2015 Fantasy Football Outlook for Jacksonville Jaguars Stars
Calling anyone on the Jacksonville Jaguars offense a star is a stretch, but there are viable contributors to watch for the 2015 fantasy football season. Allen Robinson, Denard Robinson and Blake Bortles lead the list of notable Jaguars as the 2015 fantasy football offseason gets underway.
Jacksonville’s 2014 offense bottomed out in both NFL and fantasy terms. This is nothing new for Jaguars fans, who’ve suffered through subpar offensive outputs since Jacksonville’s last playoff run in 2007.
Still, the firing of second-year offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch surprised Bortles, according to Hays Carlyon and Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union:
“I had no idea [the news was coming]. I took the mindset when I left [the facility Monday] that [Fisch] was going to be my offensive coordinator.”
Minnesota Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson is the lone available candidate already interviewed, according to Carlyon and O’Halloran. San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman was thought to be the favorite before he took the OC job in Buffalo.
Head coach Gus Bradley and general manager David Caldwell desperately seek to improve the league’s worst offense entering a pivotal third season together. The new OC will take on one of the youngest offensive rosters in the league, with many of the skill-position starters entering just their first full offseason in the NFL.
Honrable Mention
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Chad Henne, QB
Henne started the first three games in 2014 but was benched in Week 3 after logging just 33 passing yards in the first half against Indianapolis. He won’t see the field in 2015 unless Bortles gets hurt.
Storm Johnson, RB
The seventh-rounder and teammate of Bortles at Central Florida—Go Knights!—didn’t climb up the depth chart in his rookie year despite injuries to Toby Gerhart and Denard Robinson. He remains a fantasy afterthought heading into 2015.
Clay Harbor, TE
Harbor caught 26 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown filling in for Marcedes Lewis. The five-year journeyman will remain the backup if Lewis can stay healthy in 2015.
Jordan Todman, RB
Todman remains Jacksonville’s third-string running back with just three starts over the last two seasons. He’s a dual threat out of the backfield and returned the majority of 2014 kickoffs. Still, he probably won’t see the field in 2015 except for injuries to the starters.
Ace Sanders, WR
Sanders saw extremely limited work at wide receiver in 2014 (six catches on eight targets) after making 51 receptions and four starts in his rookie season. The 5’7” speedster found his primary role relegated to punt returner after missing the majority of August and September with substance-abuse treatment and suspension.
His potential fantasy value in 2015 is limited to points-per-reception leagues if Cecil Shorts leaves via free agency.
Marcedes Lewis, TE
Lewis missed 13 games over the past two seasons due to injury troubles. The nine-year veteran enters a contract year looking to reproduce the 10-touchdown performance that earned him a Pro Bowl in 2010. He’s scored only 10 touchdowns in the subsequent four seasons, relegating him to TE2 fantasy status at best.
Justin Blackmon, WR
The team hasn’t spoken with Blackmon since he was suspended November 1, 2013, per league rules. His indefinite suspension continues as of this posting.
“I’m hoping [to know] by the time the draft rolls around [April 30] so we can plan accordingly,” Caldwell told O’Halloran.
Blackmon’s 2015 prospects are anyone’s guess given the troubled talent only participated in four games in between separate substance-abuse-related suspensions.
Cecil Shorts III, WR
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Shorts struggled to reach better than half of his 17.8 yards per catch from his breakout 2012 campaign, finishing 2014 with only 10.5 YPC.
The fourth-year, fourth-rounder out of Mount Union—Go Purple Raiders!—will most likely hit the open market in March when his rookie contract expires. Although the Jaguars lead all teams with $63,902,876 in estimated cap space—according to Over The Cap—their wide receiver corps boasts three members of the phenomenal rookie class of 2014: Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.
Shorts’ litany of nagging injuries kept him out of the starting lineup in seven games over the past two seasons. He could be an effective weapon in a stronger offense if healthy.
He enters the 2015 offseason as a flex consideration at most unless he heals successfully and lands in a much stronger offense.
Allen Hurns, WR
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Hurns went undrafted in May, but he climbed to the top of all of the Jaguars' main receiving categories—among the rookies—thanks to his availability in all 16 games. The sleeper out of Miami led his fellow rookie wide receivers—Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson, both second-rounders—with 51 receptions for 677 yards and six touchdowns.
Hurns averaged only six fantasy points per game—according to ESPN.com—but enjoyed three double-digit explosions in Week 1 at Philadelphia (23), Week 3 against Indianapolis (12) and Week 9 at Cincinnati (23).
He made the most of his opportunity in 2014, but if Lee and Robinson can stay healthy, Hurns will fall to the third option in the Jaguars wide receiving corps.
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Marqise Lee, WR
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Jacksonville drafted Lee 39th overall, the first of three rookie wideouts added to Bortles’ arsenal. The 2012 Biletnikoff award winner out of Southern California dropped to the sixth receiver taken in the 2014 draft thanks to injury concerns from his disappointing junior season.
Lee’s hamstring and ankle injuries realized those concerns, sinking him behind Allen Robinson in the receiver rotation. Robinson’s own foot injury opened up the opportunity for Lee to finish strong in 2014.
Lee delivered with four 50-plus outings in receiving yards and a clutch touchdown against the New York Giants.
His 2015 ceiling is as high as his health will allow him to go.
Toby Gerhart, RB
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Gerhart’s forgettable 2014 performance wasn’t what David Caldwell and the Jaguars bargained for when they signed Adrian Peterson’s backup away from the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. Gerhart is equally dissatisfied, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.
""I’m just glad this year is over [so he can] put 2014 behind me and I’m looking forward to getting healthy in 2015," Gerhart said. "Every week it seemed there was something. It started off with the foot, and that nagged forever. It was a frustrating year, and I’m excited that this one’s behind me and looking forward to the future."
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Gerhart’s injury troubles paved the way for Denard Robinson’s midseason breakout. The pair will likely enter training camp vying for the starting role in 2015.
Allen Robinson, WR
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The Jaguars liked Robinson so much they traded up into the second round to snag him at No. 61. The move verified Jacksonville’s desire to surround Blake Bortles with young weapons since they had already drafted Marquise Lee earlier in the round.
Robinson marked the 11th out of 12 receivers taken in the first two rounds of one of the deepest wide receiver classes ever.
The Penn State product shot ahead of Lee when a nagging hamstring injury sidelined the rookie from USC in Week 3. He amassed 48 catches for 548 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games before landing on injured reserve with a strained foot.
"Jaguars placing WR Allen Robinson on IR and TE Marcedes Lewis will be activated from IR/designated to return.
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) November 17, 2014"
Robinson flashed enough star-worthy talent in his eight starts to be considered Jacksonville’s WR1 or WR2 heading into training camp.
Denard Robinson, RB
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Jacksonville drafted Robinson in the fifth round of 2013 nominally as a running back, but effectively to be an offensive utility player. That Wildcat-type moniker never panned out, as the collegiate quarterback only attempted two passes for zero completions in his first two NFL seasons.
Instead, Robinson lived up to his running back designation by filling in stunningly for an injured Toby Gerhart in Weeks 7-9. He ran 57 times for 329 yards and two touchdowns during the three-game eruption.
His numbers steadily declined in his following four starts, dropping from 5.8 yards per carry to 3.2. He landed on injured reserve after Week 14 thanks to a foot injury.
Robinson is expected to compete with Gerhart for the starting role in Jacksonville’s backfield for 2015. If the Jaguars choose a committee approach then neither running back deserves anything more than flex consideration.
Blake Bortles, QB
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Bortles ended his rookie campaign with the kind of shell-shocked stat line you’d expect from an inexperienced quarterback on a less-than-mediocre offense. The first-rounder from Central Florida—Go Knights!—finished with a 58.9 completion percentage, 11 touchdowns to 17 interceptions and was sacked a league-leading 55 times.
Mediocre offensive line play is partially to blame for Bortles' struggles, ranking 18th according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Last year’s No. 1 draft pick Luke Joeckel delivered a frustrating performance as the weakest link playing the most important position—left tackle.
David Caldwell and Gus Bradley knew there would be growing pains with a league-leading 82 combined starts among their 2014 rookie class, but 2015 will be a decisive season for both general manager and coach.
Bortles' offseason development is critical, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.
"There’s a lot of stuff that’s kind of hard to fix while you’re playing. I know what I’m doing wrong and I know how to fix it, but I [didn't] have the time to put the work in to get it to become muscle memory.
That’s the thing: I have a good understanding of what I need to do. Obviously I’ll continue to go work with Jordan [Palmer] and continue to seek guys that will help me out and continue to try to learn to get better.
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Bortles finished 24th among fantasy quarterbacks in scoring for 2014, according to ESPN.com. His greatest advantage in fantasy terms are his legs. He finished fourth in rushing yards among quarterbacks.
Still, Bortles needs to make tremendous strides to foster anything above bye-week-filler considerations in 2015.
In fact, Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator search will indicate everyone’s prospects for 2015. If the Jaguars land a big name like Marc Trestman, things could be looking up.
"Source: The #Jaguars have requested permission to interview Jets assistant HC Anthony Lynn for their OC (cont) http://t.co/QMrZuvQUAw
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 13, 2015"
If they go with a first-time coordinator like Kirby Wilson or Anthony Lynn, it could be another frustrating rebuilding year in Jacksonville.
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