Fantasy Football Player Notes

There were seemingly mixed results on Thielen's tests for COVID, so I'm guessing he was asymptomatic, which means he has to be out just five days. Because of that, he should be able to get cleared by the time this game happens but stay tuned for updates. Through 11 games, the Jaguars have allowed 14 different wide receivers finish with 14.5-plus PPR points, which is the average number it took to finish as a top-24 wide receiver in 2019. Only the Cowboys and Seahawks have allowed more. Keep in mind that's with their cornerbacks healthy for most of the year. Last week, they were down their top two starting cornerbacks, and because of that, the Browns receivers combined for 12/189/1 against them. C.J. Henderson is on IR for at least one more week, so he's out, while Sidney Jones can potentially return, though he's dealing with an Achilles injury. Whatever the case, Thielen is set up for a big day if he returns to the lineup, though this is starting to look more and more like a 1A/1B situation with him and Jefferson. Provided he's cleared, Thielen should be started as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2.

Coming into Week 12, he led the NFL averaging 3.16 yards per route run. Oddly enough, he went down to 2.91 after his Week 12 performance. Still, there are just three receivers who've averaged more than 2.48 yards in that category and their names are Davante Adams and Julio Jones. Jefferson is a legit stud. He's tied with Tyreek Hill for the league with 12 receptions that have gone for 20-plus yards. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have allowed 39 pass plays of 20-plus yards, which ranks as the sixth-most in football. Targets haven't always been the easiest thing to come by for Jefferson in this run-first offense, so it helps to know the Jaguars have allowed 9.32 yards per target to wide receivers, which ranks second to only the Falcons. As mentioned in the Thielen notes, the Jaguars were without both starting cornerbacks last week, and they're not a team with good cornerback depth. C.J. Henderson will remain out, while Sidney Jones will likely be questionable. Their replacements Luq Barcoo and Josiah Scott combined to allow 8-of-10 passing for 111 yards and a touchdown in their coverage. Jefferson is someone you're playing as a WR2 every week at this point, as he's a budding superstar who might have just as much value as Thielen moving forward.