The Worksheet, a fantasy football overview by Rich Hribar, breaking down everything you need to know for the Week 2 Jacksonville Jaguars vs Houston Texans Sunday afternoon game on September 15, 2019 at 1:00 pm ET.
| Jacksonville | Rank | @ | Houston | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5 | Spread | -8.5 | ||
| 17.75 | Implied Total | 26.25 | ||
| 26 | 17 | Points/Gm | 28 | 11 |
| 40 | 30 | Points All./Gm | 30 | 23 |
| 50 | 29 | Plays/Gm | 59 | 23 |
| 60 | 13 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 65 | 21 |
| 32.0% | 22 | Rush% | 38.98% | 17 |
| 68.0% | 11 | Pass% | 61.02% | 16 |
| 43.33% | 22 | Opp. Rush % | 32.31% | 12 |
| 56.67% | 11 | Opp. Pass % | 67.69% | 21 |
- The Jaguars scored a touchdown on 1-of-23 possessions versus the Texans in 2018.
- Gardner Minshew’s 88% completion rate (22-of-25) in Week 1 was the highest for any quarterback in his first-ever career game in league history.
- Leonard Fournette accounted for 94.4% of the Jacksonville backfield touches, which trailed only Christian McCaffrey and David Johnson in Week 1.
- The 378 passing yards allowed by Jacksonville to Patrick Mahomes in Week 1 were the most passing yards they’ve allowed to an opposing quarterback since 2015.
- Deshaun Watson has thrown for 5.8 yards per pass attempt and two touchdown passes in three games played versus the Jaguars.
Trust (spike production for that player)
- DeAndre Hopkins: Hopkins caught 8-of-13 targets for 111 yards and two scores in the opener against a Saints defense that was much worse than the secondary here in Jacksonville. But Hopkins has been just fine against the Jags and Jalen Ramsey in the past, registering as a top-20 scoring wideout in seven of his past eight versus Jacksonville. In his three games versus Jacksonville with Watson under center, Hopkins has been the WR6, WR23, and WR9, which includes Hopkins catching 12-of-16 targets for 147 yards when these teams last played.
On the Cusp (proxy of a player’s average)
- Deshaun Watson: Last week we highlighted how much better Watson has been in a trailing environment. Not that he’s bad while playing with a lead by any means, but the splits are just sensational when he has to put points on the board and it unlocks his ceiling. Not sure we get that here at home against a Jacksonville team turning things over to Minshew, no matter how positive his debut was in relief. This sets up as a game where Watson may have to do a lot with very little volume.
- Leonard Fournette: In a true workhorse role, Fournette had a bankable floor even while the Jaguars were in terrible game script all of Week 1. Fournette ran 25 pass routes and had six targets in the passing game. It’s fair to question if his ceiling is limited now turning the offense over to Minshew as the scoring opportunities could be more sparse, but his extended usage in the passing game gives him a higher floor than he would’ve had in previous seasons as a significant road dog.
- Duke Johnson: Johnson played 42 snaps and out-touched Carlos Hyde 13-to-11. He turned those touches into 90 yards from scrimmage and four receptions. Jacksonville surrendered 176 yards on 32 touches in Week 1 to the Chiefs backfield.
- Will Fuller: He was on the field for 97% of the snaps in Week 1 after suffering an ACL injury in the middle of 2018. His target volume is always a question and that may be in question if Houston controls the game. He moves into WR3 status in a tougher matchup than last week, but has turned in respectable 6-68-0 line when he played in this matchup a week ago.
Bust (down-week production for that player’s standards)
- Kenny Stills/Keke Coutee: Coutee appeared close to playing last week and in Stills’s first game with the team, he played just 28 snaps and had zero receiving yards until a 37-yard touchdown catch with under a minute left in the game. In a game where the Texans may not be pressed to put up points, the ancillary options here are tough to trust, especially if Coutee makes his way onto the active roster come Sunday.
- Gardner Minshew: He’s a tricky one because he looked the part Week 1 and pre-draft, my prospect model had him as the QB4 in this draft class. But he also stacked a lot of production in true garbage time against a poor defense. The score was already 37-13 in the fourth quarter before Minshew threw either of his two touchdown passes as he went 9-for-11 with 127 yards and two scores in the fourth quarter. The Texans are not a pass defense to be terrified of, but as a huge road dog, Minshew is still in the lower-end of the QB2 spectrum.
- Jaguars WRs: As stated, there were a lot of receptions and yards posted in junk game script to end last week’s game. The targets while Minshew was in the game were flat as well, spread among Dede Westbrook (six), Chris Conley (five), James O’Shaughnessy (four), Leonard Fournette (four) Geoff Swaim (three), D.J. Chark (two), Ryquell Armstead (one). There’s no one here to elevate as starting-caliber in this matchup, but Westbrook and Conley hold the most FLEX value.
If You Must (intriguing bench option or deeper league play)
- Carlos Hyde: Hyde ran like a back who knew he was getting his final chance in the league on Monday night, rushing 10 times for 83 yards and playing on 25 snaps. With how Hyde was used, we should also assume that he’ll get the first crack at any goal-line opportunities. Attached to a large home favorite, Hyde is FLEX-worthy.
