Start or sit Gardner Minshew on TNF in Week 3?

If you were unable to catch DraftKings’ “The Sweat” earlier in the week (if you didn’t, check us out), you may not know how big a fan of Gardner Minshew II I am. “A vote against Gardner Minshew is a vote against America” was the phrase I echoed on the fateful show Monday night. Most of this is spawned from Minshew’s pre-game ritual (look it up) and the fact that he nearly brought Jacksonville to 1-1 had it not been for poor play-calling on a 2-point conversion to win the game. But I digress. Minshew didn’t “Wow” anyone in Week 2, but he was efficient, completing 23-of-33 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown while adding 56 yards on six carries (17.2 fantasy points).

Fantasy Impact: So that’s back-to-back performances of 15-plus fantasy points from the no-name Minshew — who is slowly making a name for himself. The Jaguars are in a must-win spot against a divison opponent at home, and I think Minshew will only improve as he gets more reps. The issue is the Titans’ defense ranks 5th in Pass DVOA early in the season and there isn’t a high projected point total for the game. Plus, we can expect Tennessee to try and control the clock with RB Derrick Henry quite a bit. So Minshew’s upside is capped, though his ability to extend the play with his legs is intriguing.

If you’re desperate in a deep league and have no choice, go with Minshew, he may surprise you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t risk playing him on Thursday and hamstringing yourself early in your matchup. Play it safe.

Recommendation: Sit

All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS contests.