Trevor Lawrence Suffers Serious Concussion, Ruled Out for Week 14; Azeez Al-Shaair Suspended for Three Games
In a brutal turn of events, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a serious concussion following a violent hit in their Week 13 matchup against the Houston Texans. The injury occurred late in the game when Lawrence took a heavy blow to the head from linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Lawrence was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game, and early reports suggest he will likely miss the Jaguars’ Week 14 contest as well.
The NFL has responded to the hit by suspending Al-Shaair for three games for his role in the incident. The league determined that Al-Shaair’s hit was not only unnecessary but also placed Lawrence in significant danger, violating player safety protocols. The suspension marks a significant disciplinary move to protect players from head injuries, which have become a major focus of league officials.
Fantasy football managers, particularly those with Lawrence as their starting quarterback, will certainly feel the sting of his absence—especially with several teams already on bye in Week 14. With Lawrence sidelined, the Jaguars will likely turn to backup quarterback Mac Jones to lead the offense. Fantasy owners of key Jaguars weapons—such as rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr., tight end Evan Engram, and running back Travis Etienne—will also need to lower expectations, as Mac Jones will be under center in place of Lawrence. The impact of Lawrence’s injury will reverberate across both real and fantasy football, as the Jaguars’ offense, which had been clicking with Lawrence at the helm, faces an uncertain road ahead.
– Sagar
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The New England Patriots have traded former Pro Bowl Quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2024 6th round draft pick.
The deal is waiting to be finalized, as the trade can’t technically be completed until the new league year begins on Wednesday and Jones passes a physical. Jones will return to the town he grew up in and have a chance to compete with C.J. Beathard for the Jaguars backup QB job.
This moves increases the likelihood that the Patriots will target a QB with the 3rd overall pick in the NFL Draft. Unless they move up in the draft, expect them to have third pickings at the 2024 QB class, with it being likely that the first two picks in the draft will be the QB position.
For Fantasy Managers rostering Jones, this is a worst-case scenario. Unless Trevor Lawrence gets injured, expect Mac Jones to be on the bench. Jones immediately becomes disposable in single QB leagues, but offers some value as a quality backup in deeper Superflex leagues.
The New England Patriots are likely to trade Mac Jones during the offseason.
The New England Patriots are looking to turn the page on Mac Jones experience. With a new coaching staff in place for Patriots, it’s time for a fresh start, especially at quarterback. Since being drafted 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jones has failed to live up to expectations.
After winning numerous awards in his final season at Alabama, Jones showed flashes in his rookie season. He threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Since then, Jones has had a steady decline in production which led to him being benched once and for all during last season.
With Jones still under his rookie contract, the Patriots will have some leverage in trading Jones and his affordable salary to inquiring teams. The Patriots will definitely not be able to get a first rounder, but at least he will be trade-able. Where ever Jones lands, he will surely have to compete to get the starting nod behind center. There are plenty of teams that are in need of quarterback help. The Falcons, Broncos, Raiders, and Commanders just to name a few, could look into acquiring Jones at a bargain of a price.
The New England Patriots have hired Alex Van Pelt to be their new offensive coordinator.
Former Bills quarterback, Alex Van Pelt, becomes New England’s new offensive coordinator. Van Pelt has been the Browns’ offensive coordinator since 2020. Although he has held that position for the past four seasons, head coach Kevin Stefanski has been the one calling plays.
Van Pelt becomes one of the most important hires for newly named head coach Jerrod Mayo’s staff. Van Pelt should be bringing in more of a West-Coast based offensive scheme to the Patriots this Fall. During that four year stretch, Van Pelt did call one game for Cleveland in 2020, which was a Browns victory over the Steelers in the playoffs.
The Patriots currently have Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones under contract heading into the 2024 Season. Look for the Patriots to bring in a new quarterback either through free-agency or the NFL Draft. The Patriots currently hold the No. 3 overall pick which could be used to draft a new signal-caller should they fail to fill in the position via free-agency.
Jerod Mayo shared in an interview that the Patriots plan to “draft the best player for a position that is very important. You put the pieces together.”
Jerod Mayo sent the fantasy community ablaze with his latest quote that strongly insinuates the Patriots will be drafting a Quarterback with their 3rd overall pick. While there were some speculations that the Patriots may be targeting Marvin Harrison Jr., Quarterback is a clear position of weakness for the Patriots.
Mac Jones has steadily declined in his three years at Quarterback for the Patriots, throwing less touchdowns and scoring less fantasy points each season. It’s clear there is an opportunity to upgrade the position, and there are three Quarterbacks in the draft that project as top 10 picks: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels. At this point, you have to imagine the Patriots would be happy to secure any of these three as their Quarterback of the future.
The New England Patriots placed wide receiver Tyquan Thorton on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury.
New England’s sophomore second-round wide receiver will start the season on the IR and miss at least four weeks. No details on the injury have been reported other than it’s Thornton’s shoulder and it happened sometime during the preseason. Former Panther backup QB Matt Corral will take Thornton’s spot on the 53-man roster.
Belichick drafted Thornton 50th overall in 2022, but the second-year Baylor standout has yet to make a mark in the NFL. He played in thirteen games last season but earned only 22 targets for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns. New Patriot offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien gave fantasy gamers the confidence to make Thornton a popular last-round pick, but it’s time to move on.
