The Jacksonville Jaguars know they need help on the offensive side of the football and hit free agency with a bang. With the new additions, which players will be on the Buy/Sell/Keep list of the Jaguars offense?
Buy
Travis Etienne, RB
Doug Pederson has been hired to bring the Jacksonville Jaguars back to relevance. He has some talented players on his roster to start making that upward trend immediately. The first of these pieces that you want to look into buying is RB Travis Etienne. He hasn’t played a down in the NFL yet, but, has solid college production and draft capital. This puts Etienne on the buy-low list as of now.
To figure out what we might expect out of Etienne with Pederson as his Head Coach and play-caller, we need to only look back a couple of years to 2019 and 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Miles Sanders was a rookie RB in 2019 and had 179 carries for 818 yards and three TDs. He also added 50 receptions for 509 yards and another 3 TDs.
This was done in 16 games. In 2020, Sanders played just 12 games but still obtained 164 carries for 867 yards and six TDs. Then he added 28 receptions for 197 yards.
Etienne will flourish in the Pederson offense.
Etienne should easily obtain those numbers based on his college stats at Clemson. His sophomore and junior year had very similar stats with just over 200 carries for just over 1,600 yards in each year. Etienne scored 43 rushing TDs in those two years. Add in 49 receptions for 510 yards and six TDs over those two years. His senior year gave him his career-best of 48 receptions for 588 yards.
Etienne is a forgotten man with an incredible ceiling based on Pederson’s past in play calling. He can handle 200 carries for 800 yards. Etienne can also catch 40 receptions for another 300 yards. He has the ability to score from anywhere on the field with his 4.31 40 yard dash time. Check his price in your league and submit an offer before your league is aware of his upside with Pederson.
Sell
Christian Kirk, WR
Christian Kirk was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Kirk was immediately a part of the Cardinals’ offense with fellow rookie QB Josh Rosen. He had 43 receptions for 590 yards and three TDs. Kirk followed that up with 68 receptions for 709 yards and another three TDs. This was done with his second straight rookie QB in Kyler Murray.
In his third year, Kirk dropped in production even though he played one more game than he did in 2019. He obtained just 48 receptions for 621 yards and six TDs, which was a career-high so far.
What got Kirk that four-year, $72 million contract with a $20 million signing bonus and $37 million guaranteed? I am not sure. His fourth and final year with Murray and the Cardinals was his best, but definitely not WR1 numbers. In fact, in my league, he ranked as the 26th scoring WR.
That would make him a high-end #3 WR in most leagues. Kirk’s fourth-year stats included 77 receptions for 982 yards and five TDs.
Will Pederson break his past habits in WR usage in his offense?
I am recommending that you sell him now, at his ceiling price. Fellow owners are high on him being with the Jaguars and Pederson and his offense. What is the history with Pederson and WRs? In 2019, the Philadelphia Eagles’ top WR was Alshon Jeffery with 43 receptions for 490 yards.
In 2020, their top receiving WR was Greg Ward with 53 receptions for 419 yards. I see a pattern here where Kirk will be a huge bust. Sell him today, before word gets out on Pederson’s history with WRs.
Keep
Evan Engram, TE
My keep from the Jaguars will be newly obtained, TE Evan Engram. After five years with the New York Giants, where he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, he gets signed by the Jaguars to a one-year, nine million dollar contract. His Giant days were definitely up and down.
Engram’s rookie year netted him 64 receptions for 722 yards and six TDs in 15 games. His second year was not as productive as he only played 11 games. His stats included 45 receptions for 577 and three TDs. Both of these years were with QB Eli Manning.
2019 would be Engram’s third year in the league which is common for the year that TEs have that break-out year. This was not the case with Engram because the Giants added a first-round rookie QB by the name of Daniel Jones.
Engram’s final three years with the Giants and Jones were unspectacular. He averaged just 51 receptions for 510 yards and two TDs per year. There was hope for Engram in his first year with Jones as he had 44 receptions for 467 yards and three TDs in just eight games played.
The TE position has always been key in Pederson’s offense.
Why am I suggesting for you all keep Engram? He has shown very nice potential as a move TE. Engram with his shaky QB play as a Giant has averaged four receptions for 44 yards a game throughout his career. Then you add in Pederson’s history with TEs with the Eagles.
In 2019, the top two reception leaders for the Eagles were TEs. In 2020, the TE was second in overall receptions. Pederson uses his TE as a weapon in his offense. Keep Engram in all formats of Dynasty Fantasy Football.
Thank you for checking out the latest article in the Buy/Sell/Keep series! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDPGuys (we have offense too) and please check out our website at idpguys.org.
