RADIO
Tonight’s Thursday night matchup isn’t exactly DVR-worthy, but it will showcase some of the finest young talent in the NFL. Despite the record of both teams, there are playoff implications attached. The Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) are very much alive in a close but sloppy AFC South race, only a game behind the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts for first place. The Tennessee Titans (2-7) will need plenty of help, but aren’t out of it yet either, mathematically. This is largely in part to both team’s quarterback, leading to the question pertaining to fantasy: Who to start? Blake Bortles or Marcus Mariota?
The seemingly obvious choice here is Blake Bortles. He has been, at times, a borderline top-10 fantasy quarterback this season. All he ever needs is a little help from his friends. It’s fun throwing the ball when you have Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns running routes in front of you. Oh, and there is TJ Yeldon, who hasn’t been nearly as affective of late, but is still averaging 4.0 yards per carry, helping the Jags establish a balanced offensive attack. Yeldon is questionable this week, although is expected to play. He did not practice the past two days and could be limited in tonight’s game, giving a larger boost to Bortles’ fantasy value.
Bortles has thrown at least one touchdown in every game this season, and two or more in seven games this year. He is, however, coming off one of his worst fantasy performances thus far against a subpar Baltimore Ravens defense. He’s proven to play well against better teams, picking apart Revis Island Week 9, and will need to get rolling again this week to get back in the good graces of fantasy owners. The Jaguars visit the red zone 4.0 times a game, but average only 1.6 passing touchdowns, and no rushing touchdowns. They pass the ball 62.5% inside the 20. This is when Bortles’ youth has revealed itself. Bortles has thrown an interception in all but two games this season. Facing a Titans defense that allows the eighth most fantasy points to quarterbacks, according to Yahoo! Sports, Bortles will still need to protect the ball and establish some type of efficiency in the red zone. He is a QB1.
Marcus Mariota has also been sloppy, but has flashed his own moments of brilliance. Week 1, Mariota threw for four touchdowns and 209 yards on only 13 completions, out-dueling his draft-mate, Jameis Winston. Although it wasn’t until Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints when Mariota heavily produced again, out-dueling a much more established quarterback and again threw four touchdowns and 371 yards. His inconsistency isn’t due to a lack of talent, but a lack of weapons.
Heading into Jacksonville, Mariota’s sole effective target is tight end Delanie Walker. Wide receivers Harry Douglas and Dorial Green-Beckham have been too inconsistent, and normal go to receiver, Kendall Wright, will miss a second straight game. Tennessee’s run game is also in complete disarray, as they've only had one rushing touchdown since Week 5.
The Titans have the seventh highest scoring percentage in the red zone, but only average 3.2 trips a contest. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Jaguars give up the sixth most fantasy points to quarterbacks, making this a favorable matchup for Mariota as well. He needs to get his feet moving and hopefully establish his own run game. He is a QB1 also.
A defensive showdown is unlikely so it’s tough to go wrong with either. Bortles simply has more weapons.
