2021 Team Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars

Thanks for checking out our latest article in our 2021 Team Preview series. We will be breaking down the outlook for teams in 2021, key acquisitions during the off-season and through the 2021 NFL Draft, key losses, and looking at each team from a dynasty perspective. We’ll give you some players to consider buying, selling, stashing, and potential sleeper candidates. Stay tuned for more team breakdowns as we approach the 2021 NFL season. Here is our 2021 Team Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars.

2021 Outlook

After starting the 2020 season off with a win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars lost their last 15 games of the season to ensure the #1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. With a new coaching staff, a few wily veterans, and a bevy of young talent, the Jaguars are poised to make some noise in 2021. After all, there’s nowhere to go but up from here and there’s reason to have hope for this team in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, this team likely gets only 4 or 5 wins and another high draft pick for 2022.

Key Acquisitions/Losses

The big name on this list is obviously Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s the whole package at the position and is the most highly touted quarterback to enter the league since Andrew Luck in 2012, though it may take a season or two before he reaches his full potential. Travis Etienne also joined the team via a late first-round draft pick and was in line for a significant role on the offense before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Wide receiver Keelan Cole left for New York while Marvin Jones Jr. takes his spot on the roster and has been getting all the right looks throughout Training Camp and figures to be the main target in the passing game alongside Laviska Shenault and D.J. Chark. Fan favorite and mustache aficionado Gardner Minshew was recently traded to Philadelphia, as well. Carlos Hyde was signed early in the offseason and is likely to have a relevant role in the ground game throughout the 2021 campaign. 

Jacksonville made a few moves on the defensive side of the ball in the offseason. Damien Wilson proved to be a potent special teams player before earning a starting role with Dallas.  Wilson could be a sneaky sleeper play in IDP leagues. Tyson Campbell, a rookie from Georgia, is another defender that will find work early and often for the Jaguars.  His quickness and size at 6’1 will provide him the ability to make an early impact.

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Dynasty Quick Hits

Buy Low: Laviska Shenault

The hype around Marvin Jones Jr. has caused some folks’ opinions of the sophomore receiver to cool in recent weeks.  As Shenault is still a very young player, the discount won’t be great, but it’ll be worth it.  Head coach Urban Meyer had some big plans for Etienne this season and Shenault’s skill set makes him a prime candidate to fill the void as he took 18 carries for 91 rushing yards in 2020.  Those carries will go up this year for the young receiver who could produce a season similar to what Percy Harvin did in 2011 (52 carries for 345 yards and two scores). If you’re playing dynasty with a bunch of people on Twitter, Shenault won’t be cheap. But if you’re in your home leagues or most dynasty leagues without degenerates, you should still be able to buy Shenault. Don’t overpay, but the hype is absolutely warranted and you should still be trying to get some Shenault shares if possible.

Sell High: James Robinson

James Robinson is one of the two returning running backs from the 2020 campaign who garnered any carries with the other being Dare Ogunbowale. Tallying 1,070 rushing yards and 49 receptions for another 344 yards, the undrafted rookie was a fantasy darling that came out of nowhere. After the addition of Etienne, it seemed like the majority of his opportunities were to be taken up by the new rookie. An ACL tear in late August changed that and Robinson is now slated as the main man behind the quarterback. After this season, however, and a healthy Etienne, Robinson could see his carries cut in half.  If you’re in “rebuild mode,” dishing out this runner to a fantasy league contender may be in your best interests. I’d be using this Etienne injury and spike in Robinson’s value to sell high if possible.

Sleeper: Carlos Hyde

After a number of different seasons with the 49ers, Browns, Texans, and Seahawks, Hyde returns to Jacksonville alongside his former college coach, Urban Meyer. He claimed his first 1,000+ yard season in 2019 with the Texans at a clip of 4.37 YPC after previously coming close to that mark in 2016 with 988 rushing yards in just 13 games. Hyde is a tough runner who excels between the tackles and in short-yardage situations. He won’t do much in the passing game but he will get a higher number of hand-offs as a change-of-pace back. While Robinson is very likely to see the majority of opportunities, you can count on Hyde to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 100-120 touches in 2021 which should be enough to make him a viable streaming option during the bye weeks. In deeper leagues, he’s worth stashing and you may even be able to grab him off the waiver wire in some shallower dynasty leagues.

Stash: Collin Johnson

Obviously, I could’ve gone with Etienne right here but that would be too easy. No one’s going to drop a first-round NFL rookie in dynasty anyway! A second-generation player after his father and former first-round pick, Johnnie Johnson, Collin Johnson had a strong three-game output with 195 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions before missing the final two games of 2020 due to injury. Standing at 6’6 and registering a Speed Score in the 74th percentile, the former Longhorn makes for an easy-to-hit target that could definitely make a statement should he get the opportunity this year. Chark’s contract is up after this season and should the Jaguars not re-sign him, Johnson would be the next in line for targets in the final two years of his contract. If you’ve got the space on your roster, this is a guy worth stashing until his opportunity swells.

Dynasty Buys and Sells

Dynasty Football Sells: Quarterbacks

Dynasty Football Buys: Running Backs

Dynasty Football Sells: Running Backs

Dynasty Football Buys: Wide Receivers

Dynasty Football Sells: Wide Receivers

Dynasty Football Buys: Tight Ends

Dynasty Football Sells: Tight Ends