• Evan Engram scores twice: The Jacksonville Jaguars‘ lead tight end scored twice but might not be on the field as much this year.
• Jalen McMillan shines with the starters: The rookie wide receiver played every snap on the first drive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ starters and brought in a 28-yard reception.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Atlanta Falcons
Evan Engram’s interesting utilization: The Jaguars tight end scored twice against the Falcons backups but also exited the field a little more than usual.
In the Jaguars’ first preseason game, Engram played in six of a possible nine snaps with the starters. His median snap share last season was 79%, playing at least 70% in 15-of-17 games. It was a small sample size so just one more snap would have made his usage that week perfectly normal. Engram and the rest of the Jaguars starters rested last week.
In this game, he played 15 of a possible 23 snaps (65%). He mostly leaves the field in run situations, but if this usage keeps up throughout the regular season, it will force him to run fewer routes each week, leading to fewer opportunities to accumulate receiving stats. Engram turns 30 years old before the season and just spent a second-round pick on a tight end last season in Brenton Strange, so it’s understandable why they might restrict his playing time a little more this season.
He shined, but the offense didn’t have Christian Kirk. It’s worth noting Engram’s fantasy value exploded last season without Kirk in the lineup. It’s also worth noting he lined up in the backfield on four plays, which wasn’t usual for him last season. The Jaguars may be trying new ways to get him involved.
While this is all a slight negative toward Engram, if he can remain the clear red zone target for Jacksonville despite Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr.’s track record of scoring touchdowns, then this won’t matter and Engram fantasy managers will be just fine.
Chris Blair fights for a roster spot: Blair caught two passes for 18 yards in the first half with the Falcons offense.
Over the last two games, the Falcons have rested all of the players who are assured a roster spot. This has left Casey Washington, Blair and Dylan Drummond as the primary wide receivers in the first half. Washington is likely to make the roster given what the Falcons invested in him, which means Blair is only going to make the roster if they keep six receivers.
He made the Falcons’ most recent 53-man roster projection on their own website, noting his previous preseason performances. He’s been the Falcons’ highest-graded wide receiver over the first two games with a 74.9 grade, catching six passes for 136 yards and 3.40 yards per route run. The Falcons spent most of the first half facing the Jaguars’ starting defense, leading to the entire offense struggling, but he was the most impactful skill player outside of Washington.
There is a change the Falcons only keep five wide receivers, or they might end up bringing in someone from a different team, but right now, Blair seems to have a roster spot. If one of the outside wide receivers suffers an injury, Blair could start having a role in the offense.
Miscellaneous Notes
- It was reported before the game that backup running back Keilan Robinson and slot wide receiver Christian Kirk wouldn’t be playing due to injury.
- Brian Thomas Jr. took a few snaps off with the starters in this game, which also happened last week when Thomas was playing with the backups. This means Christian Kirk should at least play some snaps in 12 personnel over Thomas, and Parker Washington should play even when everyone is healthy.
- When the Jaguars took the starters off the field, Thomas was also taken out, which is a generally good sign for him.
- Travis Etienne Jr. played 74% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps with the starters, which is notably less than the first half of the season when he averaged 20.5 fantasy points per game, but notably more than the second half of the season when he averaged 13.2 fantasy points per game.
- The Falcons rested quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr., running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, wide receivers Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud III, KhaDarel Hodge, and tight ends Kyle Pitts, Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley. These are the same starters and top backups who sat last week.
Miami Dolphins @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Coming soon!
San Francisco 49ers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Coming soon!
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
