Analyze Travis Hunter's matchup for week 7
Hunter’s microscopic 5.2-TGT-per-game role, 6.7 aDOT and zero TDs make him unplayable even against a Rams secondary that’s allowed a 99.8 passer rating to WRs; keep him on your bench.
The Rams enter Week 7 as the 25th-most generous defense to fantasy wideouts, but that ranking is misleading for Hunter. Los Angeles has actually been lit up by perimeter/deep threats (hence the 99.8 QB rating versus CBs), while Hunter’s average depth of target sits at a meager 6.7 yards and he runs two-thirds of his routes short of the sticks. With Brian Thomas commanding the down-field work and the Jags remaining a run-first unit, Hunter projects to see another 5–6 low-value targets and little red-zone work.
He’s spiraling: 15 yards on 4 catches in Week 6, no TDs all year, target share stuck at 15%, and offensive snap counts yo-yo because of two-way duties.
Travis Hunter’s rookie campaign has been a case study in how real-world talent doesn’t guarantee fantasy utility. After an electric preseason hype cycle that peaked with Heisman whispers, he’s averaging 32.8 receiving yards per game and has yet to find the end zone. The Jaguars have essentially turned a dynamic vertical threat into a check-down specialist; his 6.7-yard aDOT ranks in the 10th percentile among starting WRs, and his 52 air-yards per game are lower than most tertiary tight ends. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor has tethered Hunter to short-area concepts so that Brian Thomas can stretch the field, capping Hunter’s ceiling at 8-10 PPR points even in plus matchups.
Compounding the problem is Hunter’s split-snap existence. Jacksonville still deploys him situationally at cornerback, which has created maddening week-to-week volatility in offensive snaps (49%–78%). Those missed reps have clearly affected timing with Trevor Lawrence; Hunter’s 64.5% catch rate is fine, but when the average completion travels 6.7 yards, efficiency stats are empty calories. The coaching staff shows no urgency to redesign touches for him—no bunch stacks, no motion, no manufactured verticals—so we’re left hoping for a 3-44-0 stat line to creep into double-digit fantasy points.
Even the “soft” Rams matchup doesn’t move the needle. L.A. has bled production to alpha perimeter wideouts (Puka Nacua, DK Metcuff, Zay Flowers), but Hunter runs 70% of his routes from the slot or as a short-motion Z, areas the Rams have defended adequately. With the Jaguars installed as slight home favorites and likely to lean on Travis Etienne when they hit the red zone, Hunter’s touchdown probability remains minuscule. Until his route tree extends past the sticks or his snap share hits 85% on offense, he’s a bench-only asset in redraft formats and a desperation stash even in dynasty.