Despite Bad News for Trevor Lawrence, Analyst Backs Brian Thomas Jr. After Travis Hunter Injury

After an upset win against the Kansas City Chiefs on prime-time television, it seemed as if the Jacksonville Jaguars were finally headed in the right direction. In typical Jaguars’ fashion, however, those dreams didn’t last for very long.

Since that night, the Jags have been bullied by the NFC West, losing to both the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams by a combined score of 55-19. Even worse, they’ve now lost their star rookie, Travis Hunter, to the IR list after a non-contact injury.

According to CBS Sports’ fantasy football writer/analyst, Heath Cummings, owners can still have some faith in Brian Thomas Jr. for now, but it’s hard to trust anything else in Jacksonville right now.

“Targets haven’t really been the problem for Brian Thomas Jr…. It’s been catching those targets. Thankfully, drops are not that predictive… So I’m a little bit optimistic. I think you can view him as a high-end no. 3 wide receiver.”

Since completing 72% of his passes for 221 passing yards, a touchdown, and two rushing scores, Lawrence’s fantasy point totals have steadily regressed back towards the sub-20 range. Prior to the bye week, it seemed as Hunter was beginning to become his more preferred target.

Nevertheless, BTJ will once again have an opportunity to reassert himself as the hot-shot WR1 in Jacksonville in Week 9. The idea of him potentially fielding any added opportunities is worth a starting spot in your lineup, just don’t expect Lawrence’s point totals to improve alongside Thomas’.

“Trevor Lawrence, against the Raiders, was looking like the top streaming option. He was as high as QB14 in my projections at the beginning of the week, but when you’re throwing to Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Dyami Brown, it’s a little bit different than when you have the upside of someone like Travis Hunter. So Lawrence has now fallen a bit, he’s in the low teens now. He’s more of a QB2 than someone you want to start in a one-QB league.”

The Raiders have been a middle-of-the-road defense against opposing quarterbacks this year, having allowed the 18th most pass completions and the 19th most passing yards of any unit in the league. They aren’t necessarily pushovers, but they aren’t stellar by any means either.

Seeing as Lawrence has struggled to put points on the board in recent weeks, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll suddenly buck the trend on Sunday. Unless Thomas is suddenly able to break the spell that’s been plaguing his hands, it’s unlikely that there’s someone else who is capable of stepping up to help Lawrence produce meaningful numbers.

The success of the Jaguars offense now rests on Thomas being the star of the show, they need him to succeed, and for that reason, you should be able to rely on him finally justifying his ADP in Week 9.