Entering the 2021 season, many fantasy football managers were optimistic about the Jacksonville Jaguars. They had hired a new head coach, drafted a franchise QB and one of the top RBs in the draft. In addition to those moves, they were also bringing back their top 3 offensive weapons from the previous season. Outside of the draft, the Jaguars also added veteran players through free agency to help develop the younger players on the team.
Unfortunately, things did not go quite as the Jaguars had planned. Due to on and off field issues, Urban Meyer was fired after just 13 games. Travis Etienne suffered a Lisfranc injury during the preseason and missed the entire year. D.J. Chark, their 2020 receiving leader, only played in four games due to injury. Laviska Shenault failed to take the step up that many fantasy football managers, including myself, were looking forward to. Finally, their franchise QB Trevor Lawrence had a very underwhelming rookie season.
As we prepare for the 2022 season there are reasons to be optimistic about the Jacksonville Jaguars yet again.
Quarterback: Trevor Lawrence
Adjusting to the NFL game speed is difficult for most rookie QBs. But when you play behind one of the worst offensive lines, things get a bit more difficult. The Jaguars had the 24th ranked offensive line according to PFF. With high draft capital and plenty of cap space it is likely that we see some improvement in protecting Lawrence.
Aside from improving at the offensive line, it is almost a guarantee Lawrence improves in his second year. Lawrence threw just 12 touchdowns with 17 interceptions on the season. He did add two rushing TDs, but those are just not enough to have any fantasy football relevance. Lawrence was only able to complete 59.6% of his passes over the length of the season and ranked first in the league with 50 interceptable passes according to PlayerProfiler.
If you look at the last few games of Lawrence’s rookie season you see improvement in a number of areas. In four of his last five games his completion % was above his season average; with the season finale against the Colts being his best of the season. His passing yards, completions, and yards per attempt were also above his season long average over the last 5 weeks of the season.
What a dime by Trevor Lawrence, whew. pic.twitter.com/9MUjtK6RJS
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) January 9, 2022
With another offseason and Doug Pederson as head coach, hopefully Lawrence will be able to continue his development and improve in all of the metrics that matter for fantasy football.
Running Backs: Travis Etienne, Carlos Hyde, James Robinson, Free Agent/Draft Additions
After a phenomenal year by undrafted rookie running back James Robinson in 2020, it was a bit of a surprise to see the Jaguars select Travis Etienne in the 1st round. Unfortunately, Etienne suffered a Lisfranc injury during the preseason and was forced to miss his rookie campaign. Robinson stepped back in and had a decent season until he tore his Achilles at the end of the season.
With Robinson expected to miss the majority of next year, Etienne is going to get the chance to step into a workhorse running back role. Carlos Hyde is currently the only other RB of consequence on the team and it is unlikely the new coaching staff will rely on him as much as Urban Meyer did.
I am excited to see if Etienne will be able to pick back up where he left off at Clemson with Trevor Lawrence. The electric RB finished his college career with three straight seasons with over 1500 yards from scrimmage. His involvement in both the pass and run game should make him a very valuable fantasy football player this upcoming season. In addition, he should have decent draft day value due to his injury history and the fact that he plays on the Jaguars.
This RB class is decent. Not stellar, but serviceable. Beyond that, has me salivating even more for Travis Etienne, and so appreciative of what he did in career prior to injury. Hoping for full recovery, of what could become a recurring nightmare. 90 cents on dollar is must buy.
— Andy Singleton 😤 (@PeoplezPen) January 28, 2022
There are several decent running backs that are projected to be free agents this year; though I do not expect it to be a big name addition with so many other holes needing to be filled. I expect the Jaguars to add a depth running back or two that could potentially be used on the special teams units. Trenton Cannon and Corey Clement are both projected to hit the free agent market this offseason. Both have been rotational running backs and special teamers in the past, so I would not be shocked to see a guy like that be added to the Jacksonville Jaguars roster.
Wide Receivers: Laviska Shenault, Marvin Jones, Free Agent/Draft Additions
With a new head coach, a new QB, and another offseason under his belt there were high expectations for Laviska Shenault. Unfortunately his performance was underwhelming and did not improve on his solid rookie season. In fact, Shenault dropped from 5 touchdowns as a rookie, to 0 as a sophomore. Shenault also saw decreases in his yards/reception, catch %, and all rushing metrics.
During the 2021 season, Shenault only had 10 red zone targets. But even with 10 Targets you would expect him to have at least 1 touchdown. I am looking forward to increased red zone work and success in the 2022 season. With Doug Pederson as head coach, I think we are going to have a bit of a resurgence for the Laviska hype train.
Everybody likes to buy discounted players…
Often this manifests in buying rookie's that totally dud'd in their first year… Or as we like to call them "faceplanters"
Instead of buying a faceplanter… just go and get Laviska Shenault. pic.twitter.com/j56c4fruZS
— Bulletproof DataDork (@DFBeanCounter) January 26, 2022
Also in the WR room for the 2022 season is Marvin Jones, who led the team in nearly all receiving metrics. Jones may be 31, but I expect him to still be a big part of the offense this season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a decent amount of cap space in 2022. This will allow them to be somewhat active in free agency to find a new WR. Re-signing D.J Chark could be an appealing option for the Jaguars in free agency. He is familiar with the system and may want to continue his development with Trevor Lawrence. In addition, his injury history could prevent him from being valued as one of the top options at the position.
Aside from the solid free agent WR class there are also a lot of decent options that will be available in the 2022 draft. The Jaguars probably shouldn’t invest in a WR in the first couple of rounds due to other needs. But they likely will grab a late Day 2 or Day 3 WR to add some depth.
Tight Ends: Dan Arnold, Free Agent/Draft Additions
To start the 2021 season, the Jaguars clearly had a hole at the tight end position. After three games they traded former first round pick C.J. Henderson and a 5th round pick for Dan Arnold and a 3rd round pick. In his eight games played, Arnold only had 324 yards and no touchdowns. In addition to joining the team partway through the season, Arnold also missed time due to injury. Even with that in mind, he had nearly 100 more receiving yards than the other TEs on the team.
Dan Arnold has shown flashes of talent. I am expecting improvement in Year 2 with the Jaguars. He will actually get the offseason to prepare with Lawrence unlike last year. With a full offseason to build chemistry, Arnold could become a valuable target for Lawrence as he continues to develop.
The tight end position is also a position that the Jaguars could target in free agency. David Njoku is one of most athletic tight ends hitting the market this offseason. He never really worked out in Cleveland, but he has shown flashes throughout his career. If Njoku lands on the Jaguars I am excited to see what he can do with the starting job.
There are a lot of free agents to watch in 2022, but one of the most intriguing to me is David Njoku.
Only 25 and has shown tremendous upside & athleticism.
If he lands on a team that features him, watch out. @Jaguars ? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/39g2bM3LA7
— Charlie Friar (@CharlieFriar) November 10, 2021
Summary
During the 2021 season the Jacksonville Jaguars offense scored only 28 touchdowns (13 rushing and 12 passing). This was only better than the New York Giants, who only had 24 offensive touchdowns on the season. It is hard to imagine that we do not see improvement in the touchdown department in the 2022 season. If the Jaguars are able to score more touchdowns, which I think they will, it will help all of their fantasy football options. There are reasons to be optimistic about the Jaguars fantasy options; mainly, the hiring of Doug Pederson. We’ve seen what he was able to get out of Nick Foles and Carson Wentz. If he can help develop Trevor Lawrence in a similar fashion, then the entire offense will benefit. I am going to try to temper my expectations of the team as we move through the offseason, but I do expect that I will be drafting Jaguars at values during the 2022 fantasy draft season.
