Brenton

Strange

A hip injury early in the year suppressed Strange’s numbers in what would have easily been a breakout season for the third-year tight end. He was placed on injured reserve and missed five games. Despite that, Strange’s 46 catches, 540 yards, and three touchdowns were all career-highs. He finished the year as a mid-range TE2 on a per-game basis. The Jags run four deep at receiver when everyone is healthy. Liam Coen dials up designed targets for his running backs a few times a week. That makes it hard for Strange to be a consistent target-earner, but he is a solid streaming option when bye weeks roll in. He will be stuck in the TE2 range in 2026 drafts.

Strange looks great in open space, generating 37 yards after the catch on just his three targets. But the Jaguars didn’t really take advantage of it often, and he’s not a featured red zone weapon just yet. Strange will be a borderline TE1 play against the Titans in Week 18.

Strange caught his second touchdown of the season on a first quarter red zone throw from Trevor Lawrence. Strange saw strong usage against Denver, logging a pass route on 33 of the Jaguars’ 46 drop backs and seeing the third most targets among Jacksonville pass catchers. In a red hot Jaguars offense, Strange should be started in most 12-team leagues every week. That includes Week 17 against the Colts. Strange had three receptions for 27 yards the last time he played Indy.

A disappointing box score on a day where the Jags produced 48 points, 330 yards net passing, and five aerial touchdowns. Strange could only watch as Trevor Lawrence kept finding running backs for passing scores. Strange had been operating as a high-floor TE1 since his Week 12 but ceiling has proven elusive. It figures to remain so for Week 16 against the Broncos’ elite pass defense in Denver, keeping Strange somewhere in the TE10-14 range.

Strange managed two red zone targets and was chugging towards the end zone early in the first quarter, but could not escape a tackle. He spent most of the game being more lauded for his strength (pushing Trevor Lawrence past the spot to gain on one fourth down, outright escorting Travis Etienne on a third-and-1 run by tackling him forward) than actually creating yardage. He’ll remain in the low-end TE1 ranks against the Jets in Week 15.

Strange was involved early and often in the Jaguars’ offense. He saw several intermediate looks, including a 21-yard touchdown grab to open the second quarter. Without other significant threats at the tight end spot, Strange is on the field for the majority of the Jaguars’ snaps and is a legitimate downfield threat, with his only incomplete target coming on a deep sideline thrown. In two games since returning from injury, he has eight receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. Strange is a fantasy TE1 for Week 14 against the Colts.

Strange looked great in his first game back from injured reserve. He first touched the ball on the Jaguars’ second play from scrimmage, a play-action pass from the Jaguars’ own five-yard line, by getting open on a corner route and coming down with a 30-yard gain. Shortly after halftime, Strange once again got open on a corner route before hauling in a diving 24-yard completion. Strange is right back in the TE1 tier. He faces the Titans next weekend.

Strange makes his return from injured reserve against a Cardinals defense that enters Week 12 having allowed the 12th-most receiving yards (617) to opposing tight ends. Players returning from lengthy, injury-induced absences make for risky starts. Strange could be a tad rusty, and the Jaguars’ pass-catching corps looks quite a bit different than it did when he last played, in Week 5. Strange must be viewed as a highly volatile fantasy option this week. The Jaguars declared WR Brian Thomas Jr., CB Jourdan Lewis, RB Cody Schrader, EDGE Travon Walker, LB Yasir Abdullah, OL Anton Harrison and TE Hunter Long inactive for Week 12 against the Cardinals.

Strange last played in Week 5 and missed the previous five games for a Jaguars team struggling through a multitude of injuries. The Jaguars’ pass-catching corps looks vastly different than when Strange was injured in Week 5, making it difficult to project Strange’s current role. He is not guaranteed to return fantasy value in the short term, but he can be stashed as needed, where available.

We’d bet that Strange remains out after three limited sessions this week given that there’s still time remaining on his 21-day window and the Jaguars weren’t inclined to push it last week. But if he did somehow find himself active, he’d be a high-end TE2 due to re-injury risk in what projects as a nice game script for the Jaguars. Hunter Long (hip/knee) was also ruled out after three limited sessions, leaving blocker Johnny Mundt as the starter if Strange can’t go.