Jacksonville Jaguars vs Denver Broncos
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
- Gardner Minshew: 19/33, 213 yards, 2 TDs | 1 carry, 2 yards
Gardner Minshew did not have an eye-popping fantasy day, but this was a very impressive start for him. After the Jaguars managed just six points in the first half Minshew led his team to points on four of their five second-half drives, including two touchdown drives and a drive to set up the game-winning field goal. Playing on the road against a Denver defense that finally managed to record a sack, Minshew had several plays where he was able to break away from a defender to extend the play and find a receiver downfield. His touchdown pass to Ryquell Armstead came after he made three pass rushers miss in the backfield, buying enough time for Armstead to break open in the back of the end zone. Minshew also displayed his arm strength on a nice throw to D.J. Chark that was called back for an offensive penalty. Minshew is probably ready to be relied on by fantasy players outside of two-quarterback leagues, or as a cheap option for DFS, but he looks capable of keeping the Jaguars competitive and supporting the fantasy relevance of his teammates.
Running Backs
- Leonard Fournette: 29 carries, 225 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
- Ryquell Armstead: 8 carries, 42 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards, 1 TD
If you own Leonard Fournette hopefully you trusted in his volume thus far and got to enjoy the monster game he had today. After the entire Jaguars offense struggled a bit in the first half Fournette was the driving force on two touchdown drives to start the second half. His highlight was an 81-yard run, and while he again failed to score a touchdown Fournette is dominating the running back touches and looks like the fast and powerful runner he was as a rookie. Once he got past the line of scrimmage he was very tough to tackle, and after the Jaguars switched out starting guard A.J. Cann for backup Will Richardson Jr. he was able to get past the line more consistently. It’s too small a sample to know for sure that changing guards was what powered the running game versus just wearing down the defense, but it is something to monitor going forward. Ryquell Armstead looked good coming in to relieve Fournette, and he got a decent amount of red-zone work when Fournette needed a few breaks after several long runs. His role will continue to be limited, and his red-zone touches from this game are probably an exception to the rule going forward.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Dede Westbrook: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 66 yards
- D.J. Chark: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 44 yards
- Chris Conley: 4 targets, 1 reception, 17 yards
- James O’Shaughnessy: 4 targets, 1 reception, 18 yards, 1 TD
- Geoff Swaim: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards
D.J. Chark continued to display good chemistry with Gardner Minshew today and would have had a bigger day if a touchdown reception had not been called back due to penalty. Chark made an excellent diving catch after a defensive back interfered with him to set up the Jaguars’ first field goal, and should be viewed as a decent flex play with upside. Dede Westbrook had a big play on the game-winning drive where he got open on a deep out-route and then made a defender miss before breaking a tackle to get out of bounds. Overall he did a good job of getting open, and as he develops more chemistry with Minshew he should continue to improve his weekly numbers. Geoff Swaim and James O’Shaughnessy continue to split the tight end work, which makes it difficult to start either one going forward.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
- Joe Flacco: 22/38, 303 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Joe Flacco had a strong fantasy outing today, taking advantage of a Jacksonville secondary that was without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Flacco looked good throwing downfield and led the Broncos on a late touchdown drive that put them ahead by one point with under two minutes to go. Flacco was able to find Courtland Sutton open between two defenders in the middle of the end zone for the go-ahead score late, only to watch his defense surrender the lead. If Flacco continues to look to throw the ball downfield he may be a viable streaming option in favorable matchups at home, but otherwise, he can be ignored for better options in one quarterback leagues.
Running Backs
- Phillip Lindsay: 9 carries, 53 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards
- Royce Freeman: 6 carries, 16 yards | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards
The Broncos continue to split the backfield work pretty evenly and neither running back stood out today. Phillip Lindsay looked like the better runner but did not see enough carries to have a useful day for fantasy. Royce Freeman was more involved in the passing game but failed to stand out once he had the ball in his hands. Lindsay had the better standout play between the two, a 28-yard run on a counter play where he hit the hole well and accelerated upfield. It is hard to start either running back confidently given the split, but Lindsay would be my preferred option for the time being.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Emmanuel Sanders: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 105 yards
- Courtland Sutton: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 62 yards, 2 TDs
- DaeSean Hamilton: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 57 yards
- Noah Fant: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards, 1 TD
Noah Fant scored his first career touchdown, taking a screen pass in for a score on a play where the Broncos got away with two ineligible men downfield. Fant is not quite involved enough yet to be trusted for fantasy, but it was encouraging to see the Broncos draw up a designed play for him in the red zone. Emmanuel Sanders had a scary moment where he appeared to go down with a leg injury, but he returned to the game and was able to contribute another long reception that set up Courtland Sutton’s second touchdown. Sanders continues to impress after recovering from his Achilles injury and can be started with confidence. Sutton caught two short touchdowns, both set up by long receptions by Sanders and appears to be Joe Flacco’s favorite red-zone target. Sutton has now seen at least seven targets in every game this season, and his touchdown upside makes him a weekly flex consideration.
- Dan Adams