Fantasy Football Team Preview: Jaguars

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
New wide receiver corps! Jacksonville rightly saw a huge amount of turnover at wide receiver this year, jettisoning off-the-field scoundrel Matt Jones, draft bust Reggie Williams, free-agent bust Jerry Porter, and slot receiver Dennis Northcutt. To replace that group, the team drafted three wideouts and brought in veteran Torry Holt to lead this new-look attack. Of the rookies, Jarett Dillard looks like a good bet to eventually start, while Mike Thomas should see plenty of time in the slot. Holt makes for a nice fantasy value pick, and Mike Walker could be a great end-of-the-draft flier that pans out in a big way.

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The Breakout
Maurice Jones-Drew. By now you know all about this fantasy stud, but I'd like you to consider a few things before taking Adrian Peterson number one in your fantasy draft. Fred Taylor is gone, and the team somewhat surprisingly didn't bring in a veteran or high draft pick to take his space. Seventh-rounder Rashad Jennings is intriguing, but fullback Greg Jones is the likely RB2 for Week 1. With other options being uninspiring at best and downright mediocre at worst, Jones-Drew should far surpass his 197 carries from last year.

Additionally, the Jaguars will greatly favor the running game this season. Their first two draft picks were tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, two guys that will inject a great deal of talent and youth into an offensive line that needs both. With so many rookie WRs out on the field, the Jaguars would probably be happy with a 55/45 rush/pass split at the very least. I believe this will translate to Jones-Drew easily setting a career-high mark for yards in 2009, and it would be surprising to see him with anything but double-digit TDs. While I'm still torn about Peterson vs. Jones-Drew, I know MJD would be my second overall pick without a doubt.

The Bust
The defense. Jack Del Rio has a reputation for being a defensive-minded coach, and that's likely why people continue to draft the Jaguars defense in fantasy leagues. It's time to shift away from that mindset, as the Jaguars had a pretty bad defensive year in 2008 and did nothing to upgrade that side of the ball for 2009. Rookie defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves couldn't consistently pressure the opposing quarterback, the rush defense looked lost without DT Marcus Stroud, and the linebackers seemingly never came up with huge plays. Yet the team made no significant additions anywhere. In fact, the Jags might actually regress this year; new defensive coordinator Mel Tucker comes over from a 3-4 unit in Cleveland, and it remains to be seen how he will adapt to the 4-3 scheme. This defense should be an avoid-at-all-costs pick in 2009.

The Depth Chart
QB1 - David Garrard
QB2 - Todd Bouman
RB1 - Maurice Jones-Drew
RB2 - Greg Jones
RB3 - Rashad Jennings (R)
WR1 - Torry Holt
WR2 - Mike Walker
WR3 - Jarret Dillard (R)
WR4 - Mike Thomas (R)
WR5 - Tiquan Underwood (R)
TE1 - Marcedes Lewis
K - Josh Scobee

The D/ST
While above I said you should avoid the Jaguars as a D/ST, there are a few IDP players worth mentioning. Rashean Mathis is an excellent starting cornerback in fantasy leagues when healthy and will likely be passed over in your drafts, due to last year's injury limiting his final line. Reggie Nelson also should be starting in leagues this year, as the mediocrity of the front seven should lead to more tackles for the secondary. Justin Durant could be a great IDP scorer if he lands in the middle of the linebacker corps.

The Skinny
- We've discussed the new receiver corps and the reliable rushing game. The Jacksonville player that's likely to give you the best value in your fantasy draft is David Garrard. Did you know that he was a top-10 QB last year? He passed for 3,620 yards and rushed for 322 more, scoring 15 TDs through the air and two more on the ground. Yet you generally see Garrard being passed over for name-brand QBs that have more question marks attached to them. If you're comfortable passing on a QB early in the draft, I'd recommend you pick up Garrard once 12-14 QBs are off the board. He's made his way onto my mock draft roster more often than not this offseason.

- Marcedes Lewis was expected to be a solid receiving threat coming out of UCLA, but he hasn't come close to fulfilling his potential. As one of the senior members of the receiving corps now, he does have a bit of upside this year, but unless you play in a 16-team league or deeper, I wouldn't bother drafting Lewis.

- Josh Scobee hasn't done anything in his career to warrant being drafted in 2009, so he's an easy name to cross off your kicker cheat sheet.