Travis Hunter Placed On Injured Reserve With Knee Injury

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter suffered a non-contact knee injury during the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday practice and was subsequentially placed on injured reserve this Friday morning. The decision moves Hunter from the team’s lineup for at least the next four weeks which puts the remainder of his rookie season into jeopardy.

“We’re currently assessing the injury just to determine the best course of action moving forward for Travis and for the team,” Jaguars’ head coach Liam Coen said. “Feel bad for the guy, for the kid, for our team, for everything, but he’s in good spirits right now. Minor setback for a major comeback. That’s just the way it’s got to be.”

Further testing could reveal structural knee damage which would surely sideline Hunter for the remainder of the regular season. For the time being, he’s on ice until at least Week 13 when the Jags face the Tennessee Titans.

Reportedly, Hunter suffered the injury yesterday while practicing on the defensive side of the ball as he continued to try to balance cornerback and wide receiver snaps as a two-way player. At the time of the injury, Hunter collected 28 receptions for 290 yards and a score on offense while registering 15 tackles and three pass breakups on defense.

“It is definitely not ideal timing,” Coen said. “Not that any injuries are ever ideal timing, but got to believe the makeup, his general attitude towards life and how he handles dealing with specific situations — I have a lot of belief in Travis as a person, as a competitor, to come back better than ever.”

Prior to the team’s bye, Hunter cashed in on a career offensive day at receiver where he got season-highs in targets (14), receptions (8) and receiving yards (101) while collecting his first NFL receiving touchdown in Week 7 versus the Los Angeles Rams. The performance before Jacksonville’s Week 8 bye set the stage for Hunter to receive an even larger role in his team’s passing game due to struggles from talented second-year wideout Brian Thomas Jr.

Now with Hunter out and Thomas nursing a shoulder injury, Jacksonville will be returning from the bye with its top-two wide receiving talents hampered with injuries. More will be expected from quarterback Trevor Larence to steady the team’s aerial attack while the ground game led by Travis Etienne and potentially rookie Bhayshal Tuten will be heavily leaned upon to keep the chains moving.

Fantasy Impact

While Hunter’s WR38 fantasy ranking according to FantasyPros isn’t something to write home about, his last game on the gridiron and voice of approval from his head coach foreshadowed an inevitable second-half breakout. Now with him gone, there are few fantasy pass-catching options to trust from the Jaguars offense.

Brian Thomas Jr.’s target share will likely blossom even more, but his shoulder injury and drop issues (five on the year) doesn’t make him a redeeming starter or flex option whether in standard or PPR leagues.

An unheralded gem who could benefit from Hunter’s exit is third-year man Parker Washington. He had his second-highest target amount on the season against the Rams (10) along with three carries as a rushing option.

Parker finished that matchup with over 10 fantasy points and will likely becomes the Jags second-best wide receiving option with Hunter out the lineup and BTJ a current shell of his electric rookie self. Washington as a potential hidden gem flex play could be the move for waiver wire watchers looking to fill out their roster during the home stretch of the regular-season