Fantasy Football 2019: Impact of Jacksonville Jaguars coaching changes

New Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles is reunited with his former coach, John DeFillippo. What’s the fantasy football impact of this duo?

Fantasy football owners are always looking for an edge over the rest of the people in their league. That means doing more research, finding hidden advantages and so on. It can also mean identifying and quantifying changes throughout the league.

Thus, we’ve embarked on a series that ranks the coaching changes throughout the league — in regards to the offense, in particular — based on their fantasy football impact. Here’s where we’ve been thus far.

15. Cleveland Browns, 14. Washington Redskins, 13. Baltimore Ravens, 12. Denver Broncos, 11. Tennessee Titans, 10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 9. Miami Dolphins, and 8. Cincinnati Bengals.

In the ninth article in our series, we go down to Duval County to see which players are well-positioned to produce for fantasy football owners. Which Jacksonville Jaguars should we be on the prowl for in fantasy football drafts this season?

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

New Offensive Coordinator: John DeFillippo

The Jaguars, one season removed from an AFC Championship Game appearance, have a golden opportunity to restore their roar. New offensive coordinator John DeFillippo gets a second chance as an offensive coordinator after a disappointing experience in Minnesota last season.

However, the most important new face in Jacksonville may not be DeFillippo’s, but rather a quarterback familiar to him. An unquestionable upgrade over the much-maligned Blake Bortles, former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles brings a calm, quiet confidence that the huddle has lacked since the days of Mark Brunell.

Foles’ imprint on this team is already apparent, according to James Johnson of Jags Wire (USA Today):

"“Simply put, Foles has injected life into the Jags’ offense during training camp. Not only does it show in how the team rallies around him, but fans can tell that he’s an upgrade at the quarterback position, too. Since being signed, the receivers have especially adapted to his consistency at the position and they’ve looked like the best group in training camp so far.”"

Practicing against an elite first-string defense will help Foles take the offense to the next level. Although some are branding Foles as overpaid and overrated, All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey offers a ringing, to-the-point endorsement, per Neil Reynolds of NFL.com:

"“He’s the best leader we have on this team and he’s the best quarterback this city has ever seen.”"

Geoff Swaim, the team’s projected starter at tight end, offered high praise for Foles. The Athletic’s Phillip Heilman caught up with Swaim, who led all qualifying tight ends in catch rate last season (81 percent):

Swaim will break camp as the starter, but rookie Josh Oliver was impressing coaches before sustaining a “significant” hamstring injury last week. The loss of valuable reps is a setback for the third-round pick; he will miss the remainder of the preseason, and his Week 1 status is in question:

While Swaim can be had in the late rounds of any draft, running back Leonard Fournette is a third-round pick with first-round upside, if he can stay healthy. Fournette is one of the few “bell-cow” running backs left in a league that has seen a seismic shift towards committee backfields over the past decade.

According to John Oehser of Jaguars.com, DiFillippo made it clear that Fournette, underutilized in the passing game in the past, will likely be a more integral part of it this season:

"“[DeFilippo’s] thoughts on Fournette stood out because of the potential importance of Fournette to quarterback Nick Foles and the passing offense. Having running backs produce out of the backfield is key to DeFilippo’s scheme, and he and Foles both have discussed the importance in recent months.Fournette’s skills long have been underrated in this area. He has caught 58 passes for 487 yards and two touchdowns in two NFL seasons, and DeFilippo on Wednesday made clear Fournette will have ample receiving opportunities this season.”"

In the event Fournette can’t stay healthy, the unspectacular Alfred Blue is next on the depth chart. To be fair, his opportunities in Houston were hamstrung behind a highly-suspect offensive line.

Fantasy owners should keep both Blue and rookie Ryquell Armstead on waiver wire speed dial. The latter, a 5-11, 220-pound bowling ball out of Temple, is not much of a receiver out of the backfield, but with 4.45 speed and a well-utilized low center of gravity, he can hurt a defense in other ways.

The wide receiver position is the offensive unit with the most question marks, except for one: Dede Westbrook. As Oesher reports:

"“Dede Westbrook is the early standout of ’19 camp. Westbrook, who led the Jaguars in receptions, yards receiving and touchdowns receiving last season, has looked improved enough as a route-runner that he has made a memorable play pretty much every practice. He has the look of a player taking a significant step forward.”"

While Marqise Lee is listed as a starter on the team’s depth chart, he has battled injuries this preseason. By some reports, he hasn’t been as sharp as second-year player DJ Chark, who has run some impressive routes, including this one:

Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley has made strides in his attempt to secure significant playing time. Keelan Cole is also making plays and is working hard to regain the trust of the franchise after some correctable ball security issues derailed a promising start to the 2018 campaign. Both bear watching in deeper leagues.

The outlook for the Jaguars offense is much better than many realize. The offensive line is projected to return four of five starters. Continuity of that nature will benefit the running game, and it will also help Foles have a comfortable pocket in which to operate. A cohesive line will also allow Jaguars players to produce at a level higher than many fantasy owners expect.

Westbrook, for example, is going off the board in the late eighth/early ninth round in 12-team PPR leagues, and should easily outperform his ADP. Savvy owners see Foles as a sneaky late-round superflex option in his reunion tour with DeFillippo. Meanwhile, Chark and Swaim offer depth and upside in deeper leagues.

Last year’s disappointing offense has generated a negative recency bias among many in the fantasy football community which has depressed draft and auction prices for many Jaguars. When other owners pass on these value propositions, be ready to pounce.