Cloudy WR Corps: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags had one of the more interesting WR shakeups this offseason. They let star WR Allen Robinson and former success story Allen Hurns walk while spending big money to retain Marqise Lee and bring in FA Donte Moncrief. They also spent a second round pick on LSU WR D.J. Chark. The Jaguars now have a young and promising group, but the question remains on whether any of those guys will be able to replace what they lost in A-Rob. As it looks right now, Lee and Moncrief are projected to begin the year as starters on the outside with Keelan Cole as the current frontrunner for the slot WR position.
As for the fantasy outlook, the Jags have established that they want to be a run-oriented team with Fournette being the lead guy. With Blake Bortles at QB, it limits the potential for any of these WRs to have a significant fantasy impact.
Lee has the highest potential and should be valued as a WR3 or WR4, as he's coming off a career year leading the team in targets and receptions. Moncrief could put up WR4 numbers if healthy, but his injury history is concerning and he should be valued as a bench option. Cole could be a good value as a late round sleeper if he can continue where he left off at the end of last season, totaling 63.5 points in the final 5 weeks (good for WR3).
Westbrook could be a nice pickup in the event of an injury or if given more playing time, but for now he should be nothing more than a waiver wire player. Although D.J. Chark is very talented, it is unlikely he will make a significant contribution as a fantasy WR given his limited route tree and recent trends showing rookie WRs typically do not make an immediate impact. He is in the same situation as Westbrook in which an injury would likely need to occur in order for him to get significant playing time.
The Jaguars have plenty of depth and talent at the WR position this season which is good for their offense as a whole, but it limits the playing time and roles of any Jags WR. They do not have any true WR1 to replace Allen Robinson and this is not a great group to target in fantasy drafts. To recap, it’s not a bad idea to draft Lee, Moncrief, or Cole the late rounds, but don’t have any high expectations. The rest of the WRs are unlikely to have significant impact unless an injury occurs.