Austin Seferian-Jenkins Could Be the Go-to Guy in Jacksonville

Apr 29, 2018
Austin Seferian-Jenkins Could Be the Go-to Guy in Jacksonville

Enveloped in both on and off-field issues while a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Austin Seferian-Jenkins has done a complete 180 in his personal life. Sober now for over a year, the 25-year-old emerged as the Jets’ starting tight end last season and performed fairly well in the 13 games he was on the field. Ending 2017 as TE32 in PPR fantasy points, ASJ posted 357 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, but those numbers don’t include several touchdowns called back due to penalties and crappy replay overturns.

Now a member of the high-flying Jacksonville Jaguars offense, (yes, I actually typed that), ASJ is primed for a top-10 season and can be had for super cheap. He is currently being drafted as the TE19 in best-ball formats, coming off the board in the mid-12th round. Below you'll find some of the reasons he should find success in his new home, aside from his rejuvenated drive and motivation.

The Red Zone Work is There

Despite the addition of Niles Paul and Donte Moncrief, there is certainly room in this Jaguars offense for ASJ and his freakish talent. Blake Bortles had the fifth-highest red zone touchdown total last season (18), and also posted the ninth-most attempts inside the 20-yard line (60). Here's a look at Jacksonville's top red zone performers in 2017, showing that there is a place for ASJ and his massive 6-foot-6 body to succeed within the 20-yard line this season.

Jaguars' 2017 Top Red Zone Performers
Player Tgt 20 Rec 20 Catch % 20 Yds 20 TD 20 % Tgt 20 Tgt 10 Rec 10 Catch % 10 Yds 10 TD 10 %Tgt 10
Marcedes Lewis 10 5 50.00% 44 4 16.70% 5 3 60.00% 19 3 16.10%
Marqise Lee 8 5 62.50% 27 3 13.30% 7 4 57.14% 22 3 22.60%
Allen Hurns 7 6 85.71% 38 2 11.70% 3 3 100.00% 14 2 9.70%
James O'Shaughnessy 6 3 50.00% 29 1 10.00% 3 1 33.33% 8 0 9.70%
Keelan Cole 5 2 40.00% 17 2 8.30% 3 2 66.67% 17 2 9.70%

Tight Ends Have Had Success with Bortles

Sure, Marcedes Lewis wasn’t exactly a fantasy showstopper in his tenure with the Jags, averaging just 54.46 PPR points per season with Bortles as his signal-caller, but he was productive. It was Julius Thomas who had a solid connection with the Jacksonville quarterback during his two years on the roster, posting an impressive 121.5 PPR points in 12 games in 2015, and 82.1 PPR points playing in just nine contests in 2016. The 6-foot-6, 262-pound ASJ lines up really nicely with Thomas’ build, which could bode well for his potential connection with Bortles this season.

High Snap Count

Besides the guy under center, only Lewis saw the highest snap count in Jacksonville's offense last season, taking the field for 79 percent of the team’s plays. Of the top five position players on the field for Jacksonville not named Bortles, two of them are no longer wearing the black and teal (Marcedes Lewis and Allen Hurns). ASJ could see an even higher amount of snaps this season, as everyone gets used to each other in this new-look offense.

Jaguars' 2017 Snap Data
Player Pos G Snaps Snap % STD/Snp PPR/Snp
Blake Bortles QB 16 1110/1133 98% 0.22 0.22
Marcedes Lewis TE 16 895/1133 79% 0.07 0.10
Dede Westbrook WR 7 386/496 78% 0.10 0.17
Allen Hurns WR 10 537/697 77% 0.11 0.19
Marqise Lee WR 14 738/983 75% 0.12 0.20
Keelan Cole WR 16 755/1133 67% 0.12 0.18
Leonard Fournette RB 13 564/913 62% 0.34 0.41

Primetime Fun

After being disregarded by the primetime powers-that-be for many years, the Jaguars are slotted for five nationally televised contests in 2018. This includes a Sunday Night bout with the Steelers in Week 11 and an international tryst with the Super Bowl Champion Eagles in London in Week 8. Players tend to shine on a lighted stage and we could see the Bortles-to-ASJ connection on full display.

Speaking of London, Bortles has a history of high production across the pond, so streaming ASJ for Week 8 could also behoove fantasy players this season. In his last three contests in the UK, Bortles has come back victorious with a combined 633 yards and 8 touchdowns. Cheerio to that!

If all else fails, there’s garbage time. And Bortles loves him some end of game fantasy points—preferably to his new tight end.

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images.


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