The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Jacksonville Jaguars players heading into their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers to help you craft a winning lineup.
Trevor Lawrence, QB
Trevor Lawrence has one top-20 finish at the position since Week 9 of last season and has been intercepted in six straight games.
In fantasy football circa 2025, you need to be an elite athlete OR have a strong connection with your top pass catcher to produce. Look up and down the weekly rankings, and one of those two factors will be a part of the profile for any QB you trust.
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We thought Lawrence would have both.
From 2022-24, he averaged a rushing score every 3.6 games, and Brian Thomas Jr. put his name in the conversation for the game’s best receivers as a rookie.
Before September ends, we have neither.
Over the past two weeks, Lawrence has 13 yards on four carries and looks hesitant to move the chains with his legs. The rushing production has evaporated, but the lack of continuity with his WR1 is the true black eye on his fantasy profile.
- 7 completions (one of 20+ yards)
- 25 targets
- 0 touchdown receptions
The undefeated 49ers have seen their defense bounce back in a big way through three weeks. Some of their strong metrics are a result of low-end quarterback play, but that’s likely to be the case again this week.
The San Francisco defense is a strong play, and Lawrence isn’t close to my top 20 at the position.
Bhayshul Tuten, RB
The excitement around Bhayshul Tuten makes sense, and the steam only grew after Adam Schefter mentioned an increase in usage being a part of the plan for the rookie, but let’s pump the brakes a touch.
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I’m aware that he’s scored in consecutive weeks and that the Jags seem to be motivated to find ways to get him the ball in good spots, but we are still talking about a player who’s been on the field for 17.1% of the offensive snaps and is attached to a unit that is largely struggling.
Tuten needs to be universally rostered, but we are still a few weeks away, at the minimum, before he creeps onto the flex radar.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB
I thought the Texans let Travis Etienne score late last week, as the Jags were in position to potentially melt the clock and win the game at the buzzer with a field goal, but all points count the same in fantasy, and that was a godsend for Etienne managers.
Outside of the 10-yard score, Jacksonville’s bellcow had 17 opportunities (rushes plus targets) and had 4.6 PPR points.
Not ideal.
Brayshun Tuten has scored in consecutive weeks and seems to be closing the gap in this backfield. That said, this is still Etienne’s job to lose, and against a Nick Bosa-less 49ers defense, I think he’ll be just fine.
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I think we see 15-17 touches on Sunday for 75-ish yards. There are touchdown concerns if this passing game is going to continue to struggle and Tuten is going to handle short-yardage situations. Still, the raw volume of chances to score fantasy points should be enough to justify plugging in Etienne as an RB2 across all formats.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR
I wish I had an answer for you, I really do.
The 46-yard catch late helped Thomas save himself from the worst game of his season, but another game with a sub-35% catch rate and no real scoring chances through the pass game isn’t exactly what the fantasy doctor ordered.
The rushing touchdown in Week 1 has accounted for 27.2% of his fantasy points this season, an absolutely bizarre note for a player who looked like the next big thing after his standout rookie campaign.
We are long done with Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins as lineup locks, or even rosterable players in most situations, but they both have top-40 weekly finishes this season, a claim that BTJ cannot make.
Whether this is a Trevor Lawrence thing, a Liam Coen thing, a Thomas thing, or some combination of the three, this is clearly a broken situation that needs to prove itself to us before we keep burning a starting lineup spot on it.
I would have never thought that Quentin Johnston over Thomas in Week 4 would be an easy call or that an underwhelming Matthew Golden over Thomas would be a serious question at this point, but that’s where we are.
I have Thomas ranked as WR37, and I’d be thrilled to be wrong. But at this point, I’ll be late to the come-up instead of being in front of it.
Travis Hunter, WR
A month ago, we were wondering just how good this offense could be. We were worried about the run game, but confident that Coen could maximize the pass game and yield plenty of value at a cost across the board.
- Week 1: 27 routes, 6 defensive snaps
- Week 2: 27 routes, 39 defensive snaps
- Week 3: 27 routes, 41 defensive snaps
Life comes at you fast.
Now, the rush game is the only thing we can trust. Travis Hunter is now a defender who plays offense, and we have to assume that sticks until proven otherwise. The next time he hits 35 receiving yards in a game will be his first as a pro, and while he continues to show glimpses (his lone catch last week was a five-yard pass that he took for 21 after making two defenders miss on a first-and-20 play), things are very much trending away from us.
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I think you’re crazy if you’re cutting ties completely with Hunter after three games, but there’s also no way he’s deserving of a look at your flex spot, even against a hobbled 49ers defense.
If you want to gain exposure to this unique talent, consider low ownership and do it through DFS.
Brenton Strange, TE
Brenton Strange looks the part.
He’s a hard-nosed runner with the ball in his hands and came through on a downfield route last week (16-yard gain). Those spike plays aren’t going to be something you can count on (of 35 qualified quarterbacks since the beginning of last season, Trevor Lawrence ranks 31st in deep ball passer rating). Still, with this passing game in disarray right now, he’s something of a stabilizing skill set.
He’s a part of the tier of tight ends fighting for TE12 honors this week and is an entirely viable option for those navigating injuries or tight ends positioned to be labeled a bust when all is said and done this year.
