Thursday Night Fantasy Preview: Dolphins vs Jaguars

Oh, thanks NFL. This is exactly what I wanted on Thursday Night. Were the Jets busy?

Must Start:

James Robinson: Are Jaguar fans asking if Robinson is better than Fournette yet? That would be fun if they were. I have no idea where Robinson actually ranks in terms of skills, but for fantasy, he’s been awesome. He’s the only between the tackles runner the Jags currently trust, and he can catch passes. This should be a “competitive” game, at least based on the score, so the game script is in Robinson’s favor. I don’t see how you bench him.

Strong Plays:

Mike Gesicki: This is an obvious trap game. Gesicki was one of the best TEs in week 2, and the soft Jaguar’s D make him seem like a must play. Naturally, he’ll go 2 for 27 on 4 targets. But seriously, I’d start him since the WRs on the team are iffy and the Jags aren’t strong defensively. I doubt he matches his week 2 output, but on paper, he should be good.

Ok Plays

Part of my reasoning here is I hate the Thursday Night game. Part of my reasoning is I don’t think the fantasy options are that strong on these teams right now.

DJ Chark: I still believe Chark is the Alpha Dog on this team, though the targets haven’t been there. He’s actually caught 100% of his targets thus far, which sounds great until you realize it’s 7 catches. Once the Jags start playing to their potential, AKA for the #1 pick, Chark should step up. He’s banged up, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll sit. I’d consider he a WR3/Flex this week instead of a WR2.

Update: Chark is scratched. Just leaving what I had.

Keelan Cole: He’s scored in multiple weeks and leads the team in targets BUT his TDs are off defensive breakdowns and the target share isn’t much higher than the other Jags receivers. That’s really the biggest issue with Chark so far- Minshew spreads the ball around a bit too much for fantasy players. Since Cole is the target leader, I could see playing him, especially if you have injuries, though he’ll receive more defensive attention now.

Laviska Shenault – Ok, so here me out. Shenault is the Jaguars chess piece, if they can have something like that. He gets carried and targets, serving as the de facto WR3 and RB2. Normally, the upside is high but the floor is cavernous. But with no Chark? I’m pretty interested. I’m actually starting him in place of Chark on one team. Granted that team also has Michael Thomas, Devante Adams and Kenny Golladay so life’s fun. This could fall flat on its face but if you’re desperate, I can see some potential.

Devante Parker – Parker was decent last week despite a tough matchup and injuries and should be better this week. I don’t know if the hamstring is still a factor, but the quick turnaround gives me a little pause, though not much.

Gardner Minshew: I mean, he’s produced, and not in a garbage time way like we all expected. The Dolphins secondary, who I thought was good, got torched by Josh Allen last week. The Bills weapons are better than the Jags, but they should have enough to move the ball. The QB play throughout the league has been so high, you likely don’t need a stream, so I can’t recommend him too high. Here’s a tip though – if you have a shaky QB situation, grab Minshew now as his matchups are cake for a few weeks.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: Fitz has ben pretty shaky to start the year, but that’s Fitz’s entire career. this is a bad defense so he should take advantage but I’d prefer Minshew based on how he’s played and the fact the Jags are home. They do have fans in Jacksonville, and honestly, with the limited amount of attendees, it’ll probably feel like a normal home game. I think Fitz produced a useable stat line, but nothing amazing.

Desperation Plays

Myles Gaskin: Hopefully you aren’t desperate to needing to start a Miami RB. If you are, my condolences on your 11th place. If you do need to dig deep, Gaskin if getting targets and has separated himself for the other Dolphins RBs, though this is more like a Turtle race than anything else. Hope for a bunch of catches.

Preston Williams: I’m still in on P Williams this year as long as Fitz is the starter, but I can’t play him until I see signs of life. He might have had the two best CBs in football on him the last two weeks, so there’s an explanation. Still, I need to see production first, even in this plus matchup. There’s worse Hail Mary’s, but in week 3, even with a glut of injuries, I hope you have more.

Tyler Eifert: He’s been in line with the other Jags receiving option in targets, but the TE position is as exciting as it’s been in years. With so many options, you can do better than a Thursday night stream. BUT, if TEs are gone in your league, Eifert is an ok play out of necessity.

Jordan Howard: Look, falling forward at the goal line can count for 6 points. He’s not doing much else. But please, please have better options than this.