Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts has been ruled out and won't play in the team's Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Shorts didn't even make the trip with the team and his odds for suiting up in Week 2 aren't yet clear.
Cecil Shorts injury update: Jaguars WR out, won’t be available for fantasy owners
The Jaguars wide receiver has been ruled out for the season opener. We break down the fantasy implications.
Rob Foldy
Fantasy Impact: With Shorts out of the picture, second-round rookie Marqise Lee now projects as the team's top receiving option for the week. Lee had a solid training camp and exhibited some play-making ability throughout the preseason. While he appears to have some deep-sleeper appeal, fantasy owners shouldn't get ahead of themselves. Rookie wide receivers typically struggle adapting to the NFL in their first year, which translates to boom-or-bust fantasy production at best for the most talented guys with starting opportunity on good offenses.
Lee's talent is very much open for debate at this point but opportunity is the only one of the three previously mentioned factors that he unquestionably has right now. The Jaguars remain a poor bet to run up the score on anyone this season with Chad Henne under center. Lee is no more than an WR4 with some upside and can carve out a larger role on offense if he plays well.
