The news coming down that Allen Robinson is lost for the season with a stress fracture opens up some intriguing opportunities for the Jacksonville Jaguars' wide receiver corps. This revelation comes as a major blow for a Jacksonville team that was beginning to make progress as an offense. Blake Bortles is solidifying his role as QB of the present and future and young skill position players like Robinson, Hurns and D. Robinson have displayed flashes of brilliance. Jacksonville fans seemingly had much to look forward to but the loss of Allen could put a damper on things.
Until then, Robinson's injury vaults Cecil Shorts back into relevance. Robinson posted a 48-548-2 line over the Jaguars' first 10 games, Shorts had taken a backseat, with a 33-375-1 line. Allen Hurns, who has shown the ability to score in bunches, sustained a concussion in the Dallas game and it's not hard to imagine Jacksonville taking a long term approach with his recovery. He's shown potential to become a major piece and with the Jaguars scuffling at 1-9, it makes sense for Jacksonville to rest him down the stretch.
Marquise Lee, another prized young Jacksonville receiver, has been dealing with ankle issues in recent weeks, clearing the path for Shorts to receive a majority of the targets. Bortles has not been shy about flinging the rock and with the Jaguars down in most of their contests, he's forced to throw to play catch up.
Despite losing starts to Chad Henne at the beginning of the season, Bortles has already thrown 278 passes for 1,921 yards and 8 touchdowns. He's been careless at times, with 14 interceptions and 23 sacks, but his gunslinger mentality, combined with Jacksonville's lack of talent, means a wide receiver must eat, if only by default. If you are still able to obtain Shorts, now's the time to grab him. Deeper league members may want to grab a flier on Marquise Lee as well, as he is sure to get valuable reps down the stretch.