Steal Chris Thompson Late in PPR Leagues

After seven mostly injury-filled seasons in Washington, Chris Thompson is moving back to Florida as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He signed a one-year deal on the first of May after the Jags passed on running backs in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Thompson is reunited with former Washington coach Jay Gruden, who is now the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville under Doug Marrone. If Thompson can remain healthy and on the field, he’ll be a late-round PPR gift in 2020, and here’s why.

Jacksonville Hates Leonard Fournette * Update (He was released on 8/31 so they really do hate him)

Despite two top-10 performances among fantasy running backs in Fournette’s first three years in the league, the new Jaguars regime just isn’t that into their first-round pick from just a few seasons ago.

First came the rumors of trade discussions prior to the draft, which proved unsuccessful as the Jags were unable to procure any takers. Jacksonville even reached out to the Bucs on the night of the NFL Draft offering Fournette for their 76^th overall pick, but Tampa Bay passed and grabbed Ke’Shawn Vaughn instead.

A week later, the Jags announced they were not picking up the fifth-year option on Fournette’s rookie contract, making him a free agent following the 2020 season. Oh, and on that same day, they signed Thompson.

Jacksonville could decide to run Fournette into the ground in his final season with the team and Thompson is now there not only as a familiar body in the backfield, but to pick up the pieces should Fournette not be an ideal fit for Gruden’s offensive philosophy.

How Chris Thompson Fits in Jacksonville

Thompson should provide a nice complement to whoever ends up being the starter in third-down situations. Getting most of his work as a passing back, the 29-year old has averaged 5.4 targets per game over the past three seasons with Gruden, which lies among the top 10 in weekly target volume for running backs.

The Jags use running backs in their passing game quite a bit, which bodes well for Thompson in 2020. As a unit, their backfield saw 129 targets which accounted for nearly 23% of the passing offense. That number of balls ranked seventh among NFL offenses in total targets to a backfield in 2019.

Chris Thompson is Dirt Cheap in all Fantasy Formats

Since signing with Jacksonville, Thompson is leaving draft boards as RB61—in the 20^th round or later for both types. If we check out opportunity cost at his current ADP, Thompson should blow away the players being drafted around him right now.

^{* ADP courtesy of My Fantasy League.}

Injury is certainly a valid concern for Thompson heading into his eighth season in the league. He’s only played in 16 contests once in his career, and is coming off an 11-game campaign due to a toe issue. His affordable price tag has health concerns built-in, but as a really late-rounder right now, Thompson is in a great spot in Jacksonville to outproduce his early-season ADP.

Bottom Line

• Thompson has never eclipsed 68 rushes in a season, but has consistently seen over 50 targets and 35+ receptions in his time in Washington. He’s dependable as a pass-catcher boasting a 74.6% completion rate throughout his career.
• Grab him now while he’s crazy cheap. As a projected RB4, Thompson’s ADP is currently RB61, yet he’s ranked as RB49 in half-PPR formats.