Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon found running room in Week 7’s 34-31 win over the Buffalo Bills, while Jags wideout Allen Robinson was the clear bright spot in a sputtering passing attack.
Trusting anyone on Jacksonville’s offense is still rather difficult, because the unit has yet to realize its full potential. That’s partially because dynamic receiving tight end Julius Thomas is working his way back into action, showing signs of rust and lackluster conditioning.
Read on for individual fantasy advice on each of the Jaguars’ three key offensive players as the NFL season nears its midpoint.
T.J. Yeldon
For fantasy RB2 options, one could do far worse than Yeldon. Young Jags quarterback Blake Bortles struggled to attack Bills coach Rex Ryan‘s defense, forcing Yeldon to carry the load for much of the contest.
Jacksonville was able to set the tone and build a big lead thanks to Yeldon’s ability to pound the rock. His 28-yard touchdown run also showed Yeldon can make something out of nothing—and helped him far exceed his prior 3.6 yards per carry average.
Although he didn’t show it often in Sunday’s game, Yeldon also has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. The rookie has already seized the feature role and ran well against a Buffalo defense that ranked fourth against the run entering Week 7.
Allen Robinson
Before a dubious pass interference call on Bills defensive back Nickell Robey kept the Jags’ winning scoring drive alive, Robinson made two receptions of 20 and 18 yards to position Jacksonville for some late heroics.
The clear go-to guy all afternoon, Robinson proved he is among the NFL’s elite young wideouts. Until Allen Hurns’ late TD grab, other Jaguars receivers besides Robinson combined for two catches and 27 yards.
Jags senior public relations manager Tad Dickman alluded to the franchise history Robinson made Sunday:
Robinson has at least six receptions in each of his last three games and four touchdowns in that span as well. It’s safe to say he’s an upper-echelon WR2 with the evident potential to be a legitimate No. 1 fantasy option soon enough.
Julius Thomas
On a go route in the fourth quarter, Thomas didn’t exert much effort and appeared to give up as Bortles tried to exploit a one-on-one matchup.
A mere one catch for four yards on five targets is such a disappointing outing for Jacksonville’s most prized free-agent acquisition. The good news for those counting on Thomas is it can’t get much worse.
And Thomas did flash a little in London to give the crowd across the pond something to cheer about—though the play was ultimately called back:
Bortles has been leaning on downfield throws a lot in 2015, giving his playmakers a chance to show their ball skills. The more Thomas can open up the seam and attract attention underneath on crossing routes, the better off the Jaguars’ offense will be overall.
Tight ends with Thomas’ talent and past production are hard to come by. Owners should take a wait-and-see approach in daily fantasy, but those in year-long or keeper leagues ought to hang in there and see if Thomas is rejuvenated following a Week 8 bye.
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