Jacksonville Jaguars DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a solid starting option against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. The Miami defense was below league-average against quarterbacks in fantasy last season and lost some pieces on defense, making for a solid opening matchup for the Jaguars quarterback. Lawrence finished as the QB13 in fantasy points per game last season, and expectations for this season are around the same level. The Clemson product's weaponry includes returning top options and intriguing new faces. Once again, Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, and Travis Etienne Jr. should be reliable options in the short and intermediate passing game. Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. were brought in to stretch the field more, replacing Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones. The receiving core will look a bit different this season, meaning it may be smartest to wait and see how Lawrence does in Week 1 before trusting him as a fantasy starter. However, fantasy managers can do much worse with their starting QB and should expect a solid floor and solid ceiling out of Lawrence in their Week 1 lineup.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf) avoided landing on the first official injury report of the 2024 regular season on Wednesday by putting in a full practice. It doesn't come as much of a surprise despite Kirk missing some time in training camp due to a mild calf injury. The Jags lost Calvin Ridley in the offseason but added Gabe Davis and first-round rookie Brian Thomas Jr. to the receiving corps. The 27-year-old Kirk was quarterback Trevor Lawrence's No. 1 target last year before his season ended prematurely due to a core injury. Don't forget that Kirk had his first 1,000-yard season with a career-high eight scores in his first year in Duvall in 2022, so a bounce-back could easily be in the cards in 2024. He's at least a WR3/flex for fantasy managers in a Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins that could turn into a track meet.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was named one of the starters ahead of the Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Unsurprisingly, Thomas has been named as a starter after the Jaguars selected him in the first round of this year's draft. Thomas had a breakout season during final year at LSU where he recorded 1,177 receiving yards with 17 touchdowns. There was little doubt that Thomas wouldn't be a starter given Parker Washington and Devin Duvernay were his main competition. Now, Thomas will have to fight for targets with Christian Kirk and newcomer Gabe Davis. The expectation is that Thomas is going to see a solid volume of targets making him worth snagging in just about every fantasy format. The rookie wideout could end up being the best receiving option on the team before the season is done.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was the fourth wideout off the draft board this past April. Thomas was a four-star recruit going into college and put together a high-quality resume at LSU in three seasons. According to many scouts and outlets, Thomas was the fourth-ranked receiver after the "big three," but he stepped into one of the better situations. Calvin Ridley moved to Tennessee, Christian Kirk has been dealing with a calf issue during the preseason, and Gabe Davis seems to be Thomas' main competition for more snaps and targets. Thomas displayed all the necessary tools to be a very good contributor, especially after impressing a lot of the coaching staff during training camp and preseason. Right now, in half-PPR formats, Thomas is ranked 96th overall on RotoBaller's draft rankings. He has a clear path to playing time and could be a bench stash to eventually win leagues.

The Carolina Panthers have signed veteran quarterback John Wolford to their practice squad. He had been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during last week's series of roster cuts. Wolford reunites with Dave Canales, who was his offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay last year and is now the head coach of the Panthers. "John's fantastic. Hands down, the smartest guy in the room," Canales previously said about Wolford. He added, "It's a great feeling for a quarterback coach or an offensive coordinator when you know before the play starts where the ball should go, and it goes there. That's John Wolford. He's just like, 'Alright, so this ball should go to the backline right here, and there it is, bang.' Perfect." Evidently, the Panthers' new head coach has plenty of faith in Wolford and presumably jumped at the opportunity to bring him onto the practice squad when Tampa Bay cut him loose. He'll presumably open 2024 as Carolina's emergency No. 3 quarterback behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton.