By The Hudsonian, Joshua Hudson
Transaction: The Jacksonville Jaguars sign TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins to a 2-year deal
2018 Fantasy Outlook: The talent finally rose to the surface. Sefarian-Jenkins had something of a breakout campaign in 2017 with New York, catching 50 balls for 357 yards and 2 TDs. Of course, most people will remember him for the TDs he scored but didn’t score, thanks to the ridiculous catch rule that has hopefully since been fixed. (The upcoming season will have more to say on that subject.)
ASJ is a former second round pick of the Bucs but because of immaturity and off field issues, he finds himself on his third team in his young career. Surprisingly, he stayed out of trouble after a year and a half in New York. Coupled with his solid season led to his new two-year deal with the Jaguars. The Jaguars are desperate for production from the TE position. They brought in Julius Thomas from Denver with a big free agent deal and he flopped before they shipped him off to Miami where he continued to flop like a fish out of water. The Jaguars fell back on tried and true Marcedes Lewis, their former first round pick, who hadn’t had more than 25 receptions since 2012. He had one spectacular game in 2017 with three touchdowns but had only two more in the other 15 games.
With a standout defense and a running game that was rejuvenated by the presence of rookie Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars don’t need a 1,000 yard receiver at TE. They need a safety valve who can be a threat between the 20s and in the red zone. All three of ASJ’s TDs came within 10 yards of the end zone. He’s also huge at 6’5″ 265 pounds. Find me a linebacker or safety that can cover him. ASJ isn’t going to light the fantasy world on fire. I’m not even sure he tops 500 yards. But he has an opportunity to score 6 TDs and 500 yards which could very well be top 10 numbers. He is a top 15 option though so if you need a backup for Gronkowski or are playing Russian Roulette with your TEs, ASJ will definitely be an option to look at.