Vincent Jackson's Fantasy Trade Value, Updated Outlook After Week 3

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were absolutely destroyed by the Atlanta Falcons to the tune of 56-14 Thursday night, but the only thing Vincent Jackson fantasy owners cared about was the fact that he hauled in a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. 

NFL on ESPN highlighted just how relieved those in the fantasy football realm felt when he finally found the end zone:

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TOUCHDOWN BUCS! Mike Glennon hits Vincent Jackson on the fade and fantasy owners rejoice. Falcons lead 56-7, 8:46 left.

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 19, 2014"

Jackson only tallied two catches for 15 yards, so that score was a game-saver as far as fantasy is concerned. However, it was his first touchdown of the entire season, which is only one reason why Jackson’s fantasy value is much lower now than it was at the beginning of the year when ESPN.com ranked him as the No. 12 wide receiver in the league.

Jackson only totaled 36 receiving yards in the opener against the stingy Carolina defense and 51 yards in Week 2 against the St. Louis Rams. Sure, both defenses have the personnel to be among the league’s best, but the Falcons that shut down Tampa Bay struggled to stop the pass against New Orleans and Cincinnati before Week 3.

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

It’s not just Jackson’s lack of production that should have fantasy owners worried. 

The quarterback situation is in flux in Tampa Bay after Josh McCown went down with an injury Thursday. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times described McCown’s outlook during the game:

It remains to be seen just how drastically a potential switch to Mike Glennon would impact Jackson’s fantasy value because that is the combination that connected for the touchdown Thursday. Perhaps there is something of a rapport there.

Honestly though, it’s hard to make the case that Jackson’s value is particularly high with one quarterback already hurt and the other as an unproven second-year player.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

One encouraging piece of news outside of the touchdown Thursday is that Jackson was targeted a team-high nine times. He still appears to be the top option in the passing game, although the two catches in nine targets says about all you need to know when it comes to Tampa Bay’s aerial attack.

It may actually help Jackson in fantasy circles that the Buccaneers appear to be among the league’s worst teams in the early going because they will likely rely heavily on the passing game when they fall behind early in games. 

Still, that may be grasping at straws. Michael Fabiano of NFL.com said exactly what every Jackson owner feared during Thursday’s contest:

It is somewhat ironic because Jackson himself seemed to have big plans for this offense before the season started, via Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com:

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You hope that’s a factor that helps you. But that’s not what we focus on. We go out there to execute. We go out there to be complete receivers, a complete offense. We have great running backs, great tight ends, good receivers and we’re going to spread the ball around. I don’t care if you’re 6-5 or 5-11. If you can get that ball in the end zone, we’re going to find ways to do that. 

"

Things may not get much better in Week 4 when the Buccaneers go up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is an incredibly small sample size, but the Steelers are seventh in the league against the pass.

The reality is that Jackson may be incredibly talented and a matchup nightmare at 6’5” and 230 pounds with athleticism and leaping abilities to get the ball at its highest point in the red zone, but his fantasy outlook and overall trade value has a very defined ceiling in this offense. Health and production issues at quarterback are a nightmare when it comes to wide receivers in fantasy football.

Jackson owners are currently living that nightmare.

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