Jacksonville Jaguars Start-Sit: Week 16 Fantasy Advice for Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Brenton Strange, and Others

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 Denver Broncos to help you craft a winning lineup.

Trevor Lawrence, QB

I entered Week 15 thinking that Trevor Lawrence would be a complete fade during the fantasy semis.

I still believe that, but my goodness is he playing at a high level.

Multiple TD passes in four straight games is great and that last three coming without an interception is even better. From keeping plays alive to challenging defenses vertically to taking the easy button completions, he’s doing now what we all hyped him up to be capable of at this level when he was viewed as the golden child in high school.

Growth isn’t linear and fantasy players aren’t patient.

It’s just the nature of this sport.

He’s getting more help now than he has in years past (19 TDs on balls thrown less than 15 yards this season after totaling 20 over the previous two seasons) and has upped this third down completion percentage by more than 10 points over last season.

He’s extending drives and putting pressure on opposing defenses to make plays. Lawrence’s skill set is being amplified by the consistency of Jakobi Meyers and that’s why I think this is a team that most will not want to see in the postseason.

It’s great to see, but I have to think you can do better than going this direction, on the road, against one of the best defenses in the sport.

If you played Lawrence last week, congratulations. That tells me that you’re a savvy manager that reads into matchups and player trajectory.

READ MORE: Soppe’s Week 16 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game

Those skills that landed you on him as a reasonable dice roll in Week 15 are the same ones that have you pivoting in Week 16.

Travis Etienne Jr., RB

Travis Etienne Jr. had a total of two targets in Weeks 13-14, so who didn’t see him becoming the eighth running back this millennium with a three-TD reception game on Sunday?

The more we know, the more we don’t know.

He’s averaged under four yards per carry in three straight games and six of his past seven, efficiency issues that figure to persist against a rock solid Denver defense, even if they are coming off of a game where Josh Jacobs ran 12 times for 73 yards against them.

I’m conflicted.

The upward trajectory of Lawrence naturally adds to the projection of Etienne, but we are also talking about a player who doubled his career TD reception total in 60 minutes. I’m tempted to take a pessimistic view, but not enough to knock him too far down the ranks.

He remains a top-20 play for me thanks to his consistent volume. I’m picking the Broncos in this game and Etienne is averaging 10.6 PPR points (15.1% below expectations) in Jacksonville’s last three defeats. This offense has evolved since the Meyers trade and that’s real growth: but this is a matchup that has the ability to make you uncomfortable and with this offense largely being one-dimensional of late, the floor is low.

Jakobi Meyers, WR

The Jags knew what they were getting in Meyers and he’s come through on all of it. He’s finished five straight weeks with 4-6 catches and a top 30 PPR ranking at the position, catching 71.1% of his targets in the process and adding a dimension that has allowed this offense to level up.

Season Pace With Jaguars

• 108 targets

• 1,006 yards

• 8.5 touchdowns

Meyers had a pair of 10+ yard receptions on the first drive and has posted a first half target share over 28% in three straight. He’s a clear part of the plan for a team peaking at the right time: what more could you realistically ask for?

MORE: Free Fantasy Waiver Wire Tool

Use this as a good reminder that not every player on your team needs to have top 10 potential. Meyers helps you build a foundation and I’d argue that players like this are more critical to your success over the course of an entire season than the Jameson Williams types that can explode in single spots.

Brenton Strange, TE

There was a run in the middle of the season where Brenton Strange was a legitimate fantasy option and worthy of our trust, but that’s in the rearview at this point.

He turned 27 routes into just one catch against the Jets on Sunday and, despite being on the field plenty, that was his third straight game with under 50 receiving yards.

I think there’s a good player in this profile and with his 25th birthday approaching, there is plenty of time for him to carve out a niche in this league, but he simply hasn’t been as involved in this offense as we need him to be since Meyers got up to speed.

You could argue that Luke Musgrave just looked OK against this tough Broncos defense and that they force you to go to your secondary options more than usual: I’d listen to that case in a DFS setting where you can absorb more risk.

In a season-long semifinal, I’d rather not tempt fate and stream against potentially the best unit in the league.