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NFL - The Athletic fantasy football takes on Lamar Jackson
Every source-backed article insight STACKED has extracted from NFL - The Athletic about Lamar Jackson.
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Insight ledger
All NFL - The Athletic insights about Lamar Jackson
PositiveProjectionAug 4, 2026
Jackson still commanded 22 votes in Tier 1, one off his career high before last season. An offensive coach who placed Jackson in Tier 1 said he feels good about him, noting that he has a really good coach in Declan Doyle who has a lot to prove, that Lamar took part in more of the offseason program, and that the team will likely do the contract with him and he will have a big year.NegativeProjectionAug 4, 2026
An offensive coordinator said the arrow is probably down for Jackson and is not ready to give him a Tier 2 ranking yet because if he doesn't play well, the Ravens don't win games and he has been able to carry that roster no matter what the rest of it looked like, even last year. However, the coordinator believes if Jackson stops running, he drops into Tier 2, and while he can win games and be an elite quarterback without running, he is not a Tier 1 without running.NegativeInjuryAug 4, 2026
Back and hamstring injuries surely played a role in Jackson's reduced rushing production and designed rush rate last season. New coordinator Declan Doyle plans to put Jackson under center more, but the team hasn't been specific about its plans for Jackson as a runner.NegativeUsageAug 4, 2026
Jackson's rate of designed rushes plummeted to 7.1 percent last season, less than half his career average. Early in a November game at Cleveland, the Ravens called a zone-read for Jackson, but Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger strung him out near the sideline for a 1-yard loss, and Baltimore called no more designed QB rushes that day. Jackson won MVP honors with both his previous coordinators (Greg Roman and Todd Monken), but it wasn't until last season under the new coordinator that his designed rush rate collapsed.NegativeProjectionAug 4, 2026
Jackson made his Tier 1 debut last year but slipped back to the top of Tier 2 after failing to threaten defenses as much with his legs in 2025. His rushing yards per game fell by about 50 percent year over year, and his total of Tier 1 votes fell proportionally. An opposing coach expressed uncertainty about how much Jackson wants to run and take hits anymore, noting that he can't be special without the threat of a run and that he needs to be more active when he does run, as he used to outrun defenders but now doesn't always move with purpose.