Game Previews: All Fantasy Relevant Players For Week 1

Jaguars vs. Giants

Jaguars

Run, run and run some more

When you think of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the names that come to mind are Leonard Fournette, Blake Bortles, and Jalen Ramsey (for more reasons than he probably cares for). The first name is Fournette because of what he did last year: he led the entire league in rushing attempts with 338 as a rookie (playoffs included)! That’s old-school smash-mouth football. That’s also very demanding of a first-year player. Now, in his second season, Fournette should be ready to do similar work, although I’d expect it to be a little less of the physical kind and more receiving than he did last year. They still have TJ Yeldon to do most change-of-pace work, but I expect Fournette to steal some of those touches due to his ability to shed tackles and the fact he lost weight in the offseason. The biggest issue he’ll, once again, face is the eight to nine men that stack the defensive trench, daring Blake Bortles to throw the ball. If Bortles can get in a groove, he’ll make Fournette’s job a bit easier.

Expectation:

Fournette: 20/96 rushing, 1 Touchdown, 3/25 receiving

TJ Yeldon: 5/15 rushing, 4/30 receiving

BOAT or no BOAT?

Blake Bortles has experienced criticism throughout his young career, and rightfully so. However, last year he was markedly better than his previous years. His throwing motion got better, his footwork improved and thus he turned in an almost 2:1 TD:INT ratio. He’ll almost never average more than 10 yards per attempt, but he’s gotten more efficient. He’s not a true fantasy asset at this point, but it doesn’t mean he has no effect on the other skill players. If he can take care of the ball, that means the defense might have to soften up in defending Fournette. If they stack the box, that leaves some openings for the speedy receivers Jacksonville deploys to exploit. If he keeps to his fundamentals he’ll be the Blake Of All Time. If he is throwing from his hip and not driving off his back leg, it’ll be sloppy Blake.

Expectation:

Blake Bortles: 18/32, 255 yards, 2 Touchdowns, 3/25 yards rushing

The most crossing routes you’ll see on Sunday?

The Jaguars have just as many plays in their book as anyone, I’m sure. Do they use them all? If I had to bet, it’d be no. Just look here. What’s the pattern? Routes that stay relatively close to the line of scrimmage or cross the middle of the field. The object of their passing attack isn’t exactly to expose the middle of the field, but rather rub the defenders off each other or confuse the man-to-man coverage. This creates completions to take place going away from the middle of the field allowing receivers to turn upfield more often, in theory. With the personnel they have, this strategy can work wonderfully. Keelan Cole and Donte Moncrief will start with Marqise Lee suffering a season-ending injury in the third week of preseason play. Dede Westbrook, DJ Chark and tight end Austin Sefarian-Jenkins will also factor in as the game goes along.

Expectation:

Moncrief: 5/65 yards

Cole: 5/58 yards, 1 Touchdown

Westbrook: 4/53 yards

ASJ: 3/35 yards, 1 Touchdown

-Joe Hanretty

Giants

So, uhh, does Eli have enough weapons to be streamable against the #1 pass defense?

This is the best group of skill position players Eli Manning has had around him in his career, but the Jaguars held opposing quarterbacks to single digit fantasy points in half their games last season; they also only allowed opposing quarterbacks to score 20+ points on them twice. I know he was playing with a depleted roster for most of last season, but Eli only scored double digit fantasy points in half of his games last season.

TLDR: Don’t stream any quarterback against the Jags.

Will I hit the quan because of Barkley’s performance?

The Jags run defense isn’t quite as stout as their pass defense. Barkley, however, is coming off of a hamstring injury and hasn’t played against a true NFL defense. It will certainly be interesting to see just how good the second overall pick in the draft will be, and as a Giants fan I hope he’s the generational talent people have projected him to be. The usage will definitely be there on Sunday, but the efficiency may not be yet.

Expectation: 18/60 Rushing, 4/38 Receiving, 1 Tot TD

Who will win the OBJ v. Ramsey Showdown?

Odell Beckham Jr. has shown more maturity this offseason than in years past, and it paid off in a big way. $95 million big to be exact. As we saw last season when the Jaguars took on the Bengals, even some of the league’s most mild mannered receivers like A. J. Green can’t tolerate Jalen Ramsey’s trash talk. This feels reminiscent of the OBJ v. Josh Norman 2015 matchup, and I really hope Odell keeps his head on straight while not trying to take off Jalen’s.

As for the other primary receiving options on the Giants, none are super appealing; Sterling Shepard will line up against A.J. Bouye, and while Evan Engram is a matchup nightmare, the Jags were a top 10 fantasy defense against Tight Ends.

Expectations:
Odell Beckham Jr. 5/70, 1 TD
Sterling Shepard 6/55 0 TD
Evan Engram 5/80 0 TD

-Alex Drennan