Jaguars HC Doug Pederson complimented his team’s RB depth. “I feel really good about that room,” Pederson said. “There's a lot of depth there. There's some great competition that's going to show up with training camp. This is one of our stronger rooms on the team, and we're excited about that.” Travis Etienne returns, but Jacksonville spent a Round 3 pick on Auburn’s Tank Bigsby. ESPN reporter Michael DiRocco points out that Etienne handled a hefty 74% carry share following the James Robinson trade — a mark the Jags don’t want repeated. See our projections for this new-look backfield.

The Jaguars are signing former Broncos K Brandon McManus to a one-year deal. Jacksonville is also waiving K Riley Patterson. McManus finished 2022 well behind Patterson in FG conversion rate, hitting just 77.8% of his kicks (29th in the league) vs. Patterson's 85.7% (tied for 17th). But has been better than that overall (81.9% career) and averaged 5 FGs of 50+ yards across seven full year's as Denver's kicker. Landing in the ascending Jaguars offense makes McManus a top-10 option in our updated kicker rankings.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos are releasing K Brandon McManus. He spent the past nine years in Denver, converting 81.4% of his career FG attempts. McManus has been especially valuable from deep. He hit 23 FGs from 50+ yards away over just the past three seasons. McManus has also missed just 9 extra-point attempts for his career. He is coming off his third-worst FG rate (77.8%), which ranked 29th in the league. We'd still bet on the 32-year-old landing another opportunity. We'll see who Denver turns to at the position.

Jaguars OC Press Taylor gave his early impressions of WR Calvin Ridley at OTAs. "I've been really impressed with Calvin,” Taylor said. “I've watched every snap Calvin's played in the NFL, just like a lot of our guys have. So we're very confident in the player we're getting.” Taylor also praised Ridley’s preparation and work ethic. Meanwhile, beat writer John Shipley wrote Monday that Ridley’s off to a great start in Jacksonville. “Ridley simply moves differently than any other wide receiver on the field,” Shipley observed. “The pacing and tempo in his routes, the quickness of his feet, and his ability change up his approach to routes even when he isn't getting the ball all stand out.” Fantasy drafters certainly expect Ridley to rebound quickly, as his current Underdog Fantasy ADP stands at WR17. See where he slots in our 2023 WR rankings.

The Jaguars chose Penn State WR Parker Washington in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Washington sported one of the class' youngest breakout ages (18.5) and was an early declare. He's yet another short prospect in a class full of them, though. Washington also missed out on pre-draft testing because of the left ankle injury that ended his season early. Washington faces an uphill battle after landing in Round 6. We'll see whether he can climb the Jacksonville depth chart.

The Jaguars selected Auburn RB Tank Bigbsy in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Bigsby played his college career behind one of the nation’s worst offensive lines. Through four head coaches in three years, he tallied no fewer than 900 scrimmage yards in every season in the Tigers’ offense. In many ways, Bigsby single-handedly carried the Auburn offense throughout his career. Between his creativity and phenomenal center of gravity, Bigsby is among the toughest runners in this rookie class. In Jacksonville, he projects as the long-term compliment to Travis Etienne. Current backfield depth options include Snoop Conner, D'Ernest Johnson, and JaMycal Hasty.

The Jaguars selected Penn State TE Brenton Strange in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. At 6’4, 253 pounds, Strange posted 32-362-5 (13 games) as a senior. He tested as an impressive athlete, with a Relative Athletic Score of 9.06 (out of 10). Strange will spend 2023 behind Evan Engram, who’s set to play on the franchise tag. But there’s starting opportunity as soon as 2024.

The Jaguars signed RB D'Ernest Johnson to a one-year deal. Johnson was excellent in a trio of spot starts back in 2021, posting 22-146-1, 19-99-0, and 25-123-1 rushing lines. He led all 50 qualifying RBs in 2021 Pro Football Focus rushing grades. Johnson got on the field for just 35 offensive snaps this past season, though, with both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt healthy. Johnson now joins JaMycal Hasty behind Travis Etienne in Jacksonville's backfield. Neither guy is likely to have standalone fantasy value. But, if Etienne misses time, we'd expect Johnson to lead in carries, with Hasty handling passing-down work.

The NFL announced Monday that it has reinstated Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley. The 28-year-old hasn't played since Week 7 of 2021. Ridley initially left the team for personal reasons. The league then suspended him for all of 2022 after revealing that Ridley had placed football bets while he was away from the Falcons. Jacksonville acquired the wideout last November for a fifth-round 2023 NFL Draft pick and a conditional fourth-rounder for 2024. (That can become a third- or second-round pick.) The Jaguars now add Ridley to an offense that got quality fantasy football output from WR Christian Kirk, WR Zay Jones, and TE Evan Engram in 2022. Projecting the 2023 target shares will be a challenge, but each remains an upside player. Ridley's best ball ADP has been all over the place this early draft season. He has climbed as high as WR16 in Underdog drafts and currently sits 20th there, four WR spots ahead of Kirk. FFPC drafters, meanwhile, have Ridley 29th among WRs -- two spots behind Kirk. The two also sit close together on other draft sites. Keep the ADP variations in mind as you decide both whether and where to draft each Jaguars wideout. The collective talent can only help QB Trevor Lawrence, who's going eighth at the position in FFPC drafts right now.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Jaguars are expected to put the franchise tag on TE Evan Engram. The accompanying one-year deal would pay Engram $11.345 million. That wouldn't be a crazy boost from the $9 million he got on a one-year deal with Jacksonville last offseason. Engram finished 2022 ranked fifth among TEs in PPR points; eighth in points per game. He's currently going 7th among TEs in Underdog ADP and ninth in early FFPC drafting. Engram's an OK target in that range, though he'll face extra competition this season if the NFL reinstates WR Calvin Ridley. We expected Jacksonville to keep Engram and won't be surprised if they reach a longer-term deal.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne told reporters Monday that he was "happy" to finish his 2nd season healthy. But, according to Jaguars Wire, he added, "I just want to put on a little muscle mass, a little more weight, because those guys are really big." Etienne later listed pass protection as an area in which he wants to improve. Weakness in that area might have helped limited Etienne's playing time over the final 4 games, when he played fewer than 30 snaps 3 times (compared with 49+ in 8 straight non-injury games before that). Adding bulk isn't always a great thing for a speedy back, because too much extra muscle can slow him down. Even if that doesn't happen, this change doesn't seem likely to address Etienne's main fantasy issue: a lack of receptions. We'll certainly be watching all factors as the former 1st-round pick approaches his 3rd season. Etienne looks decent as an option in Round 3 or 4 of early best-ball drafts.

Jags WR Christian Kirk snagged 7 balls for 52 yards and 1 score in the Divisional Round loss to Kansas City. He tied a season-high (and matched last week’s number) with 14 targets. He nearly cracked 100 yards in this one, but a well-thrown deep ball from Trevor Lawrence bounced off Kirk’s hands. The former Cardinal exited the regular season with 84-1,108-8 on 133 targets, enough to make him WR11 in PPR. He’ll enter year 2 in Jacksonville alongside newly acquired WR Calvin Ridley. We’ll see where their ADPs shake out in early drafting.

Jags RB Travis Etienne ripped off 62 yards and 1 score in Saturday’s loss at Kansas City. He did so on only 10 attempts. Backup JaMycal Hasty chipped in with 4 carries, although the bigger story here was Hasty’s involvement as the go-to back when Jacksonville played from behind. On the year, Etienne tallied only 35 catches (2.05 per game) on 45 targets — 5th most on the team. Target competition will remain stiff next fall given the addition of Calvin Ridley. We’ll see if the Jags tinker with the backfield, as Hasty is slated for restricted free agency.

Jags QB Trevor Lawrence completed 24 of 39 passes for 217 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in Saturday’s loss at Kansas City. Lawrence was up and down in this one, throwing a couple of passes (beyond the 1 INT) that should have been intercepted. However, this game could have turned out differently had Christian Kirk hauled in a beautifully thrown deep ball. Overall, Lawrence took a massive step forward in year 2. Future growth isn’t out of the question with newfound coaching stability — plus the impending arrival of Calvin Ridley.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) is active for today’s Divisional Round game vs. the Chiefs. He was limited in practice all week but shouldn’t be inhibited today. Lawrence posted a 259-2-0 passing line in Kansas City back in Week 10. The Chiefs finished the regular season 31st in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) practiced in a limited fashion all week and is officially questionable for Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Chiefs. This trend of Lawrence being questionable with his toe issue is nothing new and shouldn't prevent him from suiting up this weekend. The Chiefs' defense ranks as the 2nd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs. It's a good spot for Lawrence on paper, but it's hard to get the taste of the 4 INTs that Lawrence threw in the 1st half vs. the Chargers last week out of our mouths. We're not as keen on the second-year signal caller as a result.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) was a limited participant in practice again on Wednesday. We expect Lawrence to suit up for Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Chiefs barring any unforeseen change. We'll update his status again tomorrow.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) logged limited participation on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's Divisional Round matchup vs. the Jaguars. The second-year QB has practiced lightly over the last several weeks with this injury without ultimately missing a game. We expect the same for Saturday. We'll keep an eye on this in case something changes.

Jaguars TE Evan Engram finished Saturday’s Wild Card win with 7 catches, 93 yards and 1 score. In a game that found the Jags down 27-0, Engram led the team in targets with 11. Credit the former Giant for emerging down the stretch — he’s now hit 14+ PPR points in 5 of his past 7 matchups. Next week will likely turn up a matchup with Kansas City. Engram tallied only 14 yards against K.C. back in Week 10.

Jags RB Travis Etienne racked up 109 yards on 20 attempts in a (wild) Wild Card win over Los Angeles. It’s amazing that he saw that type of volume, as Jacksonville fell behind 27-0 in the 1st half. Yet for the 4th time over the past 5 weeks, Etienne reached 100 total yards. We expect the Clemson product to face Kansas City in the Divisional Round. Back in Week 10, Etienne posted 11 carries for 45 yards (plus 3-28 receiving) against the Chiefs.