T.J. Yeldon

Yeldon's final season in Jacksonville was a mixed bag. He continued to improve as a receiver, setting career highs in targets, catches, receiving yards, receiving TDs and yards per target, and he provided steady, if not spectacular, production on the ground. His workload declined in the second half, however, even as the Jaguars had every incentive to lean less heavily on the banged-up Leonard Fournette. Yeldon's well-rounded skill set but lack of standout athletic traits would seem to make him a good fit as the clear No. 2 RB behind a bell cow, but rather than returning to that role with the Jags, he instead joined a muddled Bills backfield. Following the release of incumbent starter LeSean McCoy, Yeldon will fight for touches with the seemingly ageless Frank Gore and third-round pick Devin Singletary.

The selection of Leonard Fournette with the No. 4 pick last year ended any hope of Yeldon becoming the lead back for Jacksonville, and for a while it looked like it might be the end of his tenure with the team entirely, as he was inactive for the first six games of 2017. When he did get his chance due to a Fournette ankle injury, Yeldon quickly made up for lost time, exploding for 122 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries against the Colts in Week 7. That single game accounted for almost half of his production on the season, but with Chris Ivory now gone, Yeldon should become Fournette's top backup. Neither particularly physical nor particularly fast, Yeldon instead does everything competently, making him effective on passing downs and useful in running situations when Fournette needs a breather. Yeldon should once again get a couple opportunities during the season to make an impact.

A second round pick in 2015, Yeldon just keeps sliding down the depth chart. After adding Chris Ivory in free agency last offseason to challenge for the lead role, the Jaguars selected Leonard Fournette with the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, all but dooming Yeldon and Ivory to the bench. Not a particularly physical runner despite his 6-1, 223-pound frame, Yeldon's best chance at touches might come through the passing game, as he hauled in 86 passes in his first two NFL seasons. He also possesses the elusiveness to pick up yards if he can get the ball in open space. Fournette should dominate the early-down work, though, and is no slouch as a pass catcher, so Yeldon and the rest of Jacksonville's RBs could find themselves fighting for mere scraps.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with Yeldon’s rookie season. Given that he was 21 on opening day, a 4.1 YPC and 78-percent catch rate isn’t a bad return. But fantasy owners want to see more than three touchdowns from someone who touches the ball 218 times, even if a balky knee cost Yeldon the final three games. It's uncertain if Yeldon will be the primary back, but it might be more of a sharing situation anyway — physical Chris Ivory, late of the Jets, was brought in. You have to assume Ivory will get most of the short-yardage and goal-line work in 2016 — work that Yeldon struggled with last year. But perhaps this will help Yeldon stay fresh, both in the latter parts of games and into the deeper reaches of the season. The Ivory signing blocks much of Yeldon’s upside, but we’re still looking at a young player on an improving offense. And the Jags scored 35 of their 40 offensive TDs through the air last year — a ratio that’s unlikely to repeat. Even if Yeldon cedes the cheap scores to Ivory, he still has a good chance to improve last year’s end-zone count. Yeldon might not be an exciting 2016 pick, but there’s a little sneaky upside.

Big things were expected from Yeldon at Alabama after he ran for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman backing up Eddie Lacy in 2012, but he never quite became a superstar, battling through nagging injuries and ball-security issues that his upright running style exacerbated. The Jaguars still saw enough in him to warrant a second-round selection in this year's draft, and Yeldon enters camp as the presumed starter ahead of third-year back Denard Robinson. Yeldon doesn't have Robinson's raw speed, but he has outstanding elusiveness and burst, allowing him to plunge through holes and get to the second level quickly. He also has good hands as a receiver, a facet of the game Robinson has struggled with, and that ability alone should ensure that Yeldon sees a majority of the backfield touches even if a committee develops. But despite possessing good size at 6-1, 226, Yeldon doesn't run with a lot of power or lower his pads to grind out extra yards, and Jacksonville's offseason additions to the offensive line and coaching staff seem more focused on helping Blake Bortles develop than on improving the ground attack.