Jaguars’ Laviska Shenault Jr. named a breakout fantasy option by The Athletic
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By: Tyler Nettuno
Second-year Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. made quite a name for himself as a rookie despite the anemic offense around him. A second-round pick in 2020, Shenault finished with 600 yards and five touchdowns on 58 catches.
Now, with a new starting quarterback in place in Trevor Lawrence, Shenault looks to play an even bigger role in the offense this season. He won’t do it without competition, as No. 1 receiver D.J. Chark Jr. is looking for a bounce-back season, and free-agent signing Marvin Jones Jr. has been one of Lawrence’s favorite targets in the preseason.
Still, Shenault is a unique player within this offense. He moves like a running back with the ball in his hands, and it’s likely for this reason that The Athletic’s Andy Staples named Shenault as the Jaguars’ breakout fantasy football candidate in 2021.
WR Laviska Shenault Jr. is going to be a favorite of Urban Meyer because he’s used to getting the ball in a lot of different ways. At Colorado, Shenault was the only offensive threat. So with defenses primed to stop him, the Buffaloes moved him around and found ways to get him the ball in space. In camp and in the preseason, QB Trevor Lawrence has shown a fondness for throwing to Shenault. Shenault only averaged 10.3 yards a catch last season, but even if that number doesn’t rise much, expect him to produce because he’s going to be fed the ball a lot.
We have an idea of how coach Urban Meyer plans to use Shenault in the offense, as most of his opportunities in the preseason have been on short passes or screens designed to get him the ball in space. Considering 298 of his 600 yards as a rookie came after the catch, this makes a lot of sense. It also makes him a very intriguing candidate in PPR leagues.
Shenault has seen a lot of offseason hype, and the concern with drafting him in fantasy would be the fact that it’s unclear how big his role will be in the offense. Still, he should see a nice boost with Lawrence under center.
