Fantasy Football 2021: Undercover Gems – Jamal Agnew

Original photo by Jaguars.com

Agnew Who?

There’s a guy down in Jacksonville that you need to add to your fantasy football team this week. Is it Laviska Shenault? Nope. How about Marvin Jones? Nope. Perhaps Dan Arnold, the TE? Well maybe, but that’s for another day. The player you need to add is Jamal Agnew. Yes, the cornerback turned wide receiver has quietly put together a solid last few weeks.

Agnew followed OC Darrell Bevel from Detroit to JAX this off-season, signing a three-year $14.25 million contract. After not playing much defensively for Detroit, the team decided to switch him to wide receiver, due to his shiftiness and speed. He ran a 4.34 in the 40-yard dash during his pro day.

Fantasy Football Outlook

Since the season-ending injury to D.J. Chark, most thought that Shenault’s workload would skyrocket. However, this isn’t the case at all. Shenault has seen just 17 targets since Chark went out.

The person who has stepped up in his absence at the wide receiver position has been Agnew. Agnew has managed a whopping 25 targets over the last three games. That’s two more than Marvin Jones, who’s essentially the current WR1 on Jacksonville.

Working out of the slot primarily, Agnew has become Trevor Lawrence’s favorite underneath target. He isn’t just being used directly as a ‘burner’ target, ala Robby Anderson, Desean Jackson, etc. He has accumulated fantasy points of 10, 12 and 15 in fantasy football PPR formats in the last three games.

Having been a cornerback himself earlier in his career, Jamal Agnew has a good understanding of what the defenses are doing. He knows where the soft spots are in zone, and where to settle in the defense to make things easier for his rookie QB.

In turn, Lawrence trust has increased in Agnew over the last few weeks. Jamal Agnew can be solid fantasy football contributor down the stretch. He is someone definitely worth the pickup this week. The ROS fantasy schedule is favorable for Jaguars receivers, and their negative game script will only continue to provide opportunities for fantasy points. Grab Agnew as an under the radar waiver wire pick this week, as it is unlikely many people in redraft leagues even have him on their radar yet. Acquire him now, so you’re not late to the party.