It’s been an extremely disappointing start to 2024 for Trevor Lawrence and the revamped Jacksonville Jaguars passing game.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor has come under fire for a unit that has been among the worst in the NFL in scoring and third-down conversions. Lawrence’s 60.7 completion percentage through six games is his worst since his rookie season, and he enters Week 7 against the New England Patriots ranked No. 20 among quarterbacks in fantasy scoring.
MORE: Travis Etienne Jr. injury updates: Does Jaguars RB have a chance to play vs. Patriots?
One thing working in Lawrence’s favor last week was the return of tight end Evan Engram. Lawrence peppered his favorite target with 10 targets, which Engram turned into 10 catches for 102 yards against the Chicago Bears .
Are Lawrence and Engram primed to cook once again entering a favorable matchup against the Patriots?
Let’s break it down:
Fantasy Football Start or Sit Week 7: Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence has quietly put together his best two fantasy weeks of the season, combining for 605 passing yards on 51-of-69 completions (73.9%), four touchdowns and two interceptions. With the Bears and Dallas Cowboys on a bye this week, fantasy managers could be considering Lawrence against what has been a burnable Patriots defense.
The Pats have given up the ninth-most passing yards in the NFL through the first six weeks. Outside of second-year corner Christian Gonzalez, they’ve been a banged-up and undisciplined unit under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.
Still, it’s hard to trust Lawrence and this Jaguars offense right now. Lawrence's passing stats the past two weeks were propped up by a high-scoring affair against the Indianapolis Colts , and last week’s train wreck that saw Jacksonville trailing 35-10 early in the fourth quarter.
In what should be an ugly, low-scoring game in London against the Patriots, Lawrence remains a fade for now.
Verdict: Sit him.
Fantasy Football Start or Sit Week 7: Evan Engram
Engram’s return to full volume against the Bears was a welcomed sight for fantasy managers who used a mid-round pick on him in 2024.
It was still the most Evan Engram game ever: tons of targets, tons of catches, no touchdowns, and a lost fumble.
The good news was that Engram was finally able to put his nagging hamstring injury to rest. He played 38 offensive snaps and hauled in all 10 of his targets against the Bears.
The Patriots like to bring pressure under new defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, meaning Lawrence could be looking to get the ball out quick to his favorite target. Engram was targeted a team-high 143 times in 2023, and it was nice to see similar volume against the Bears after Engram caught just one pass in his only other game this year, Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins .
Given how weak the tight end position has been in fantasy this year, Engram projects as a top-five start in PPR formats as Lawrence’s security blanket.
Verdict: Start him.
Tank Bigsby, D’Ernest Johnson
Local News
Comments / 0