The Fantasy Face-Off: Mac Jones Vs Trey Lance
Whether you play redraft or dynasty in fantasy football, the goal is always the same. Draft the guy with the highest potential per pick. Sounds easy enough right? That would be true if you could guarantee they start all 17 games. Then you’d have to predict how well they mesh and can perform with the new pieces brought into the team over the off-season.
Taking that into consideration, your pick comes and you are on the clock. Who do you take: Mac Jones or Trey Lance?
Mac Jones
Mac Jones finished his rookie campaign as the 18th overall quarterback. Jones averaged 14 fantasy points across his 17 starts. Jones, while not the best in fantasy production, did show that he could be a leader of the Patriots’ offense.
Was the lack of production on his end though? The Patriots wide receivers had drop issues. There was no clear number one receiver and an overwhelming lack of deep threat potential.
Going into the 2022 season, The Patriots have started to address some of those issues. Mac jones gets a deep threat in Devante Parker. Jones has embraced his leadership role more as he held private workouts with his receiving group.
He also gets James White back as his trust safety valve. Now with that said this does not mean instant fantasy value for Jones.
Unfortunately for Mac Jones’ fantasy value, he is not flashy. He is not going to tuck the ball and take off like Lance. However, Mac has shown to have great accuracy and decision-making. The Patriots have also shown to be a run-heavy team.
That’s not typically good news for fantasy value. Although this does mean the patriots will ask less of Jones. Less pressure and less opportunity for mistakes does mean consistency in fantasy value.
Trey Lance
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Trey Lance
Trey Lance only played in 6 games as he played backup to Jimmy Garoppolo. In those 6 games, Lance averaged 11 points as the 40th quarterback overall. When Lance did get on the field, he showed true promise.
There is your issue though, outplaying everyone to win the job. Can Lance do enough to be the leader of this high-power offense?
Trey Lance has a lot of tools in his arsenal that warrant his high fantasy upside. Trey Lance is mobile and poses a threat to leave the pocket to make plays happen. San Fransisco also boasts an electric group of pass-catchers in Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandan Ayuik.
The downside of drafting Lance for your fantasy team is that Jimmy G is still on the team. How much value can you put into a quarterback that is not the starter of his own team? Like Mac Jones, Trey Lance is also on a run-heavy team.
Fortunately for Lance, Part of that run game includes him. Does that give him a significant boost in fantasy production?
The Pick
If you are playing in a redraft fantasy league, I think this one is easy to pick. Mac Jones is a day one starter with top 12 fantasy finishing potential this year. Trey lance is still fighting for a job. One that he will ultimately get, but not soon enough to out-perform Jones this year.
As both quarterbacks will be available in the later rounds, I’d look to draft Mac Jones in the seventh-round range with huge potential. For redraft, the only way I’m taking Trey Lance is as my third quarterback.
When it comes to dynasty fantasy leagues, it gets a bit more interesting. We know in the long run both Mac Jones and Trey Lance will be their team’s quarterbacks for the next 3 years at least. This raises Lance’s value as he has a higher upside giving his athletic ability and running the ball. With that said, are you willing to wait another season to see that value while Jimmy G starts?
I for one am not. I believe that Mac Jones will improve in fantasy rankings as The Patriots’ offense improved overall. I believe this is where fantasy owners will win big as some will reach on Lace early and leave Jones to be taken in later rounds.
Verdict: Draft Mac Jones over Trey Lance in all Fantasy settings
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