Jacksonville

Jaguars

Shipley notes that the Commanders allowed Rodriguez to enter free agency for a reason. Although he is “an expert at getting downhill and breaking tackles,” his passing down abilities remain “underdeveloped.” With RB LeQuint Allen slated for the primary passing down role, Jaguars coach Liam Coen must choose between Rodriguez and RB Bhayshul Tuten for the starting role. In late April, Shipley said he expected Rodriguez to lead the team in carries. It seems as though Tuten now has a chance to do so. Rodriguez is currently sidelined after undergoing a procedure on his left foot. Shipley does not believe his absence is a big deal “at all,” but Tuten has been playing very well in practice. If one of them can meaningfully separate from the other, it will pay off in fantasy.

Allen played on 66.0 percent of the Jaguars’ third downs and 65.9 percent of the snaps in the two-minute drill as a rookie last year. Both situations are valuable for fantasy purposes, though the role is not big enough for Allen to offer standalone FLEX value. If Allen does maintain both roles, it might negatively impact RB Bhayshul Tuten’s target-earning potential.

Shipley names an MVP at the end of each offseason cycle. Last year, WR Parker Washington took home the honor, and while Washington “has been really good again” this year, as has QB Trevor Lawrence, Thomas’ showing at mandatory minicamp puts him in the lead. Per Shipley, Thomas was now just winning on nine-routes last week, he was also creating separation as a route-runner and winning “over the middle of the field against the Jaguars’ top available cornerbacks.” Thomas struggled as a centerfield receiver last year. Improving his performance in that area was high on the to-do list, and it sounds like he did it. The Jaguars have three more organized team activities sessions before going on break until training camp. Multiple Jaguars have turned in strong showings, and there are only so many touches to go around, but Thomas could end up being a best ball bargain at his current WR31 ADP.

Per Shipley, Washington is now “in a full-time role on offense,” and believes the Jaguars are ready to let him “take his chance and run with it.” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said earlier this offseason that he wants to “unlock” Washington’s post-catch potential. Recently, he celebrated Washington’s ability to line up out wide, in the slot, run routes at all three levels and his improvements in reading coverages pre-snap. Last season, Coen employed three-wide receiver sets at the league’s third-highest rate (70.9 percent). If he does so again, the offense might be able to produce usable fantasy stat lines for Washington, WR Brian Thomas Jr. and WR Jakobi Meyers. If Coen shifts even 5-10 percent toward two-wide receiver sets, things could get slightly volatile. We should learn more in training camp. Stay tuned.

Per Shipley, Koziol “will earn reps” in the regular season if he keeps making plays. The Jaguars drafted Koziol in Round 5 and fellow TE Nate Boerkircher in Round 2 this year, but Shipley believes it’s been a ‘relatively quiet offseason for Boerkircher,” and Boerkircher missed Thursday’s practice for an undisclosed reason. He missed a practice last week as well. Koziol has shown “a real ability to make plays on the ball.” He is unlikely to garner a fantasy-relevant workload playing behind TE1 Brenton Strange, but Koziol is a name to know moving forward.

The Jaguars acquired Meyers via trade in Week 10 last year. He then led the Jaguars in targets (63) and receptions (43) until their season came to a close with a Wild Card Round loss to the Bills. Fellow Jaguars WRs Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. have generated buzz in recent weeks, but Meyers should not be overlooked. He still has a chance to repeat as the team’s target leader this season.

Shipley said the Jaguars drafting Texas A&M TE Nate Boerkircher and Houston TE Tanner Koziol in the 2026 draft does not mean the Jaguars coaching staff has a smaller role planned for Strange, who last season 46 catches, 540 yards, and three touchdowns as the team’s TE1. Shipley expected Strange’s pass game involvement to grow as the Jaguars deploy more tight end-heavy offensive sets. The Jaguars, Shipley said, are “clearly hoping that injecting the [tight end] room with talent should allow Strange to produce at an even higher level than before.” Last season Strange was targeted on 21 percent of his routes, which ranked 25th out of 58 qualifying tight ends. Though he’ll likely be the team’s third or fourth option in the passing game, Strange should be a viable fantasy option in 12 and 14-team leagues this season.

The Jaguars hosted the first of three mandatory minicamp practices on Tuesday, and Tuten “left the defense firmly in his dust on several big runs.” Shipley notes that these are pad-less practices and tackling is not allowed, “but Tuten would not have even given them the chance” anyway. Everything changes once the pads go on, so we can only get so excited about Shipley’s consistently positive reporting on Tuten. That said, Tuten is still turning in showings worthy of consistently positive reports. The rug could be pulled quickly if RB Chris Rodriguez (foot) returns without issue for training camp, and RB LeQuint Allen remains entrenched as the passing down back. Shipley even complimented rookie RB J’Mari Taylor as seemingly being “the only running back who was able to go run-for-run with Tuten” on Tuesday. However, Tuten is making a case for a larger-than-expected workload, though. Continue to follow his development closely.

Cameron injured his ankle during the draft process, so he only recently began practicing with his new teammates. He participated in special teams drills last week and made his offense debut today, on Tuesday, at mandatory minicamp. Per Shipley, Cameron arguably had the best day of any receiver. The Jaguars’ wide receiver corps is very deep, so it is tough to see how Cameron could become a meaningful contributor in year one. He is probably worth adding in dynasty formats, though. Keep an eye on him this summer.

Ensuring the listening audience knew he was not a doctor, Coen said during a Tuesday radio interview that he’s unsure as to when Hunter, recovering from a 2025 knee injury, will be able to join live reps at Jaguars offseason practices. Noting Hunter’s bulked-up upper body, Coen said Hunter would continue to grind tape and learn offensive and defensive schemes on screen while recovering. Coen described Hunter’s injury as a “minor setback for a major comeback.” Jaguars beat writers have been adamant that Hunter will play both sides of the ball once again in 2026 after recording 28 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown over seven games as a rookie. He would likely profile as the team’s third or fourth pass-catching option when healthy.