What You Need To Know:

• A 6th-round rookie, Minshew did relatively well filling in for Nick Foles. He finished as a top-8 fantasy QB 3 times.
• Minshew provided upside with his legs. He finished with the 5th most rushing yards among QBs; 6th most rush attempts.
• After the Jags passed on potential upgrades, Minshew enters the summer as the clear QB1. He’ll learn new OC Jay Gruden’s system alongside an intriguing cast of young talent.

Surprise emergence

The Jags handed Nick Foles a boatload of money to handle the starting gig.That didn’t last long.In Week 1, the former Super Bowl champ suffered a broken collarbone.

Insert Minshew.

Right away, he opened eyes.In relief, the 6th-round rookie completed 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Not bad for a guy with 0 reps with the starters in training camp or the preseason.

Over the next 8 games, Minshew twice finished as a top-8 fantasy QB (at CAR, vs. NYJ). He added QB16 and QB15 finishes.

His fantasy appeal grew thanks to some strong rushing totals; outings of 56, 42 and 48, 28 and 34 yards. And that was just during the 8-game starting stretch.

Foles returned in Week 10, but poor play eventually led him to get benched in Week 13. Minshew took over again and rode out the season under center. Minshew added a QB5 game (Week 17 vs. IND) to his resume.

In total, Minshew recorded 20+ fantasy points 8 times. He beat Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield in fantasy points per game.

Minshew excelled on the deep ball, posting the 7th best adjusted completion rate on deep passes among 34 qualifiers (min. 20 attempts).

Again, not bad for a total unknown tossed into a tough situation.

Minshew to start

With Minshew entering the summer as the undisputed starter, new OC Jay Gruden had this to say on his young passer:

"He has shown a skill set where he can sit in a pocket, step up, make things happen outside the pocket. He’s a…