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Fantasy Football 2016: Blake Bortles down, T.J. Yeldon up

By Daniel Lago

Dec 13, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) hands off to running back T.J. Yeldon (24) against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Steve-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) hands off to running back T.J. Yeldon (24) against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Steve-USA TODAY Sports /
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Before the 2015 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars were arguably the most irrelevant fantasy football team in the entire NFL. Once Maurice Jones-Drew left after the 2013 season, the Jaguars had no one on the offensive side of the ball worth mentioning on a weekly basis as a fantasy player.

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That all changed last year with the emergence of

Blake Bortles

and one of the most explosive offenses in the entire NFL. The offensive skill players were performing at such a high level that our own Jordan de Lugo was able to write a weekly fantasy “Start ’em, Sit ’em” exclusively about Jaguars.

Blake Bortles set the franchise record for passing yards (4,428) and obliterated the franchise mark for passing touchdowns (35), while Allen Robinson earned the first Pro Bowl berth by a Jacksonville wide receiver since Jimmy Smith.

Bortles and company set the bar pretty high as far as production heading into 2016, but a dip in numbers isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the franchise overall.

Mike Clay discussed as much in a recent Fantasy Football ranking over at ESPN. He had Bortles pretty far down in the QB rankings, all the way to number 12:

"Jacksonville is pass-heavy as well, but Blake Bortles hasn’t been nearly efficient as Carr, and 88 percent of the team’s touchdowns have come through the air (second-highest). I expect Bortles’ numbers to regress next season, but his rushing ability helps him."

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I agree with Clay in that the ratio of passing production to rushing production was absolutely ridiculous in 2015. It should even out a little more this season, meaning T.J. Yeldon should get a lot more looks. Clay has the second year back ranked number 15 at his position heading into 2016:

"I like T.J. Yeldon quite a bit as well, and think the aforementioned regression to the mean in Jacksonville’s offensive touchdown ratio will allow him to approach eight to 10 scores as a sophomore."

The Jaguars seemed a little bit tentative at the beginning of the year to give Yeldon a full workload, but he was clearly the best back on the team by the middle portion of the season. If not for some nagging injuries, Yeldon would have flirted with a 1,000 yard rushing season, a feat made more impressive when you consider how often the Jaguars were playing from behind (a lot) and how poorly the offensive line run blocked.

It’s never too early to start planning for fantasy football – make sure you have Yeldon a little higher on your board next season.

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