Mac

Jones

The Jags appeared to have a puncher’s chance at pulling off the upset on the opening drive. Jones began the day with five straight completions, all short throws, to set up Cam Little for a long field goal. That was just about the highlight of the day for Jags fans as Jones would go on to mount one more scoring drive before halftime and didn’t get any points on the board after the break. Jones rarely pushed the ball downfield and had next to no success when doing so. He had three completions of more than 10 yards and all three were to Brian Thomas Jr. Jones doesn’t have the arm talent or the decision-making to keep the offense on schedule and get points on the board. Even if Trevor Lawrence is out after the Jags’ Week 12 bye, Jones will not be on the fantasy radar.

ESPN reports Lawrence could be back after the Jaguars’ Week 12 bye. Mac Jones will get another start, this time against an aggressive Detroit defense that should have an easy time with the miserable Jacksonville offense. Jones in Week 10 against the Vikings threw for 111 scoreless yards and two interceptions. He had the third lowest drop back EPA of Week 10. Jones probably shouldn’t even be used in superflex formats against Detroit this week. With Jones under center, Brian Thomas is little more than a desperation flex option. Evan Engram remains a top-12 tight end.

Jones did manage a QB sneak score on the ground, but when you add in his three sacks for 24 yards, he finished under 100 yards net passing. He was as bad as the box score looked, which also included a lost fumble on a bad snap. So inept he found no pass catcher for more than 40 yards and only one for more than 25, Jones was a fantasy-killer for all involved. An elite Vikings defense had a lot to do with that, but a Week 11 Lions road trip would arguably be even more daunting were Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) to remain sidelined. It’s possible coach Doug Pederson is fired this week, but our early lean is that Lawrence returns and McCorkle sits.

Head coach Doug Pederson said as much on Friday morning, so the news isn’t much of a surprise. As Schefter notes, the Jags play the Lions next week and get their bye the following week. One more game off after today would give the young quarterback a lengthy recovery team. With their playoff hopes crushed, it makes sense to give Lawrence all the time he needs. Mac Jones will start in his absence. Jones is not on the streaming radar versus a brutal Minnesota defense.

Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters this morning that Lawrence was trending toward missing Week 10. Lawrence has been limited in practice throughout the week but reports have all suggested he will not play. Barring a surprising turn of events over the weekend, we should prepare for “Mac Jones SZN” on Sunday. Lawrence leads the league in completions and yards on throws 20 or more yards downfield. His connection with rookie Brian Thomas Jr. has been one of the few things preventing the offense from truly bottoming out. With Jones under center, things go from bad to potentially untenable for the passing attack. Thomas Jr. will spend a week at the back of the WR2 ranks until we get a better idea of what the offense will look like under Jones.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported something similar on Thursday, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Lawrence is dealing with a banged-up, non-throwing shoulder and is reportedly even considering surgery to correct the issue. His absence in Week 10 would put Mac Jones in position to make his first start as a Jaguar after he won the QB2 battle over C.J. Beathard in the preseason. With Jones under center, we’d expect all Jaguars role players to take a slight hit in their fantasy production. Jones’ impact on the passing game could be particularly detrimental to Brian Thomas Jr., who has seen 54.6 percent of his receiving yards via the deep ball.

Lawrence’s injury is to his non-throwing shoulder but the Jaguars’ signal-caller is still receiving treatment and continues to “weigh options for the future,” per Rapoport. It sounds like Lawrence could be looking at an extended absence, although nothing is definite at this time. Mac Jones will get the nod in Week 10 if Lawrence doesn’t play. It would be Jones’ first start since Week 12 of last season.

Lawrence banged up his shoulder in last week’s loss to the Eagles and could be limited in practice throughout the week ahead of Sunday’s game against the Vikings. Mac Jones would get the start if Lawrence is unable to play through the injury.

The Jags’ incumbent backup sealed his Mac Jones fate when he suffered a groin injury in Jax’s second preseason contest. Despite the contest supposedly being “close,” Jones was never going to lose out to 30-year-old Beathard. His long experience will get him looks on the workout circuit.

It’s never good when a quarterback not named Tom Brady reverts back to their Patriots ways. Jones’ three seasons were marred with more downs than ups after a strong rookie campaign that saw him throw for 3,801-22-13 while leading the team to a 10-7 record. Jones is in a battle for the backup job behind Trevor Lawrence. Jones threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns this preseason while completing 73.1 percent of his passes, but we’ve seen strong preseason from him before. We’ll see if that’s enough to unseat three-year backup C.J. Beathard, who threw for 165 yards and one touchdown in the preseason on just 21 passes.