Blake Bortles: Ready to Strike
-Hoover26 October 9
Blake Bortles, drafted third overall in 2014, is a star in the making. He is the leader of a young, fresh Jaguars team (one of the youngest in the NFL), and has all the tools he needs to succeed. The only issue is he hasn’t really shown those tools on a consistent basis yet. He has plenty of pocket presence with his 6’5” frame, and enough athleticism to evade rushers, yet he led the league in sacks last year. His eyes on the field are very good, and he scored above average on his Wonderlic test, yet he has thrown three more interceptions than touchdowns in his first two years. Some people might tell you that those numbers indicate a draft bust, but I say otherwise. Let’s take a look at the numbers, and see just how good this young player is.
The knock on Bortles has always been how he played inferior defenses in college. Playing in the AAC, he faced teams such as Temple, UConn and FIU, who combined for a 6-30 record in 2013. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Bortles also led UCF (University of Central Florida) past Louisville and Baylor, ranked eighth and sixth in the nation, respectively. He took them to the Fiesta Bowl (vs. Baylor) and managed to lead the offense 52 points in an upset victory. Clearly, Bortles isn’t one to crumble in big moments, or wilt against strong defenses.
As far as fantasy goes, Bortles was a top 25 quarterback last season. So basically, he wasn’t even a decent backup. He was a waiver wire emergency guy. This season, his newly energized receiving core and improved running game has aided in his run to the top ten. Yes, you may not know it, but Blake Bortles is a top ten fantasy quarterback, per nfl.com fantasy numbers. Not only is Bortles playing well, but he has a nice set of weapons. Allen Robinson (who was featured in a recent #MCM here) and Allen Hurns are both top twenty fantasy receivers thus far, and star tight end Julius Thomas should be back around week six. By the way, the only other team to have two top twenty fantasy receivers is the Packers, so the Jags are in pretty good company. With Thomas making his Jaguars debut, it will give Jacksonville an element that Green Bay just doesn’t have with Richard Rodgers. With the addition of rookie running back T.J. Yeldon, the Jags look primed for an explosion. But, if Jacksonville is going to explode, Bortles has to be the lighter.
If Bortles can take advantage of the wealth of talent around him, and use his massive skill set to his advantage, he might be able to boost his 7.5% ownership percentage in fantasy leagues. No, I am not missing a zero. Seven and a half percent. HE IS A TOP TEN FANTASY QUARTERBACK! I get that he had a poor 2014, and I get that he plays for Jacksonville. But there is no valid reason that Colin Kaepernick (ranked twenty-two) is owned in over forty-four percent of nfl.com leagues, but Blake Bortles can’t even crack ten percent! If Blake Bortles is available in your league (which he probably is), snatch him before your league-mates beat you to it. He is definitely a worthy backup with potential to be your every week starter. Go get him!
The knock on Bortles has always been how he played inferior defenses in college. Playing in the AAC, he faced teams such as Temple, UConn and FIU, who combined for a 6-30 record in 2013. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Bortles also led UCF (University of Central Florida) past Louisville and Baylor, ranked eighth and sixth in the nation, respectively. He took them to the Fiesta Bowl (vs. Baylor) and managed to lead the offense 52 points in an upset victory. Clearly, Bortles isn’t one to crumble in big moments, or wilt against strong defenses.
As far as fantasy goes, Bortles was a top 25 quarterback last season. So basically, he wasn’t even a decent backup. He was a waiver wire emergency guy. This season, his newly energized receiving core and improved running game has aided in his run to the top ten. Yes, you may not know it, but Blake Bortles is a top ten fantasy quarterback, per nfl.com fantasy numbers. Not only is Bortles playing well, but he has a nice set of weapons. Allen Robinson (who was featured in a recent #MCM here) and Allen Hurns are both top twenty fantasy receivers thus far, and star tight end Julius Thomas should be back around week six. By the way, the only other team to have two top twenty fantasy receivers is the Packers, so the Jags are in pretty good company. With Thomas making his Jaguars debut, it will give Jacksonville an element that Green Bay just doesn’t have with Richard Rodgers. With the addition of rookie running back T.J. Yeldon, the Jags look primed for an explosion. But, if Jacksonville is going to explode, Bortles has to be the lighter.
If Bortles can take advantage of the wealth of talent around him, and use his massive skill set to his advantage, he might be able to boost his 7.5% ownership percentage in fantasy leagues. No, I am not missing a zero. Seven and a half percent. HE IS A TOP TEN FANTASY QUARTERBACK! I get that he had a poor 2014, and I get that he plays for Jacksonville. But there is no valid reason that Colin Kaepernick (ranked twenty-two) is owned in over forty-four percent of nfl.com leagues, but Blake Bortles can’t even crack ten percent! If Blake Bortles is available in your league (which he probably is), snatch him before your league-mates beat you to it. He is definitely a worthy backup with potential to be your every week starter. Go get him!