The Fantasy Football Implications of Travis Hunter to the Jaguars

In one of the more stunning moves of the draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up from fifth to second overall to select wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter. Brand new, 34-year-old GM James Gladstone and Co. essentially paid their early 2025 second and their 2026 first to make the move, so their investment in the Hunter experiment is massive. For fantasy purposes, Hunter will be one of the more intriguing and complicated evaluations of all time. But that's why you come to 4for4: smart answers to hard questions. Let's get into it.

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Travis Hunter Prospect Profile

Travis Hunter was the number one recruit in the nation in 2022, and after initially committing to Florida State — his idol Deion Sanders' alma mater — he shockingly flipped to Jackson State, the HBCU coached by Sanders himself. He was the first five-star recruit to sign with an FCS school, but it set him on a path into rarified air as the most legitimate two-way prospect in recent memory ... or ever. The following year, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado. In his FBS debut, he caught 11 passes for 119 yards and logged three tackles and an interception on defense. It was absurdity, and a perfect microcosm of his football future.

Hunter finished with 57 catches, 721 yards, and five touchdowns in just nine games that year ... then came the 2024 season. In a Heisman-winning campaign good enough to beat out Ashton Jeanty, Hunter caught 96 balls for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also recording four interceptions and 11 passes defensed as a defensive back. He played 700+ snaps on both sides of the ball, earning an 89.0 receiving grade (sixth among Power-Five receivers) and an 89.8 coverage grade (fourth among Power-Five corners) from PFF. When analysts and front office folk have called Hunter "the Shohei Ohtani of football," they're not exaggerating.

For fantasy purposes, of course, we primarily care about his receiving profile. Which is exquisite. Only three other Power-Five receivers have hit 90+ catches, 1,200+ yards, and 15+ touchdowns in a season over the last decade: Jordan Addison, DeVonta Smith, and Justin Jefferson. Last season, among 144 Power-Five players with 60+ targets and an aDOT of 10+ yards, Hunter's 79.3% catch rate was the highest. That stat somewhat summarizes his strengths as a receiver: he's a downfield threat with excellent athleticism and jump-ball savvy, but he's also extremely reliable and prone to win at the catch point with great hands and elite ball skills. On deep passes specifically (20+ air yards), Hunter caught 14 of 27 targets for 417 yards (15.4 yards per target) and earned a 99.9 PFF grade last season.

He can win through speed, separation, positioning, and a contested catch prowess that exceeds his size — 6-foot, 188 pounds — and is often compared to Smith or Calvin Ridley as a result. I don't think he's in their stratosphere as a route technician, and prefer Garrett Wilson as a comp, but Hunter has also spent half of his career learning defense, so it's entirely possible he could continue to grow as a route-runner with good coaching at the next level. His success rate everywhere on the field is already wild — if he continues adding technique on top of talent, Hunter could be one of the league's best in no time flat.

NEW Travis Hunter's #ReceptionPerception is now up on the site 🔥



Highlights:

- 92nd percentile success rate vs. man

- 97th percentile success rate vs. zone

- 97th percentile success rate vs. press

- Rare catching ability

- Frequently makes the first defenders miss after the… pic.twitter.com/YZt4Xda0CK

— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) March 31, 2025

All this being said, the fantasy rubber truly meets the road in Hunter's offensive playtime. Will the Jaguars play him as a DB first, with a reduced snap rate as a receiver? The reverse? Or will they grant his wish, abandon all reason, and play him full-time on both sides of the ball?

Hunter in the Jaguars Offense (and Defense?)

Let's get it out of the way up front: Hunter will play snaps at cornerback. Whether he plays a significant number or whether those snaps affect his value as a fantasy wide receiver is yet to be determined. But you don't send a massive haul to move up and draft this kid without intending to use him in every way possible. Head coach Liam Coen has already stated they intend to "be fluid throughout this whole process," noting that they've already been discussing the outlook with "athletic training, equipment, sports science, coaching, everybody involved" and that Jacksonville has a "plan in place." It's also worth noting, as small as it may seem, that the team chose to have Hunter announced as a "wide-receiver-defensive-back from Colorado" during the draft.

I believe Jacksonville is going to index as far as humanly possible into the two-way talent Hunter provides, and that we should expect and project him to play roughly 80-85% of the offensive snaps. That's not unusual for slighter, fantasy-relevant WR2s like DeVonta Smith (89% in 2024), Jordan Addison (82%), and Jaylen Waddle (78%). Hunter will not outpace Brian Thomas Jr. in targets (at least not initially), but with Christian Kirk and Evan Engram both gone, his target rate should be extremely high as the clear-cut number two in the offense (well ahead of Dyami Brown, Brenton Strange, etc). Plus, in my books, Thomas isn't exactly a CeeDee Lamb or Justin Jefferson level target hog, so Hunter should have a very realistic shot at a 20% share in this offense. That likely means between 100-120 targets from the jump.

Hunter's arrival essentially kills all sleeper value for Brown, Parker Washington, and Gabe Davis, and slightly reduces my intrigue in Strange, who I previously liked as a punt-and-pick tight end. It also lowers the ceiling for Thomas — something I highlighted when I included him in my pre-draft list of dynasty players to sell — though he should remain in the fringe WR1 conversation. However, if you've been holding out hope for Trevor Lawrence, especially in dynasty, this is a massive pickup. Lawrence now has, arguably, two of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL, especially downfield. If he can't succeed throwing to a breakout first-rounder in BTJ and a top-two overall pick in Hunter ... his stint as a franchise QB may be on a timer. This acquisition should shift his value from low-end QB2 to borderline QB1 for 2025.

Projecting Hunter's Fantasy Value

Given our 100-120 target projection for Hunter earlier, we can comfortably project him for right around 70 catches and 900 receiving yards. Admittedly, these numbers are more on the conservative side — should he see an early breakout as a stud with a WR1 target share, Hunter has the talent to exceed these projections by 20% or more. But with all the unknowns — offensive snaps, target split with Thomas, Lawrence's passing efficiency, etc. — conservative feels like the best path towards expectation. The real determining factor for his fantasy value will be touchdowns. He has the profile and the skill set to project a solid touchdown total — around seven or eight — but the onus for those TDs falls on Lawrence, whose touchdown rate has been below league average and could cap Hunter more in the four to five range. I'm willing to throw Lawrence a bone here, specifically because BTJ and Hunter should give him a well-paved path to improved efficiency. All together, these projections put Hunter somewhere around 165 fantasy points in year one. That mark would have been good for WR30 last year, WR32 the year prior, and WR24 in 2022 — in other words, somewhere in the WR3 range.

Hunter is currently going 63rd overall at WR35 in Underdog ADP (based on data over the past few days since the draft). That's the lower end of his projected outcomes, assuming he's heavily involved on offense, so it likely bakes in a little of the uncertainty in that regard. He's going shortly behind Addison, Waddle, Chris Olave, and Deebo Samuel, all of whom feel a little safer and have similar upside, and ahead of Jauan Jennings, Calvin Ridley, and Jerry Jeudy ... none of whom feel any safer or have similar upside. So his current spot in Underdog ADP might be exactly right. And, just as a note, if you're preparing for a dynasty rookie draft, Hunter should be drafted in the tier right behind 1.01 Ashton Jeanty, alongside RB Omarion Hampton, WR Tetairoa McMillan, and QB Cam Ward in superflex.

The Bottom Line

• Travis Hunter is a one-of-a-kind NFL draft prospect and an elite fantasy WR prospect with explosive athleticism, elite production, and sky-high potential as a downfield stud and efficient scorer in Jacksonville.
• While Hunter's involvement on defense might have some effect on his fantasy ceiling, he should see significant snaps and targets at wideout, and should be projected similarly to "full-time" receivers like Jordan Addison and Jaylen Waddle in terms of snap percentage.
• While Brian Thomas Jr. should remain the number one option in Jacksonville, Hunter steps in as the clear and immediate number two, and should see a 20% target share from Trevor Lawrence right out of the gate, giving him instant WR3 upside if the newly installed Liam Coen offense finds its footing in 2025.
• At WR35 on Underdog, Hunter is being priced around his full-time-WR floor, and is perfectly positioned between similar wide receivers with higher floors and less talented wide receivers with lower ceilings. I will be more than willing to take shots on the Colorado product at that ADP, and would not be surprised to see it rise if (or when) offseason buzz starts to build.