JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had a breakout season in 2015, setting franchise records for touchdown passes (35) and passing yards (4,428). Those numbers equated to being the fourth-highest scoring quarterback in standard fantasy leagues. Can he duplicate those kinds of numbers in 2016? He's got plenty of weapons and receiver Allen Robinson looks like he's better than he was last year when he caught 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Blake Bortles
ESPN fantasy projection: 27.7 TDs; 15.9 INTs; 3,817.5 yards
Over or under: I'll take the over on the touchdown and passing yards, but just barely. We could go on and on about the weapons Bortles has in the passing game (Robinson, Allen Hurns, Julius Thomas, Marcedes Lewis, and Marqise Lee) but what will impact Bortles' production is the running game. The Jaguars added Chris Ivory in the offseason to pair with T.J. Yeldon and are going to put a bigger emphasis on running the football. Even though there are questions about the left side of the offensive line, the right side and center are solid and the Jaguars should be better on the ground than they have been the past three seasons (91.0 yards per game from 2013-15). That, plus a rebuilt defense, means the Jaguars shouldn't be trailing by double digits as much as they were last season. Bortles shouldn't have to throw as much to get the Jaguars back in the game (13 of his touchdown passes last season came when the Jaguars were behind by 10 or more points). His stats will dip from last season, but he will still be pretty productive.
