The Jacksonville Jaguars will face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Jaguars skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Mac Jones, QB
Mac Jones is a professional quarterback and should be able to keep the train on the tracks, but this is an offense that was borderline usable as it is, and that doesn’t change here.
The last time we saw Jones in a regular role was with the Patriots last season, a year in which he finished with more interceptions than touchdowns.
There’s no fantasy change here — you’re not playing the QB of this offense and all of the attached pieces come with more risk than reward.
Trevor Lawrence, QB
Trevor Lawrence has quietly been a QB1 in three straight weeks. While I’m generally a buyer of his talent, I’m not tempted to call his number this weekend, even with the form trending in the right direction.
The Vikings are borderline reckless when it comes to defensive play calling, and in the wrong spot, I think they will be gashed. However, this doesn’t appear to be that spot. In 2022, 5.2% of Lawrence’s passes against the blitz were touchdowns, a number that dropped to 2.4% in 2023 and sits at 1.7% this season through nine weeks.
Lawrence has punched in a few short scores lately, but with only one effort of 20+ rushing yards this season, the versatility that allowed the former Clemson Tiger to level up is no longer an option. I’m also not ruling out the potential for this to be a low-possession game for Jacksonville with their subpar defense facing the fourth-most methodical offense in the NFL.
I like what I’ve seen from Russell Wilson in his two starts, and I’d rather take a spin on the Drake Maye rollercoaster over Lawrence this week.
Tank Bigsby, RB
Do you want some bar trivia? Ask someone to name the four running backs this season with as many or more 10+ yard runs as runs stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Any guesses? No?
No big deal, just three of the best running backs in the game and Bigsby. By no means am I putting the second-year Jaguar in that tier, but it is good to remember a note like that after a brutal Week 9 (eight carries for 22 yards).
The Jaguars might not beat the Vikings this week, but them holding the ball for more than the 21:48 they did last week against the Eagles is likely; that is why I’m OK with considering Bigsby a low-end RB2 in all formats this weekend.
Travis Etienne Jr. got Jacksonville’s first carry last week, but when all was said and done, Bigsby was on the field for over 54% of the offensive snaps for a third straight game.
Taylor was unable to break the seal of this Minnesota run defense last week, and that resulted in him underachieving. Bigsby suffers a similar fate, though I’m more inclined to trust the process with the thought being that attacking an overly aggressive defense with creative run designs can be profitable.
I suspect that Bigsby won’t be popular in DFS tournaments — I’ll be overweight as I think it’s a strong profile to consider when it comes to his ability to gain ground against the field.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB
Travis Eitienne Jr. entered 2024 as a running back with breakout potential — safe to say that hasn’t come to fruition. He hasn’t been on the field for 40% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps since September, and why would we expect that to change as he continues to battle through a hamstring injury?
Let’s not get out of control, Etienne is still roster-worthy. He got the first carry of the game last week, and part of his underwhelming touch count was the result of Jacksonville’s offense being on the field for just 51 plays (Philadelphia: 73 plays). Tank Bigsby isn’t exactly a proven entity, and that makes this a fluid situation, even if you don’t have a clear path to considering Etienne at this moment in time.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR
Brian Thomas Jr. entered Week 9 as a game-time decision (chest), and while he assumed his normal role (90.2% snap share), he made little impact in the loss to the Eagles and even less in your fantasy box score (two catches for 22 yards). I’m willing to give him a health pass here, though the floor is concerning if you’re planning on trying to ride this rookie to a title (three finishes outside of the top 40 receivers).
Thomas has seen an end-zone target in four straight games, no small accomplishment in a below-average offense. Only three times has a first-round rookie seen an end-zone look in five straight games (Justin Jefferson, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba), a list Thomas could join this week if Trevor Lawrence looks his way in a jump ball situation with the Vikings bringing an exotic blitz.
Through nine weeks, it is clear that Thomas is the second-most-valuable rookie receiver in our game. While that lands him as a starter in most formats, he still is a first-year player, and this offense is still inconsistent (he’s Malik Nabers with less volume).
Parker Washington, WR
Parker Washington earned a 20% target share and racked up 103 air yards last week as he seems to be the Jaguar in a position to benefit most from Christian Kirk’s season coming to an end in Week 8.
Does that mean he’s a must-add? I wouldn’t go that far, but this is the type of player I make a habit of stashing this time of year with the hope that he pays dividends when it matters most. Jacksonville is an underdog or favored by fewer than two points in seven of their final eight games, a script that makes this waiver wire add an interesting option coming down the stretch.
Trevor Lawrence clearly hasn’t developed the way we’ve all hoped, though he is still capable of putting together 60 good minutes here and there, something that makes a player like Washington appealing if you’re stuck.
The Jaguars play in Las Vegas on Dec. 22 (Week 16) — that matchup alone makes him a worthwhile addition to see where this goes.
Evan Engram, TE
Evan Engram was a revolution at the TE position for fantasy managers last season, and he’s done well to live up to expectations.
2023:
- 1.64 PPR points per target
- 41.8 air yards per game
- 22.6% on-field target share
2024:
- 1.63 PPR points per target
- 42.4 air yards per game
- 25.6% on-field target share
The touchdown equity doesn’t grade out as a strength due to the offense’s limitations, but at the tight end position, a role like this gives Engram arguably the highest floor in the NFL. If you waited out the early injury, you’re likely to be rewarded with top-five production the rest of the way.
Minnesota Vikings at Jacksonville Jaguars Insights
Minnesota Vikings
Team: The Vikings have been sacked on 10.4% of their dropbacks, the second-highest rate in the league (Browns: 11.3%).
QB: After returning from an ugly London performance (14-of-31 against the Jets), Sam Darnold has completed 68-of-86 passes (79.1%).
Offense: The Vikings have been trailing for a league-low 16% of their offensive snaps (the Chargers are the only other team under 25.8% this season).
Defense: Take your shots deep – no team has seen opponents throw 15-plus yards downfield more times per game this season (9.1 per game).
Fantasy: T.J. Hockenson played only 45.1% of the snaps on Sunday, his season debut (2023: 79.6%), but he did post an 11.5-yard aDOT (2023: 7.6).
Betting: The Vikings are 7-2-2 ATS (77.8%) in their 11 road games.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Team: Jacksonville is 2-7 with five losses coming by five or fewer points.
QB: Trevor Lawrence’s passer rating, completion percentage, and touchdown-to-interception ratio when not pressured are all tracking down for a second straight season.
Offense: The Jaguars average 0.67 plays of 50-plus yards per game this season, trailing only the Ravens’ 0.78 mark.
Defense: Jacksonville is allowing a first down on 39.1% of passes, the second-highest rate in the league (worse: Panthers).
Fantasy: Parker Washington earned a 20% target share and racked up 103 air yards. Jacksonville is an underdog or favored by fewer than two points in seven of their final eight games, a game script that makes this waiver wire add an interesting option coming down the stretch.
Betting: Unders are 10-3 in the Jaguars last 13 games when being installed as a home underdog.