Two years ago, Leonard Fournette made a huge impact as a rookie for the Jacksonville Jaguars, rushing for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns while hauling in 36 receptions for 302 yards and a score.
He played a significant role in leading the Jaguars to the playoffs and then eventually the AFC Championship Game, and in that postseason, Fournette totaled 242 yards while reaching the end zone four times on the ground.
As a result, there were lofty expectations placed on both Fournette and Jacksonville going into 2018, but neither delivered, and those two things are certainly not mutually exclusive.
Fournette recorded a meager 439 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 3.3 yards per carry in an injury-riddled eight-game season, and the Jags ended up going 5-11 and missing the playoffs.
Not only that, but the Jaguars were not happy with Fournette's attitude and conditioning, both of which they felt may have contributed to what was an incredibly disappointing season for the running back.
So, just what should we expect from Fournette heading into 2019, and should Fantasy Football owners take a chance on him?
Well, let's start with what the Jaguars did this offseason.
Obviously, Jacksonville made a splash at quarterback, replacing the much-maligned Blake Bortles with Nick Foles, and while Foles does not have much of a regular-season track record, the general assumption is that he will be a rather significant upgrade from Bortles.
The Jags also tried to address their shaky offensive line, adding Cedric Ogbuehi and A.J. Cann through free agency and selecting tackle Jawaan Taylor in the second round of the draft.
As for the Jaguars' receiving corps? They are still really thin, as all Jacksonville really did was add the unproven Chris Conley, and expecting Marqise Lee to stay healthy may be a pie in the sky at this point.
So, clearly, Jacksonville still has issues on the offensive side of the ball. We really don't know how Foles will do as a full-time starter, the offensive line has a ton of question marks and the receiving corps is not exactly elite.
Based on all of that, how can anyone really trust Fournette to have a bounce back year in 2019?
I also want to point something else out: for all of the talk about how good Fournette was during his rookie campaign, he only averaged 3.9 yards per carry, so he totaled 1,000 yards merely for being a workhorse; not because he was such a great pure rusher.
You would certainly think that Fournette can't be any worse than last year when he didn't even reach 500 yards, and that is probably true, but his hamstring issues are a real concern, and he has only played in 21 of a possible 32 regular-season games thus far in his NFL career.
It just seems like it is going to be very difficult for Fournette to put together a truly impressive season in 2019, and it's not all his fault. Again, the Jags' offense is a huge concern as a whole, as it's hard to believe that Foles is going to completely transform an offensive unit that ranked 27th in the NFL this past year. He may have an isolated magical run under his belt, but he is not Tom Brady.
The thought here is that Fournette will probably finish with under 1,000 yards, maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of 800-900 so long as he stays moderately healthy. Given his north-south style, he could be a good option for touchdowns, but the Jaguars would have to actually get in position to score them often in order for him to actually record them.
Basically, what I'm telling you is, stay away from Fournette in fantasy. At least for 2019. There are just too many question marks.
Follow Us
Subscribe