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Time to sack up, y'all -- Duval is headed to the Left Coast to play the Raiders in what looks to be another great precursor to thousands of "DURR TEEBOW!" tweets, Skip Bayless ish and intermittent Valium usage.
At this time last week, this game could have been competitive. After all, it's two clubs with equally subpar rosters and that should keep things exciting, right? But then a dumpster fire dry humped another dumpster fire and the Jaguars lost pretty much all of the things -- a game to the Chiefs, a starting quarterback and a promising rookie cornerback.
Meanwhile, Oakland kept things competitive against the Colts. (Dammit.)
Unless you're deluded beyond all measure, you probably don't have very many Jaguars players on your fantasy roster... but there's a few who can exploit the Raiders for points on Sunday. Who are they and who aren't they?
Start 'Em
RB Maurice Jones-Drew: For some reason or another, the Jaguars leaned on Blaine Gabbert to win against the Chiefs. The Jaguars fell to a 14-2 deficit at the end of the first quarter and the running game was never given a fair shot, limiting Jones-Drew to just 15 carries and two passing targets the whole game. With backup Chad Henne starting in Oakland, I can't imagine offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch not leaning on his stable of running backs. If the game can stay close for most of the game, look for a halfway decent stable of running backs (led by Jones-Drew) to put up some decent numbers.
WR Cecil Shorts: With only three receptions and 40 yards against the Chiefs, you'd be forgiven for laughing at this suggestion. But Shorts was, far and away, the best shot the Jaguars had at establishing the pass. He led the team in targets (11) and the Raiders secondary is very bend-but-don't-break, allowing a high percentage of completions, but for not a lot of yards. Henne is the type of quarterback who decides early who his go-to receiver will be and just straight feeds him. Shorts will be that guy for Henne.
DST Jaguars: You know what? The Jaguars defense isn't half bad. Considering that the offense spent 12 total plays in Chiefs territory on Sunday, the overworked and exasperated Duval defense could be forgiven a lot of their shortcomings. With rookie cornerback Dwayne Gratz out for a minimum of three weeks, the Jaguars will be looking at waiver wire pickup Will Blackmon to fill the void. Personally, I think Blackmon can (and will) fill that void and I think the Jaguars take advantage of a Raiders quarterback in Terrelle Pryor who has a penchant for going back and forth between explosive plays and dumb mistakes.
Sit 'Em
QB Chad Henne: Just... no. For the love of all things holy and good, please, no.
TE Allen Reisner: If you're lacking in the tight end department, it's tempting to play a guy like Reisner who was second in receiving yards (31), second in receptions (3) and third in targets (5) last Sunday. But the Raiders locked down on the big guys last week, allowing just two receptions from Colts tight ends all game. Reisner might get two or three thrown his way, but I think the passing game will be more about Henne-to-Shorts than Henne-to-Reisner.
WR Ace Sanders: Sanders was a big part of Fisch's game plan last Sunday. His speed and agility earned him nine targets from Gabbert, but inconsistent hands limited him to connecting on just three of them. Not only that, but the routes where Ace looks most comfortable and competent are either quick throws or screens. Oakland has a quick secondary that will eat Sanders alive if he doesn't get more vertical routes, so look for Ace to have another Sunday where he comes close to the 4.7-yards-per reception he had against the Chiefs.