Allen Robinson could provide significant value despite the team he suits up for
The Jacksonville Jaguars are not a popular destination for fantasy football. It’s been four years since Maurice Jones-Drew provided the fantasy community a capable running back. It’s been 10 years since the Jaguars had a receiver top 1,000 yards (Jimmy Smith). Allen Hurns ranks 24th all-time on the Jaguars’ career receptions list with the 51 catches he had last season. Long story short, the Jaguars have been embedded in offensive mediocrity for a while.
However, parity in the NFL provides teams the opportunities to improve rapidly. And one of the brightest spots on an improving Jaguars team is wide receiver Allen Robinson. Robinson finished his rookie season with 48 catches for 548 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers were enough to make Robinson a WR3 on a per-game basis. While a foot injury ended his rookie season early, he’s already showing his skills this preseason. The biggest question right now is whether Robinson’s teammates can match his upside.
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A lot of the pessimism surrounding the Jaguars’ fantasy outlook centers heavily on quarterback Blake Bortles. Fortunately I don’t share those sentiments. We must not forget that Chad Henne was the starting quarterback for the Jaguars last season. We also must not forget that Henne’s horrible play forced head coach Gus Bradley’s decision to go with the rookie signal caller. I felt (and still do) that Bortles was the best quarterback in last year’s draft. I also attribute many of the 55 sacks he took to an offensive line that suffered several losses, including George Yarno’s unexpected absence from the team.
Thus far in the preseason, Bortles has shown considerable improvement. Against the New York Giants, he led three scoring drives of 10 or more plays. While the Jaguars settled for field goals each drive, there is cause of optimism. Last season, the Jaguars had the 6th fewest (23) 10-play drives in the NFL.
Overall, Bortles has completed 19-of-31 passes for 216 yards. One of those passes that found its way to Robinson against the Giants was this 36-yard gem.
Jags WR @Thee_AR15 is a big-time fantasy sleeper because he can just press turbo and zoom for 36 yards #JAXvsNYG http://t.co/nM4hPpmuET
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2015
An improved commitment to the run game could also alleviate opposing defenses’ pressure on Robinson. Last season the Jaguars were tied for 6th in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt (4.5 yards per carry). Unfortunately the team only had 360 rushing attempts, 5th worst in the NFL. Production from running backs T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson would go a long way to improve the offense.
Robinson’s rookie season was largely overshadowed by the ineffectiveness of the Jaguars’ offense. It was further forgotten after numerous rookie wide receivers had record-breaking performances. But neither of those should dissuade fantasy owners from taking a chance on Robinson. NFL.com’s Matt Harmon dissected Robinson in his “Reception Perception” series and the findings hint at a player on the verge of stardom. If you’ve seen Robinson in action, you likely share a similar excitement.
If you have not seen Robinson in action, do so now before he disproves the conventional wisdom that all Jaguars are bottom-feeders. Currently sitting as the WR28 in PPR leagues, Robinson provides tremendous value for those going running back heavy early. Robinson could provide high-end WR2 numbers at a fraction of the cost of rookie sensations Amari Cooper or Nelson Agholor. After all, with hops like this, Robinson could be a nightmare for opposing defenses.
So about @Thee_AR15, @Thee_AR15. He’s pretty good. Via awesome camera work from @Cushcam #teamsideline https://t.co/larpN5xgO3
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) August 12, 2015
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Matt Giraldi is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matt, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter @Mgiraldi.
