Week 3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
DeSean Jackson has caught five touchdowns from Ryan Fitzpatrick since joining the Bucs, compared to just one with Jameis Winston. Jackson leads the league in receiving after Week 2 with an incredible 30.6 yards per catch on nine receptions.
We like Jackson again this week against the Steelers, who were torched by Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins a week ago. Jackson has top-end speed and should be able to break loose in the secondary again. We like him as a WR3 option vs. Pittsburgh.
Fantasy Upside
DeSean Jackson finished second on the team in targets (91) and receiving yards (668) last season. He returns in 2018 as the starter opposite Mike Evans and will look to bring his big-play ability to the table again. While fantasy owners would like to have seen more big plays from DJax last year, he did see 6.5 targets per game. If he can just connect on more of those passes he should be in a good spot.
Fantasy Downside
Jackson to Tampa Bay was seen as a huge signing before last season started, but it did not go over too well. Outside of 2015, when he only played nine games, Jackson posted career-low numbers in receptions, receiving yards and yards per catch. He also finished with just three scores.
2018 Bottom Line
Jackson was a letdown last year, and Chris Godwin proved he was a better fit near the end of 2017. We expect Godwin to take that leap in 2018, which means Jackson won’t be as beneficial. That’s not to say he’ll be useless, but his name certainly doesn’t carry the same weight it once did in fantasy football. He’s only worth a late-round pick in the double-digit rounds.
Week 16 at Carolina Panthers
DeSean Jackson injured himself last week (ankle) and has missed most of practice this week, making his status questionable. Even if he does play, Jackson has been disappointing this season, averaging under 50 yards a game with a career-low in yards per catch (13.4). There's really not much appeal here.
Week 15 vs. Atlanta Falcons
DeSean Jackson's mediocre season carried on last week as he finished with 4 receptions for 41 yards. He's now been held to under 50 yards in eight of his 13 games this season as we haven't seen his big-play speed on display at all in 2017.
He faces a fairly tough Falcons defense this week, although he had a season-high 8 catches the last time he played them. He only finished with 60 yards in that game, though. You can probably expect another under-50 yard game this week as Jackson is nothing more than a low-end WR4.
Week 14 vs. Detroit Lions
DeSean Jackson's up-and-down season continued with another downer this week, as he caught just 2 passes for a mere 24 yards. He's now been held to under 40 yards receiving in seven games this season, making him hard to trust in fantasy with such low numbers.
He gets a so-so matchup this week against the Lions, which makes it hard to get excited about starting him in fantasy. He hasn't had many big plays this year, and actually has the lowest yards per catch of his career this season. He's a WR3 with a low floor.
Week 13 at Green Bay Packers
DeSean Jackson saw a healthy 11 targets last week, finishing with 8 receptions for 60 yards. He was brought to Tampa to make big plays, but instead, he has his lowest yards per catch rate of his entire career. He is on pace, however, for his second-highest reception total, so it hasn't been all bad.
Jackson could get back to his big-play self this week as Jameis Winston returns. He also gets a favorable matchup against the Packers, and he has a chance to burn their defenders like Antonio Brown did last week. Jackson should be viewed as a low-end WR2 or strong WR3 this week.
Week 12 at Atlanta Falcons
DeSean Jackson didn't have an awesome game last week, catching 2 passes for 28 yards, but one of his catches was for a touchdown so it wasn't a total loss. Still, Jackson in Tampa Bay hasn't been what many expected as he's on pace for his lowest receiving yards (in a healthy season). He also has his lowest yards per catch of his career since his rookie season in 2008.
Jackson gets a tough matchup against the Falcons this week and should be viewed purely as a boom-or-bust play—with a higher chance of being a bust. He's not much more than a low-end WR3.
Week 11 at Miami Dolphins
DeSean Jackson was the featured receiver last week with Mike Evans out, and he saw 10 targets, hauling in a season-high 6 passes for 82 yards. It was one of his best games of the season, but with Evans returning, we expect his role to be reduced a bit this week against Miami.
The Dolphins are a good enough matchup for Jackson, who has been a decent receiver so far. Jackson's games have largely been based on him making a big play, which has been a rarity up to this point. Jackson isn't much more than a hopeful WR3 in Week 11.
Week 10 vs. New York Jets
With Mike Evans suspended this week, DeSean Jackson gets a bit of a bump. He's been somewhat of a disappointment this season, being held under 40 yards in 5-of-8 games. But with a favorable matchup this week against the Jets, and with Evans out, Jackson should improve.
We don't expect a monster game from Jackson, but a slight bump from his typical average isn't out of the question. He should be viewed as a WR2 option.
Week 9 at New Orleans Saints
DeSean Jackson finished with a healthy 8 targets last week, but only translated it into 3 receptions for 37 yards. Jackson was just one of many Bucs players to struggle in the game last week, but it is worrisome he's been held under 40 yards in more than half his games this season.
Jackson is capable of making big plays, but we haven't really seen it much this season. He hasn't had a single play over 50 yards and he has the third-lowest yards-per-carry average of his career so far. Jackson could get things going again this week against the Saints, but he'll continue to be a boom-or-bust type of player.
Jackson should be viewed as a strong WR3 option.
