Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Football Value Picks: Blake Bortles
By Luke Sims
Blake Bortles Fantasy Football information is flying around the web in the wake of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ announcement that they will be starting the rookie quarterback for the remainder of the season. He impressed with over 200 yards passing and two touchdowns in just a half of football against the Indianapolis Colts and looked like he did not have the traditional tentative nature of a rookie. While you shouldn’t expect eye-popping Andrew Luck type number, Bortles could be a valuable fantasy pickup if you’re looking a tad strapped at the quarterback position.
Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers will provide a lot of insight on how effective Bortles can be in a full game. Last week he was expected to just chuck it and try and eat up yards and score points to overcome a 30 point deficit. While he showed poise and the ability to execute during the preseason, executing a game plan successfully for a full four quarters in a real regular season game is a different animal. He doesn’t look like he will get frustrated with the limited running game, but if the Chargers’ secondary limits the young receiving corps then Bortles may be in trouble.
It’s the lack of a running game that makes Bortles an intriguing value pick for your fantasy football team. Toby Gerhart has yet to impress and Denard Robinson hasn’t been as explosive as the Jaguars wanted heading into the season. That means Bortles will be throwing often, especially for first downs and in the red zone as the running game has proven it is unreliable.
Bortles has proven he can spark the offense more than Chad Henne, who he is replacing. Henne didn’t post a 300 yard game in the first two weeks of the season and Bortles should be able to get into 300 yards with comparative ease. Expect him to gain yardage in chunks and to tack on a few touchdowns to boot. Wide receiver Allen Robinson is developing nicely and should help Bortles put up some points for your fantasy team.
Bortles is going to be an intriguing option in coming weeks. Even if you don’t need to pick up a quarterback right now, keep your eye on him against the Chargers in week four.