Jr. had five games with 20+ touches last season—going for yardage totals of 162, 126, 127, 112, and 121.