Welcome to Week 7: “Fluke or Future?” In this weekly article, we look back at surprising fantasy performances from “the week that was” in the NFL. Then, we look at the evidence to see if those performances were a fluke or if they’re indicative of prospects. Whether good or bad, we’ll discuss who “lucked out,” and who was “locked in.”
Week 7 Fluke or Future: Hunter’s Breakout
Jacksonville Jaguars’ wide receiver Travis Hunter finally had a breakout game in Week 7. Hunter set career highs in targets (14), receptions (8), and yards (101), and scored his first career touchdown en route to a season high 20.1 Half-PPR fantasy points. Those fantasy points would rank him WR8 for Week 7- by far his highest placing of the season thus far. For fantasy managers who esteemed him highly enough to take him at his ADP of WR31, it was a welcome sight. Our task for Week 7, Fluke or Future, is to determine if this was a one-off. Or is more of the same in store from Hunter?
As mentioned, this was the best showing of the season for Hunter in basically every fantasy-relevant category. As for leading the team in fantasy scoring, it was only the second time in seven games he’s even ranked better than the WR3 on his own team. The 14 targets were double what he saw the week prior. And that Week 6 showing had been his highest total since the eight targets he saw in the opener. He saw action on a season-high 87% of wide receiver snaps. This game was clearly an outlier to this point. But is it repeatable?
Signs point to…
Maybe. While the usage may be a bit surprising, Hunter’s recent usage has been trending towards this game for a while. Hunter averaged less than 60% of receiver snaps through the first four weeks of 2025. But over the last three games, his snap share rose from 67.2% in Week 5 to 77.6%, to Sunday’s 87%. Each of those figures ranked second among Jaguar wideouts. Hunter had been the Jaguars’ third-ranked receiver to that point. But Sunday’s game was special- and not just because it was played in Jolly Old England. Sunday marked the first time all season that Hunter didn’t play any defensive snaps in the first half of a game. His first usage on that side of the ball came in the third quarter. He had started on defense each of the previous two weeks.
But Travis wasn’t necessarily game-planned to be a focal point of the Jaguars’ pass attack against the Rams. He didn’t see his first touch until just before the two-minute warning of the first half. His touchdown wouldn’t come until the Jaguars were already trailing 28-0, well into the fourth quarter. By then, Tim Patrick was out with an injury. And remember, starting TE Brenton Strange is on injured reserve. Jacksonville used Brian Thomas Jr. heavily in the first half, but it seemed the Jaguars made a concerted effort after halftime to give Hunter an extended look as the alpha.
The Verdict
This was the first time all season the Jaguars weren’t involved in a one-score game. Win or lose, their previous six contests were all close. The Jaguars have one of the worst remaining fantasy schedules for wide receivers. You can argue whether the Jaguars hurt themselves by not playing Hunter on defense in a first half where they surrendered three passing scores. I say this was a special script that we shouldn’t look to see play out regularly in the future. Keep Hunter rostered, but this has the look of a fluke to me.
Week 7 Fluke or Future: Taylor-made in New York?
Not a whole lot went right for the New York Jets in Week 7. Their second-straight subpar offensive day led to their seventh-straight loss on the season. Head Coach Aaron Glenn benched starting quarterback Justin Fields in the second half in favor of Tyrod Taylor. Taylor played in a game with a healthy Fields for the first time. In fact, Taylor would end up leading Fields in snap share for the contest. Fantasy managers speculate that the Jets will name Taylor as their starter. Fields has now authored back-to-back games of fewer than five fantasy points. He averaged 27.5 points in his previous healthy starts for New York. There’s reason for concern for Fields’s fantasy managers. But will it really come to pass?
If the Jets are smart, it shouldn’t be a problem for those of us (myself included) rostering Fields. (Whether Glenn and the Jets’ coaching staff are smart is still up for debate, but I digress…) Yes, the offense moved marginally better after Taylor entered the game. But they still scored only a single field goal with either quarterback. And Taylor threw two interceptions. The Jets unleashed their 36-year-old backup, but didn’t reverse their fortunes.
New York needs their Field(s) General.
And that’s been the pattern all season. Week 6 against the Broncos’ formidable defense was an unmitigated disaster for Fields and the rest of the Jets. But otherwise, New York puts up considerably more offense under Fields. Excluding Week 6, the Jets have averaged 392 yards of total offense in games where Fields is the leading passer. In games where Taylor is the lead passer, that average falls to just over 213 yards per game. Fields has thrown for four scores and run for another three. He has yet to throw an interception. Taylor, on the other hand, has just three passing scores to go with three interceptions. Fields averages 6.3 yards per pass attempt to just 5.5 for Taylor. And Fields leads Taylor in passer rating, 91.1 to 73.3.
As I’ve said before, the backup quarterback is always the most popular guy on the team. The team has disappointed its fans thus far. But, as always with the Jets, the problems are far greater than anything a backup quarterback is going to fix. Fields still gives the team its best chance to win (although, again, it’s fair to question whether that’s the case with the current coaching staff…) It’s a difficult situation for a Week 7 Fluke or Future question. Unfortunately for Fields’s managers, I think we’re in for a continued roller coaster. This team is just too unstable under Glenn. The Jets will continue to frustrate for the foreseeable future.