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T.J. Yeldon Primed to Be a Fantasy Rookie Impact With Jacksonville Jaguars

By Daniel Lago

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The Jacksonville Jaguars were once again aggressive in providing quarterback Blake Bortles with talent at the skill positions in this year’s draft, as they selected T.J. Yeldon out of Alabama at the top of the second round. With Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley coming off the board in the first half of the first round, the Jaguars made a statement by taking Yeldon as the third back in the draft.

A true three-down back who is a perfect fit for the zone-blocking scheme, Yeldon should come in and start right away in front of both Denard Robinson and Toby Gerhart. Zachary Thompson over at FanSided already has Yeldon listed as one of the top 10 fantasy football sleepers:

"8. T.J. Yeldon-Jacksonville JaguarsWhile the Jags got good play from “Shoelace,” Denard Robinson probably isn’t their feature-back of the future and is a nice change-of-pace back if someone else handles the heavy lifting.  The Jags tried to get that player this year as they added T.J. Weldon coming off a strong year in Alabama with the third pick of the second round.Yeldon should excel in the zone-blocking scheme the Jags are trying to implement, and I think their offense will take another step forward under Blake Bortles and Coach Gus Bradley this season.Yeldon could earn the primary ball-carrier role by Week 1 with Robinson fitting in as a home-run threat change-of-pace option.  Yeldon could be a nice steal late in draft depending on how much hype he gets in the preseason, so monitor how he fares in Jacksonville and how much of a chance he’ll get. He could be a great later-round RB depth pickup if he gets the starting job."

I think the Jaguars will still try to keep some kind of rotation going with Denard Robinson, but I think Yeldon will get the bulk of the duties. The Jaguars reportedly won’t carry a true fullback on the roster, so I expect Toby Gerhart to fill that role in some capacity.

This is further fodder for those thinking the Jaguars will use Yeldon early and often. The Jaguars might have found their first fantasy impact running back since an early career Maurice Jones-Drew.

Next: Jaguars adding impact players in draft

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