Travis Etienne rushing + four other Jaguars 2024 futures bets

Can Trevor Lawrence elevate his production? Is Travon Walker in for another big year? Here are five intriguing bets for the 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars season.

It all came crashing down late last season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost five of their final six games to finish 9-8. Not only did the Jaguars cough up the AFC South crown, losing 28-20 to Tennessee in Week 18, but they missed the playoffs altogether. This, keep in mind, came on the heels of an 8-3 start.

The Jaguars made some big moves this offseason. Yet, it’s fair to be skeptical about their outlook given how last season ended. Jacksonville is projected for 8.5 wins at most sportsbooks, with its Super Bowl odds ranging from +4500 to +5000.

Here are five intriguing bets to consider before Jacksonville kicks off its season on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Trevor Lawrence Over 3775.5 passing yards (-112, FanDuel)

Lawrence remains the starting quarterback in Jacksonville, though he clearly needs to do more. The former No. 1 overall pick struggled down the stretch last season, throwing seven interceptions over his final four games.

His inability to protect the ball is still a big concern, but the Jaguars will continue to lean on Lawrence to get them back to the playoffs. Reviews out of training camp have been mostly positive, which makes sense considering Lawrence is not only more mature, but also healthy again.

Lawrence has thrown for over 4,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. His yards per attempt have progressively gone up, and Lawrence now has a few more targets at his disposal despite Calvin Ridley leaving.

Say what you will about the interceptions — frankly, 14 is too many — but Lawrence seems poised to rebound. There’s definite appeal here at FanDuel.

Travis Etienne Jr. Over 925.5 rushing yards (-110, DraftKings)

While bellcow running backs are becoming increasingly rare throughout the NFL, Etienne remains one of the few exceptions. Etienne was fourth in the league in carries last season (267) and 11th in rushing yards (1,008), surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year. He had 20 or more carries four times.

Etienne was clearly less efficient — his yards per carry dropped from 5.1 as a rookie to 3.8 — but some of that can be chalked up to injuries and inconsistency along the offensive line.

Even with Tanks Bigsby looking over his shoulder, Etienne should continue to get the lion’s share of touches out of the Jacksonville backfield.

Christian Kirk Under 900.5 receiving yards (-112, FanDuel)

Despite missing the final five games of last season because of a core muscle injury, Kirk remained one of Lawrence’s favorite targets. It’s likely no coincidence that the Jaguars’ offense collapsed in his absence, averaging 18.4 points. More telling was their record over that stretch: 1-4.

A weapon out of the slot when healthy, Kirk finished with 787 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 57 catches. His 85 targets were third on the team behind tight end Evan Engram (143) and Ridley (136).

In addition to losing Ridley, Jacksonville also lost Zay Jones in free agency. That left Kirk as the only proven receiver, so the Jaguars signed Gabe Davis, and drafted Brian Thomas Jr. 21st overall out of LSU.

Kirk should continue to see a healthy number of targets, but there are also a lot of mouths to feed on offense.

Travon Walker Over 8.75 sacks (-110, DraftKings)

Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in 2022, was quiet as a rookie with just 3.5 sacks in 15 games. However, he took a big step forward in year two. Walker notched 10 sacks last season, including 5.5 over the final six games.

In addition to extending Pro Bowler Josh Hines-Allen (17.5 sacks) and signing Arik Armstead, Jacksonville tabbed Ryan Nielsen as its new defensive coordinator.

What kind of impact will Nielsen have on Walker and his teammates? All-Pro defensive end Cameron Jordan, who spent six seasons with Nielsen in New Orleans, said this about him on X: “Top tier DL coach in terms of developing pass rush and emphasizing technique on run game integrity.”

Jaguars to make AFC playoffs (+130, DraftKings)

Houston may be the team to beat in the AFC South, but is Jacksonville far off? Realistically, they shouldn’t be.

At the very least, the Jaguars have the pieces to contend for a wild card berth. It starts with Lawrence, who has only shown flashes of being a franchise quarterback. More consistency is needed, which includes staying healthy and avoiding the turnover bug.

Better offensive line play should help. So, too, should the emergence of new playmakers in Davis and Thomas.

Bank on Jacksonville being in the playoff mix, which you can do at DrafKings sportsbook at plus-odds.