In the 15th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Key Off Season Acquisition
In free agency, the key offseason acquisition for the Jacksonville Jaguars was place kicker Brandon McManus of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He signed a one-year deal worth $2 million after spending the last nine seasons with the Denver Broncos. In 2022, McManus made 28 of 36 field goals and 25 of 27 converts.
Fantasy Stars
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence of Knoxville, Tennessee is ranked sixth among quarterbacks. He completed 387 passes in 584 attempts for 4113 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2022. On the ground, Lawrence had 62 rushes for 291 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
There is no doubt that Lawrence showed significant improvement in 2022 compared to 2021. He saw his interception total drop almost in half. In 2021, Lawrence led the NFL in interceptions with 17 during his rookie season. He then had nine fewer interceptions in 2022, and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time.
Tight end Evan Engram of Powder Springs, Georgia is sixth among tight ends. In 2022, he had 73 catches for 766 receiving yards and four touchdown catches. The 28-year-old was selected to the Pro Bowl while with the New York Giants in 2020.
On defense, the Jaguars are ranked fourth in fantasy. Last year they had 181 fantasy points, and only trailed the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
Projected Finish
There is no doubt that there is a significant gap between the top two teams in the AFC South and the bottom two teams. The Jaguars and Titans are the class of the division and will battle for the title all season long. One statistic is significant more than all the other statistics from last year. Even though Jacksonville only had two more wins than Tennessee (Jacksonville was 9-8, while Tennessee was 7-10), the Jaguars were an impressive +54 when it came to points for and against, while the Titans were a -61. That is why I like Jacksonville to win the division.
