Julius Thomas
- TE
- ,
- 36
- 250 lbs
- 6' 5"
- N/A
- Week 12 Projection
- Dfs Projection
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Blake Bortles has looked good throughout camp, but appeared to reach a different level on Wednesday. Bortles completed 10 of 15 passes in 11-on-11 work and was 7 of 8 in seven-on-seven while being more aggressive with the ball downfield than usual.
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley praised Bortles’ work ethic in learning Greg Olson’s offense in the summer. Bortles says he can tell he’s playing faster in his decision making. He’s also making the right decisions more than last season.
“It’s more educated now,” Bortles said. “I’m knowing the matchup and situation better. Last year, it was like, let’s chunk it. It’s definitely more of an educated guess now.”
The Jaguars could become an efficient red-zone team with Julius Thomas, Allen Robinson and tight end Marcedes Lewis in the fold. The 6-foot-5 Bortles will have multiple reliable jump-ball targets.
“We have three guys that can go catch a fade at any moment. It’s awesome to have weapons like that. They can get up and jump and make plays. It’s definitely going to be fun to do that.”
Bortles averaged 12.0 fantasy points per game, which led to a #24 finish at his position. He's a passer who could make a leap in his second season if the Jaguars can give him time to throw and he can clean up his fundamentals. The receiving corps is young but talented, with Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee all capable of producing when given the opportunity. The team signed Julius Thomas to provide a dangerous weapon at tight end. Bortles averaged nearly 30 yards rushing, so he offers some baseline production as a runner. If Bortles can make a leap, the Jacksonville offense will be a lot better than expected.
Jags WR Allen Robinson spent the first several months of 2015 rehabbing his foot and began the offseason conditioning program cleared only for some individual work. It wasn’t until the next-to-last week of OTAs that he was cleared to participate in individual drills.
He was immediately noticeable. Though rules prohibit the media from describing exactly what happened during OTAs and minicamp, Robinson was the most impressive offensive player on the field -- even more so than tight end Julius Thomas, the prize of the Jaguars’ free-agency class.
"He’s been unbelievable," quarterback Blake Bortles said on the next-to-last day of a three-day minicamp. "I know he worked really hard in the training room to rehab and trying to get back as quickly as he could, and he’s done that. You guys have been able to see him go and make plays and he’s definitely a threat now in the red zone. ... He’s physical; he can run and do everything out in the open field, so he’s been fun to throw to."
Robinson said he feels comfortable with his knowledge of coordinator Greg Olson’s new offense so far despite not having a lot of reps, but that’s not a surprise since he did miss all that time last year during OTAs, minicamp and the preseason and still was the Jaguars’ best receiver through the first 10 games of 2014. He caught at least four passes in all but one game. The Jaguars made addressing the offensive line a priority in free agency and the draft. That should mean the passing game will be significantly better, which will give Robinson a chance to have a breakout season. The Jaguars haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2005. Robinson may have a chance to break that streak, the story said. Robinson is 33rd on our list and could presents a nice value in the middle rounds. Before his injury, he put up fringe WR2 numbers.
There are plenty of ways to break down just how bad the Jaguars' offense has been the past several seasons, but the best way to illustrate the ineptness is by looking at how the unit has performed in the red zone.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Jaguars scored an NFL-low 13 touchdowns and completed an NFL-worst 39.1 percent of passes on an NFL-low 85 snaps in 32 red zone possessions in 2014. They were still last in TDs and completion percentage if you include the 2013 season, too.
The blame is spread between the quarterbacks, offensive line, backs and receivers, and play calling. Not much the Jaguars have tried the past two seasons has worked consistently and as a result the team has averaged just 15.5 points per game the past two seasons.
Things could be significantly better in 2015, though, thanks to the addition of tight end Julius Thomas. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder was not only one of the league's better tight ends the past two seasons – catching 108 passes, including 24 for touchdowns – he was one of the NFL's most effective players in the red zone.
Thomas had 13 catches in the red zone in 2014, including nine for touchdowns. Only Green Bay receiver Randall Cobb had more (10) and Thomas had the same number as New England's Rob Gronkowski, Miami's Mike Wallace, New Orleans' Jimmy Graham, and San Diego's Antonio Gates, the story said. Obviously potential owners of Thomas need to keep in mind the situation is now a little bit different. The Jags don't have the same weapons Denver had a year ago that also needed to be accounted for in the red zone, and don't forget about Peyton Manning as the QB. Still, Thomas will be looked at as a big red zone option, and if the Jag WRs can step up as threats, that should also help Thomas' chances to continue his success. Thomas is ranked eighth among our TEs and is available in the middle of drafts.
While filling the void of Antonio Gates isn’t a job anyone wants, Ladarius Green’s offseason has impressed coaches and teammates alike thus far.
“(Green) still has huge upside and possibilities,” said Chargers TE coach Pete Metzelaars. “Last year he had to fight through a number of different injuries at different times, so I am excited for him this year. He is an asset in the passing game, and has deceptive speed. So I’m looking forward to putting him into situations to take advantage of that, but also challenge him to put more tools into his toolbox.”
“He seems faster than he’s ever been,” quarterback Philip Rivers acknowledged. “He certainly seems that way with the way he’s moving. Some of that comes with (having) more and more confidence. You just naturally gain that the more you play and the more comfortable you are in an offense. When you don’t have to think or do as much, you do play a little bit faster.”
“He’s looked really good and he needs to be a bigger part…” Rivers said. “We need to have him be a weapon for us because he could be a heck of a matchup for us against some defenses.”
Gates will miss the first four games due to a suspension for PED use. Green figures to see starter's snaps with Gates sidelined. In the five career games in which Green has seen more than three targets, he has averaged 3.4 catches for 66 yards and 0.40 TD. Thats 12.4 FP in PPR formats, or about what Julius Thomas averaged last season. Keep in mind that Green only averaged 5.4 T/G in those games, while Gates averaged 6.1 T/G last season, so Green has the potential to post top 5 numbers for the first month of the season.
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