The early drafts I've participated in and seen thus far, it looks like I'll have a lot of Trevor Lawrence and Parker Washington on my teams. No one seems to fully believe what Jacksonville was doing down the stretch a year ago.
This was the hottest team in the league the second half of the season. After going 5-3 the first nine weeks, they went 8-1 the final nine. Most importantly, in fantasy terms, they went from averaging 22 points per game to 33. That differential of 11 points was the biggest in the league.
| TEAM OFFENSE, 1ST VERSUS 2ND HALF | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W-L (1st) | Pts (1st) | W-L (2nd) | Pts (2nd) | Diff |
| Jacksonville | 5-3 | 22.0 | 8-1 | 33.1 | 11.1 |
| San Francisco | 6-3 | 21.6 | 6-2 | 30.4 | 8.8 |
| LA Rams | 6-2 | 26.1 | 6-3 | 34.3 | 8.2 |
| New Orleans | 1-8 | 15.3 | 5-3 | 21.0 | 5.7 |
| Atlanta | 3-5 | 17.9 | 5-4 | 23.3 | 5.5 |
| New England | 7-2 | 26.3 | 7-1 | 31.6 | 5.3 |
| Houston | 3-5 | 21.0 | 9-0 | 26.2 | 5.2 |
| Tennessee | 1-8 | 14.4 | 2-6 | 19.3 | 4.8 |
| Cleveland | 2-6 | 15.8 | 3-6 | 17.0 | 1.3 |
| NY Giants | 2-7 | 21.9 | 2-6 | 23.0 | 1.1 |
| Miami | 2-7 | 20.0 | 5-3 | 20.9 | .9 |
| Cincinnati | 3-6 | 24.0 | 3-5 | 24.8 | .8 |
| Baltimore | 3-5 | 25.3 | 5-4 | 24.7 | -.6 |
| Seattle | 6-2 | 28.9 | 8-1 | 28.0 | -.9 |
| Carolina | 5-4 | 18.9 | 3-5 | 17.6 | -1.3 |
| Chicago | 5-3 | 26.9 | 6-3 | 25.1 | -1.8 |
| Buffalo | 6-2 | 29.4 | 6-3 | 27.3 | -2.0 |
| Washington | 3-6 | 22.3 | 2-6 | 19.4 | -3.0 |
| Detroit | 5-3 | 29.9 | 4-5 | 26.9 | -3.0 |
| Denver | 7-2 | 25.0 | 7-1 | 22.0 | -3.0 |
| Arizona | 3-5 | 22.5 | 0-9 | 19.4 | -3.1 |
| Dallas | 3-5-1 | 29.2 | 4-4 | 26.0 | -3.2 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-3 | 25.3 | 5-4 | 21.7 | -3.6 |
| Tampa Bay | 6-2 | 24.6 | 2-7 | 20.3 | -4.3 |
| Las Vegas | 2-6 | 16.5 | 1-8 | 12.1 | -4.4 |
| Minnesota | 4-4 | 22.8 | 5-4 | 18.0 | -4.8 |
| LA Chargers | 6-3 | 23.9 | 5-3 | 19.1 | -4.8 |
| Green Bay | 5-2-1 | 25.8 | 4-5 | 20.6 | -5.2 |
| NY Jets | 1-7 | 21.0 | 2-7 | 14.7 | -6.3 |
| Philadelphia | 6-2 | 26.0 | 5-4 | 19.0 | -7.0 |
| Indianapolis | 7-2 | 32.2 | 1-7 | 22.0 | -10.2 |
| Kansas City | 5-4 | 26.1 | 1-7 | 15.9 | -10.2 |
So I think this is an offense to invest in for the 2026 season, which is why I've apparently ranked Lawrence higher than many others. I don't think he'll run as much, certainly not 9 touchdowns again, but the guy was pretty good. He's being drafted in the top 10 quarterbacks, I've got him in my top 5, so it looks like he'll be on a bunch of my rosters.
There are significant questions with the roster. Travis Etienne is gone, which makes second-year back Bhayshul Tuten the incumbent running back. But they signed Chris Rodriguez in free agency, and he got a two-year deal averaging $5 million per year. That at least suggests he'll get a chance to start, or at worst a one-two punch. Rodriguez a little bigger and more effective as a runner last year, Tuten faster and more experienced in the passing game.
At wide receiver, Parker Washington was best the second half of the year. Jakobi Meyers was very good after coming over at the trade deadline (and he signed a big contract extension in December). And Brian Thomas is the former first-round pick who had the big rookie season, but he was 3rd-best of those guys the second half of last year. They've also got Travis Hunter (although reports have him playing more defense than offense this season).
It's a team I'll be watching closely in the preseason, figuring out where the value (or potential pitfalls) are. Because there's some evidence for the idea it will be one of the best offenses; just the beneficiaries that aren't certain.
--Andy Richardson
