Packers fantasy football outlook: Start Rodgers, Jones and Adams against the Jags

The 6-2 Green Bay Packers are sitting pretty right now.

After walloping the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football, Green Bay sat back and watched the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose Sunday. Those losses put the Packers in a three-way tie for the top record in the NFC. A home game against the 1-7 Jacksonville Jaguars looks like a great spot for the green and gold to gain even more ground in the playoff race.

The Jaguars will be without Gardner Minshew for the Week 10 affair, so rookie backup Jake Luton will get another shot. The Packers, on the other hand, appear to be getting healthier.

Aaron Jones seemed like he shook off the rust of his calf injury against San Francisco, Jamaal Williams has been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and Allen Lazard appears like he is on the right track to return soon.

With all that in mind, who should you start? Who should you avoid? We are here to help.

Players are graded on a 1-5 scale of football emojis, from “don’t even think about starting him” (?) to “you’re a fool if you bench this guy”(?????).

Here’s how Week 9 shakes out:

GREEN BAY PACKERS

QB Aaron Rodgers: ????? 

Aside from the Tampa Bay game, Rodgers has been absolutely marvelous all season. He now has six games in 2020 with at least three touchdowns and no interceptions, which is fantastic even for Rodgers. Facing a Jaguars’ defense that allows the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, with average of 284.5 yards and two passing touchdowns per game (including four games allowing 300+ yards and three with 3+ TDs), Rodgers should feast once again.

WR Davante Adams: ?????

Does it really matter what defense Adams plays against? Everyone knows he is going to have at least a decent level of production unless he maybe gets stifled by an elite cornerback, but that type of player is not on the Jaguars roster. Even though he missed two games, Adams still has 53 catches for 675 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020 and he will add even more to those numbers against Jacksonville.

RB Aaron Jones: ?????

Jones is facing a juicy matchup against the Jaguars’ fifth-worst fantasy defense against running backs. He rushed for 58 yards and caught five passes for 21 yards in Thursday’s blowout win over the 49ers, which equated to 12.9 fantasy points (PPR). If he gets that many touches against Jacksonville, expect him to find the end zone again Sunday.

RB Jamaal Williams: ??

As good as Williams has been, he may not be a player to start this week. Jones looked like his old self against San Francisco and Tyler Ervin filled in well as a backup. Williams could snag a few balls out of the backfield, so he would be a better play if you’re in a pinch in a PPR league, but it does not look like he will have a huge role in the offense. Expect similar numbers as to before Jones got hurt. Basically, hoping he might score.

WR Allen Lazard: ???

It is unclear if Lazard will play against the Jaguars. He traveled with the team to the Bay Area for the 49ers game and ran routes at practice this week, but it seems like the Packers are being cautious with his core injury. If he does play, then he could be a good option for your FLEX after catching 13 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in three games this year.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: ?

MVS had a great game against San Francisco. Two catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns is quite a stat line. The question is can you trust him to do it again this week? Considering the fact that he had four catches (on 10 targets) for 51 yards in the three games beforehand, it would probably be best to stay away from Valdes-Scantling.

TE Robert Tonyan: ???

The Jaguars defense gives up the third-most fantasy points to tight ends this season – including seven touchdowns in eight games —  and if Rodgers targets Tonyan, then he could have a big game. However, Tonyan can get lost in the shuffle of the offense even when the Packers are successful, like he did last week against the 49ers when he only had one reception for five yards. He had five catches for 79 yards the week prior against the Minnesota Vikings, so it appears his role in the passing game is still fairly steady.

Packers D/ST: ??

Since the Packers will be facing a backup quarterback Sunday, it would be enticing to start their defense against the Jaguars. However, Green Bay has only forced six turnovers all season and even against backup QB Nick Mullens, the Packers D/ST had just once sack. Maybe Green Bay will buck the trend Sunday, but there are better options out there, especially since a few of the teams on their bye week (DAL, ATL, LAC) do not have fantastic defenses.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

QB Jake Luton: ?

Luton played very well in his debut against the Houston Texans. Although Jacksonville came out on the losing end to the Texans, Luton completed 26 of 38 passes for 304 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first NFL start. He also pulled off a spin move on a 13-yard touchdown run. Still, do you trust him to have another great game in his second start? Not likely, especially in some potentially windy and rainy weather.

RB James Robinson: ?????

Robinson has been a breakout star for Jacksonville. The undrafted rookie out of Illinois State has rushed for 580 yards and five touchdowns this season and picked up 99 yards and a score last week against Houston. He will be facing a Packers rush defense which has surrendered the second-most fantasy points – and 15 touchdowns (11 rushing, four receiving) — to running backs, so it would be wise to start him. The only caveat here is if this game gets out of hand, Robinson will get fewer touches in the second half but also keep in mind the Packers have allowed at least one TD to a running back in every game.

WR D.J. Chark: ????

Chark might be the most underrated receiver in the NFL. Playing for the Jaguars does not help his perception, of course, but the third-year receiver out of LSU leads Jacksonville with 33 catches for 437 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. Chark caught seven passes in two of his past three games, making him even more valuable in PPR leagues.

TE Tyler Eifert/James O’Shaughnessy: ? 

Jacksonville’s production has been split between these two – Eifert has 15 catches for 141 yards with one TD while O’Shaughnessy has 16-156-0. But, really, tight ends against Green Bay is a tough proposition no matter who is out there. The Packers have allowed just one score to a tight end – Tampa Bay’s Rob Gronkowski – and have allowed the sixth-fewest average fantasy points at that position.