The Jaguars might have the worst team in the NFL. In fact, Las Vegas expects the Jaguars to finish last, giving them a win total of 4.5 coming into the season. This is not a good roster overall, but they do have some quality Fantasy options. Leonard Fournette remains a low-end starting running back. D.J. Chark should be a third-year breakout receiver. Laviska Shenault should be considered a sleeper. And even Gardner Minshew has some sleeper appeal in deeper leagues, especially two-quarterback and Superflex formats. We'll see how it all works out, but don't expect to see Jacksonville in the playoffs in 2020.
2019 Review
Record: 6-10 (23)
PPG: 18.8 (26)
YPG: 341.8 (20)
Pass YPG: 235.0 (16)
Rush YPG: 106.8 (17)
PAPG: 36.8 (12)
RAPG: 24.3 (3)
2019 Fantasy finishes
QB: Gardner Minshew QB21
RB: Leonard Fournette RB7
WR: D.J. Chark WR17; Dede Westbrook WR43
TE: James O'Shaughnessy TE47
Number to know: 31
The Jaguars were No. 31 in red-zone production last year, which helped explain why they were only 26th in scoring in 2019. Fournette was No. 6 in carries inside the 20-yard line in the NFL with 43, but he scored just three touchdowns -- all of which came when he was inside the 10-yard line. Minshew had better success in the red-zone, converting on 50 percent of his throws (58) but scoring 16 touchdowns. And of the 20 touchdown passes he had for the season, 10 of them came inside the 10-yard line. Fournette only scoring three touchdowns was a surprise on his 341 total touches. He should do better in that regard this year, but touchdowns aren't the only measure for Fournette this season.
2020 Offseason
Draft Picks
1. (9) C.J. Henderson, CB
1. (20) K'Lavon Chaisson, DE
2. (42) Laviska Shenault Jr., WR
3. (73) DaVon Hamilton, DT
4. (116) Ben Bartch, G
4. (137) Josiah Scott, CB
4. (140) Shaquille Quarterman, LB
5. (157) Daniel Thomas, S
5. (165) Collin Johnson, WR
6. (189) Jake Luton, QB
6. (206) Tyler Davis, TE
7. (223) Chris Claybrooks, CB
Additions
RB Chris Thompson, TE Tyler Eifert, LB Joe Schobert, CB Darqueze Dennard
Key Departures
QB Nick Foles, WR Marqise Lee, DL Calais Campbell, CB A.J. Bouye
Available Opportunity
4 WR targets, 51 TE targets
Rankings and Projections
| | Heath Cummings' projections | |
| QB | Gardner Minshew | 4,104 YD, 25 TD, 11 INT; 326 Rush YD, 2 TD |
| RB | Leonard Fournette | 982 YD, 7 TD; 2 REC, 162 YD, 1 TD |
| RB | Ryquell Armstead | 238 YD, 2 TD; 17 REC, 152 YD, 0 TD |
| WR | D.J. Chark | 124 TAR, 74 REC, 1,009 YD, 7 TD |
| WR | Dede Westbrook | 101 TAR, 66 REC, 710 YD, 4 TD |
| WR | Laviska Shenault | 90 TAR, 54 REC, 756 YD, 5 TD |
| TE | Tyler Eifert | 51 TAR, 34 REC, 354 YD, 4 TD |
Biggest Question
Is Gardner Minshew a potential starting Fantasy quarterback?
Barring a surprise signing of Cam Newton, the Jaguars are going with Minshew as their starter in 2020. And he played well at times in his rookie campaign in 2019, scoring at least 20 Fantasy points in eight of 14 appearances. He averaged a respectable 19.3 Fantasy points per game, and he was fifth among quarterbacks with 344 rushing yards. The Jaguars could be chasing points every game based on their rebuilding defense, and Minshew got new weapons to use with Shenault, Thompson and Eifert. Along with Chark, Westbrook and Fournette, Minshew should have enough talent around him to help to make him a surprise starter in all leagues. If he goes from 19.3 Fantasy points per game to 20.3 points, he's on the cusp of being a starter in 2019 already. And he's a free space on Draft Day since you can get him with your final selection, even after taking a DST and kicker.
One sleeper, one breakout and one bust
Shenault landed in a great spot with the Jaguars since he could be the No. 2 receiver right away behind Chark. He didn't have a dominant campaign as a receiver in 2019 at Colorado with 56 catches for 764 yards and four touchdowns, but he also added 23 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns. And in 2018, he had 86 catches for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns, as well as 17 carries for 115 yards and five touchdowns. He is expected to touch the ball in a variety of ways with the Jaguars, much as he did in college, and he should see a quality amount of targets from Minshew. He's a great receiver to stash on your bench with a late-round pick.
You can argue that Chark had his breakout season last year, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was even better in 2020. He's entering his third season, and he's poised to be more consistent. When Chark was on in 2019, he was special, scoring at least 16 PPR points in seven games. But he also had 10 PPR points or less in eight games, and I'm hopeful he's not just a boom-or-bust receiver. Chark told me at the Pro Bowl that he's confident with Minshew as his quarterback, which is good. "When he came in, it was bombs away with him," Chark said. While Shenault, Thompson and Eifert will help this receiving corps, they could take away production from Chark. But I expect Chark to see a slight rise from the 7.9 targets per game he had in 2019, and he has the chance to be a top-tier Fantasy receiver in 2020. He's someone to draft in all leagues as early as Round 4.
There's too much mounting evidence against Fournette to call him anything but a bust this year. He's not worth drafting in the first three rounds. The Jaguars tried to trade him but likely couldn't find any takers for the right price. They declined his fifth-year option, meaning this is almost certainly his final year in Jacksonville. They added a pass-catching running back in Thompson, who has a history with new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. The one scenario that could benefit Fournette is if the Jaguars try to run him into the ground before sending him packing, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of trust in him to do that. We could see more of Ryquell Armstead than expected, making him a sleeper. Fournette is coming off a career season in games played (15), rushing yards (1,152), receptions (76) and receiving yards (522), but he scored just three touchdowns. I expect his touchdowns to rise, but his receptions should plummet with Thompson there. Fournette can still be a starting running back in all leagues, but the earliest you should draft him is Round 4.
Fantasy Previews
AFC East: Bills | Jets | Patriots | Dolphins
NFC East: Giants | Cowboys | Eagles | Redskins
AFC South: Colts | Texans | Jaguars | Titans
NFC South: Panthers | Bucs | Falcons | Saints
AFC North: Ravens | Steelers | Browns | Bengals
NFC North: Packers | Vikings | Bears | Lions
AFC West: Chiefs | Broncos | Raiders | Chargers
NFC West: Seahawks | 49ers | Rams | Cardinals
So which Fantasy football busts should you completely avoid? And which running back going off the board early should you fade? Visit SportsLine now to get cheat sheets from the model that called Baker Mayfield's disappointing season, and find out.