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Blaine Gabbert is one of the few rookie quarterbacks that is going to get a chance to start out of the gate. That’s if he can beat out incumbent David Garrard.
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While Garrard is not a bad quarterback by any means, there is definitely an argument to be made for starting the Gabbert era sooner rather than later.
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Garrard has been a highly accurate quarterback, completing over 60 percent of his passes for the past four season. Over that stretch he was on target 62.7 percent of the time. Considering he hasn’t exactly had elite receivers to work with makes the numbers that much more impressive. Garrard threw for 71 touchdowns with just 41 interceptions.
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He has also shown the ability to deliver with his feet, averaging 277.3 yards at a 4.2 ypc clip over the past four years. Garrard added another 11 rushing touchdowns to his totals.
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So why would you want to replace an effective quarterback?
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For starters, he’s 33. I know Brett Favre and Warren Moon (among others) continued to play at a high level long after turning 33. There have been even more quarterbacks that have gone the wrong direction. Besides, when the Jaguars used a tenth round pick on Gabbert, any notion that Garrard was still their franchise quarterback was quickly put to rest.
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Plus, Garrard’s effectiveness has not translated to team success. Since Garrard made a name for himself in 2007 during the Jaguars playoff run the team has been a combined 20-28. When you’re not winning and you have a shiny new toy on the sidelines, the calls from the fans for a change can become deafening.
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Speaking of fans, as a NFL team that is less stable financially than most, I’m sure they are cognizant of how important Gabbert could be for ticket sales. Jags fans have watched Garrard play. Aside from winning, the next closest thing to putting butts in the seats is hope.
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Even if Gabbert starts, his production will likely be inconsistent. The condensed training camp simply limited the amount of reps he received. I wouldn’t hesitate to draft Gabbert in dynasty leagues or two-quarterback leagues, but I’d employ a wait-and-see approach in redraft leagues.
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What’s your take?
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Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings - PPR
• 2011 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football K Rankings

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The AFC South made a big splash in the quarterback department in the recent NFL Draft.
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The division continues to be dominated by the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning is consistently among the best fantasy quarterbacks in the league. He never has a shortage of weapons, and even when they break down like Dallas Clark last year, someone else (Jacob Tamme) steps up. One thing that needed more than a temporary fix was their offensive line. The Colts walked away from the draft with tackle Anthony Castonzo and guard Ben Ijalana. With better protection look for Manning to turn in another impressive season. Would you expect anything less?
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Matt Schuab regressed a little statistically, but that can be expected when you have the NFL rushing leader.  He still threw for 4370 yards and 24 touchdowns (12 INTs). With Andre Johnson, one of the more physical receivers in the league, look for Schaub to remain a quality QB1. The team did not give him any new weapons in the NFL Draft, instead using their first five picks on defense.
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In Jacksonville David Garrard will hold down the fort until Blaine Gabbert is ready to take control of the team. Garrard had a solid year throwing for 2734 yards and 23 TDs (15 INTs) while adding another 279 yards and five scores on the ground. The Jags are limited in the playmaker department. Marcedes Lewis scored ten touchdowns, but had just seven scores in four seasons before busting out in a contract year. Mike Sims-Walker is a free agent that will likely have a new home in 2011. Garrard is a quarterback to use during the bye weeks and little more.
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The Titans turned heads by taking Jake Locker with the eight pick in the draft. He will likely start the year on the sidelines while a veteran (possibly Matt Hasselbeck) acts as a bridge. Despite the presence of Kenny Britt, this is not a great quarterback situation. We’ll have to wait and see how this one plays out.
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Also check out:

• AFC East Quarterback Situations
• AFC North Quarterback Situations

The Jaguars could have the steepest drop-off from their top fantasy option to their other options.

Fantasy Playoffs Schedule:  Moderate
The Jags take on the Raiders (home), Colts (away), and Redskins (home). The schedule looks very promising for Maurice Jones-Drew. The passing game could really struggle though.

Five Star Fantasy Options
Maurice Jones-Drew – Mojo had no problem assuming the role as primary ball carrier with Fred Taylor moving on to New England. He had 1765 total yards (1391 rushing) and 16 TDs (15 rushing). There is a case to take him #1 overall with Chris Johnson’s potential holdout and Adrian Peterson’s fumbling issues.

Four Star Fantasy Options
None

Three Star Fantasy Options
None

Two Star Fantasy Options
Mike Sims-Walker – Sims-Walker had a solid season with 63 catches for 869 yards and 7 TDs. He has good size and speed, but will need help, be it from his receiver mates or creative play calling, to keep him effective. He failed to top 64 yards the final six games. In fact, he only had 175 yards in those games (29.2 ypg).

Marcedes Lewis – Lewis had an excellent yard per catch average (16.2). Still, with 518 yards last year he makes for a solid backup fantasy TE.

One Star Fantasy Options
David Garrard – Garrard is simply not a good fantasy QB. His career highs in passing yards (3620) and TDs (18) just don’t translate into a quality fantasy QB. He has ran for 300+ yards in each of the past two seasons, but there is zero upside to Garrard. His home-road splits are ridiculous. 
- Home:  2019 yards, 12 TD,  5 INTs
- Away:  1578 yards, 3 TDs, 5 INTs

Mike Thomas – Thomas showed some flashes last year, and while he managed at least 52 yards on six occasions, he never topped 65 yards. Plus, he had just 1 TD.

Jaguars Defense/Special Teams – They have some good match-ups with Buffalo (Week 5), Kansas City (7), Cleveland (11), and Oakland (14). They had just 14 sacks and 15 INTs last year though. They are no more than a spot start.

Click here for additional 2010 NFL Team Previews.

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

David Garrard had a disappointing 2008 season.  Most of the team did, in fact.  Their Offensive Line was crippled with injuries.  Their Defense took a major step back.  About the only productive players was Maurice-Jones Drew.  2009 should look a little better as they bolstered their O-Line in the offseason with the addition of Tra Thomas, Eugene Monroe, and Eben Britton.  They also added Torry Holt to improve their WR play.  Maurice Jones-Drew is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and Marcedes Lewis is a solid pass-catching TE. 

Jacksonville’s fantasy playoff schedule consists of Miami, Indianapolis, and New England so it’s unlikely you’ll use Garrad in the fantasy playoffs.  During the season they have some decent matchups against Arizona in Week 2, St. Louis in Week 6, and Kansas City in Week 9.  Peyton Manning and Tony Romo have byes in Week 6 so he could be a decent option to pair with them.  I wouldn’t trust any of the Week 9 bye teams as a #1 QB so it doesn’t pay to pair Garrard with them.

The Jags are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in the NFL.  They, along with the Cleveland Browns, were the chic pick to get to at least the AFC title game.  Yet they finished at 5-11.

For starters the Jaguars need improved health next year, especially on their Offensive Line.  Their Left Tackle Khalif Barnes is an Unrestricted Free Agent.  He played poorly last year, and won’t likely return.  There is a good chance Charles Spencer takes over.  Center Brad Meester is also an UFA, but he may be in their plans.  Assuming Fred Taylor gives them a hometown discount, he’ll be back to compliment Maurice Jones-Drew.  I’d like to see them work another RB in the mix so he’s ready when Taylor does call it quits.  Reggie Williams took a major step back and he’s a UFA.  I could see the team going in a different direction.  Matt Jones played through the distraction of his suspension and put up solid numbers.  He could be a nice value pick next year.  TE Marcedes Lewis showed promise.  Jerry Porter is likely to be shown the door.

There aren’t too many FAs on Defense for Jacksonville.  Mike Peterson led the team in tackles, but was a major distraction.  He won’t be back.  The Jags need to get some pressure on the QB.  They were tied for 20th last year with just 29 Sacks.  Reggie Hayward’s 4.5 were good for the team lead.  Not only that, but they had the second fewest turnovers (17) in the league.  Clearly their biggest needs lie on Defense.

**Update:  Fred Taylor was cut**

KFFL Free Agent Tracker: