Travis Hunter injury, surprise IR stint puts fantasy football breakout on hold

We can't have nice things, can we? Just when Jacksonville Jaguars WR Travis Hunter looked like he was turning a corner in his rookie season, the young phenom lands on the shelf. The Jaguars placed Hunter on injured reserve on Friday due to a non-contact knee injury, and he's going to miss at least the next four games.

The move likely has a lot of fantasy football managers scrambling for answers, whether internally or on the waiver wire. This also has a big impact on how Jacksonville's offense will look in Week 9 vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. Let's get into the injury fallout a bit.

How will injury affect Brian Thomas Jr.?

Before we even get to that, we have to note that Thomas isn't 100% healthy either, dealing with a shoulder injury that had him limited at practice Thursday. It seems like BTJ will be good to go for Sunday vs. the Raiders, but it's still a situation to monitor. One silver lining: Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said Thomas "practiced the best I've seen him practice" this week.

Anyway, prior to Hunter's injury in practice and before the Jags' Week 8 bye, we had started to see the rookie overtake Thomas for the WR1 role on the team. Hunter outsnapped Thomas 67-51 in Week 7 and had a 29.8% target share, hauling in eight of 14 looks for 101 yards and a score. Thomas had just three catches on seven targets for 31 yards against the Rams that week. The Jags were getting blown out and BTJ sustained the shoulder injury in the second half, but it still looked like the tide was turning in Hunter's favor.

Now, Thomas should be back securely in the No. 1 receiver role for Jacksonville in a strong matchup vs. Las Vegas, which is allowing the second-most fantasy points to WRs this season. It's unfortunate circumstances, but this feels like the perfect situation for BTJ to get back on track in fantasy if he can shake off this shoulder issue. He should see more quick throws from QB Trevor Lawrence, giving him a better floor than we had seen this season. That increased floor makes BTJ more of a WR2/3 play in most PPR formats.

If things go well, Thomas could return some of that draft capital you invested in him back in August.

Who else stands to benefit from Hunter's absence?

Not the tight end position, that's for sure - with Brenton Strange out, the Jaguars aren't getting much from their TEs. Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt have combined for 116 yards and 15 catches on 24 targets in seven games this season. Behind Hunter and BTJ, Parker Washington and Dyami Brown have gotten the most run of the wide receiver group.

In Week 7 as a starter, Washington played 88% of the snaps, which led the team. He also ran a route on 51 of 68 of those snaps. That translated to four catches on 10 targets for 52 yards. The 2023 sixth-round pick has shown flashes of upside over the past two seasons. Of course, Washington isn't anything close to the talent Hunter is, but will be available in most leagues at 5% rostered. With a good matchup vs. the Raiders, Washington isn't a bad replacement in the short term in your lineup for Hunter.

Hopefully you have more internal options, but it also may not be a bad idea to explore a trade.

Brown only played 23 snaps (30%) in Week 7 but posted a 2-50-0 line - most of that production on a 39-yard catch. Brown had played at least 64% of the snaps in four of seven games prior to the bye. We should expect him to see around that number again in Week 9. Brown has also had at least four catches in five games this season, so his floor isn't that bad with Hunter sidelined. He'd be slightly behind Washington for me but isn't a bad desperation-flex option in PPR.

There's also a chance Jacksonville funnels more passes to its running backs as a result of Hunter being out. Travis Etienne Jr. has been a reliable pass-catcher in his career. Backup RB Bhayshul Tuten could see a few more touches if the Jags lean into the run game. But Hunter's injury shouldn't really change how you approach either back in fantasy.

Above all, it's an extremely unfortunate development for Travis Hunter, as he looked to be ready to receive the oft-awaited "post-bye rookie bump" fantasy football managers wait for. Here's hoping Hunter can bounce back soon.