Where Trevor Lawrence's Fantasy Stock Goes From Here

Lawrence finished his first game under Head Coach Liam Coen with just 178 yards on 19-of-31 passing for one touchdown and one interception, while his team coasted to a 26-10 win. Coen was still impressed with what he saw from his new quarterback, but T-Law's slow day left a lot of fantasy owners disappointed and perplexed.

On the one hand, Jacksonville didn't need much from Lawrence, as the ground game racked up 200 rushing yards on Carolina. On the other hand, it's a bit concerning that he couldn't put up big numbers against a defense as suspect as the Panthers', especially in an offensive system built by Liam Coen.

Trevor Lawrence elicited mixed feelings

Trevor Lawrence's Week 1 performance against the Carolina Panthers left fantasy football players and analysts scrambling. ESPN's Tristan H. Cockcroft named him one of the biggest losers from the fantasy season debut, along with wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.:

"Considering the strength of their matchup — the opposing Carolina Panthers allowed more points and yards per game than any team in 2024 — Lawrence's 10.32 and Thomas' 9.0 PPR fantasy points were plenty disappointing to fantasy managers. Thomas' game surely raised the most eyebrows, as he was held scoreless deep into the second quarter, finishing his day with only one catch on seven targets despite 30 routes run. It's not something we should expect to see every week, and a Week 2 matchup against the mediocre Bengals defense should help both of these two get back on the right track.

At the same time, most people aren't panicking after just one game. After all, Trevor Lawrence is playing in a brand new offense, the third system of his young five-year career so far. In Week 2, the Jaguars will take on an equally questionable defense versus the Cincinnati Bengals, but Joe Burrow and Company have the firepower necessary to press Lawrence and Jacksonville's attack much more than Bryce Young and the Panthers. A different ESPN writer, Eric Karabell, outlined this:

"Lawrence didn't have to do much to topple the Carolina Panthers, but chances are he will need to deliver more points in a Week 2 road tilt at the Cincinnati Bengals, who aren't exactly a top defensive unit. As we have seen before, Lawrence is certainly capable of more and he remains far too available for someone who has borderline QB1 upside."

The football season may seem long, but two games make up over 11 percent of the campaign. While Lawrence does deserve grace and patience in his fifth year under a new head coach, he needs to show some signs of life against the Bengals, at least from a fantasy perspective.