Marcedes Lewis' Fantasy Outlook After Julius Thomas' Hand Injury

Just because the Jacksonville Jaguars will call upon Marcedes Lewis to be their No. 1 tight end for the remainder of the preseason doesn't mean you should start doing the same with your fantasy football team.

Mark Long of the Associated Press reported Julius Thomas fractured his hand Friday night and will miss the rest of Jacksonville's preseason games. As a result, a few intrepid fantasy owners are likely giving serious consideration as to whether adding Lewis as a worthwhile venture.

The trouble with Lewis as a viable fantasy option is threefold.

First, his value is tied directly to the health of Thomas. When Thomas is healthy, Lewis will likely give you next to nothing. This tweet from Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union leads you to believe Thomas will likely miss only a game or two of the regular season at most:

The second problem is Lewis' own injury history. He played in 19 games over the last two years while dealing with ankle and calf issues.

As if that's not enough, the 31-year-old has largely been underwhelming since his Pro Bowl season in 2010. His best subsequent campaign came in 2012, when he caught 52 passes for 540 yards and four touchdowns, which made him the 15th-highest-scoring tight end on NFL.com.

You shouldn't consider drafting Lewis at all unless Thomas' injury takes a turn for the worse. With that said, Lewis might be a decent buy-low candidate in daily fantasy leagues if Thomas does in fact miss any time once the season begins.