Who is Jerrel Jernigan?
When dynasty owners hear “slot receiver” and “New York Giants”, they immediately think of Victor Cruz. When Jerrel Jernigan made a gorgeous 24-yard touchdown catch during the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Redskins, you wouldn’t blame somebody for confusing him for Cruz.
Jernigan had 19 receptions for 237 yards and two touchdowns in the three games since Cruz went down with an injury in week 15 against the Seahawks. Those types of numbers are typical of what dynasty owners have come accustomed to Cruz posting over the last few seasons. They’re very uncharacteristic of Jernigan however. He entered the game in Seattle with only 13 career receptions and more fumbles (1) than touchdowns (0) in just shy of three seasons.
Many might think that Jernigan came out of nowhere, but that’s hardly the case. Especially for dynasty owners that remember him from their preparation for rookie drafts in 2011. At that time, some considered him to be in the mold of Percy Harvin. He was undersized at 5’8 and 185 pounds, but very quick and showed excellent athleticism. At his pro day, he ran a 4.32 second 40-yard dash and registered a 38-inch vertical.
Jernigan ended his college career as the all-time leader in receptions (262) and receiving yards (3,128) at Troy and was relied upon regularly to handle the ball out of the backfield. He had 132 career carries during his four years in college for 892 yards and five touchdowns to go along with the 18 scores he had through the air. He was also an electrifying kick returner for Trojans, returning a kickoff and punt for touchdowns during his senior season.
During the months leading up to the 2011 NFL draft, many draft pundits expected Jernigan to be selected in the second round. He slipped to the third round however, where the Giants picked him with the 83rd overall selection.
Going into his rookie season in New York, most projected Jernigan to contribute as the primary returner for the Giants but it was unlikely he’d play much on offense, which didn’t make him a hot commodity in rookie drafts. In fact, he wasn’t even selected in many rookie drafts that off-season. Once the pre-season started, he didn’t do much to make dynasty owners regret passing on him.
Although he was penciled in to contribute to special teams during training camp, that plan got derailed during the pre-season when he fumbled four times on punts in a single game. Which quickly earned him a spot in the dog house of head coach Tom Coughlin, who has a history of not trusting young players. Especially those who put the ball on the turf (David Wilson). He was active for only eight games as a rookie, only running 13 routes and was held without a catch.
When he entered his second season with the Giants, many thought Jernigan was a breakout candidate. Mario Manningham left for San Francisco in free agency, leaving only Domenik Hixon and rookie Rueben Randle as competition for the number three receiver job in New York. Although offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride raved about him in camp, he only played 27 snaps on the entire season, catching three passes for 22 yards.
2013 was going much like the last two seasons for Jernigan. Through eleven weeks, he played only 49 offensive snaps and was targeted only 10 times, catching eight passes for 68 yards. Then in week 12 against the Cowboys, Hakeem Nicks was inactive and Jernigan played more than half (36/70) of the Giants’ snaps. He was targeted seven times, making two catches for 24 yards and didn’t look good in the process. As a result, he didn’t even see the field the next two weeks.
That leads us to the game in Seattle. Cruz went down with a concussion and a sprained knee, giving Jernigan an opportunity. He played 24 of 57 snaps (42%) and ran all 20 of his routes out of the slot. He was targeted eight times, catching seven passes (he dropped the other) for 67 yards.
Many may argue that dynasty owners shouldn’t really take much away from Jernigan’s stat line in Seattle. The Seahawks blew out the Giants and played a soft zone coverage towards the end of the game, leaving Jernigan with plenty of room to get open underneath. We may be able to take something away from his numbers over the next two weeks however.
In weeks 16 and 17, Jernigan played 111 of the Giants’ 136 offensive plays (82%). He was targeted 17 total times, catching 12 passes for 170 yards and caught a touchdown in each game. The interesting thing about his numbers over those two weeks is that he ran 56 of his 68 routes (82%) out of the slot and 14 of his 17 targets (82%) came while running routes from inside the numbers. Those targets turned into nine catches for 135 yards and one of his touchdowns. He was also used in the running game for the first time in his career, making an impact play. He took a 49-yard end-around for a touchdown in the season finale.
Now, let’s see what happens after we look at Cruz’s numbers. Over the last three seasons, he’s run 70% (1195 out of 1713) of his routes out of the slot. So if Cruz enters 2014 healthy and is expected to run 70% of his routes from the slot, where exactly does Jernigan fit in? It’s a good question.
Some may say that it’s as easy as moving Cruz to an outside position more often. But it’s not that simple and certainly not very practical when you consider how effective Cruz is when lined up inside. Over the last three seasons, 68% (276 out of 406) of his targets have come when lined up inside the numbers which has translated to 74% (178 of 241) of his receptions, 78% (2816 of 3626) of his receiving yards and 19 of his 22 touchdowns (86%). It would be incredibly difficult, and perhaps foolish, to move Cruz outside.
Another way to give Jernigan more playing time is to use more multiple slot receiver formations, or four-receiver sets, which would get both Cruz and Jernigan on the field at the same time. Those types of formations haven’t been part of the Gilbride’s playbook in his time with the Giants however. Recent reports have indicated that Coughlin may be leaning towards relieving Gilbride of his duties as offensive coordinator, so there’s a chance Coughlin could bring in a more open-minded play caller. Dynasty owners probably shouldn’t count on it though. Even if he fires Gilbride, Coughlin’s widely known as an old-school coach and likes to have multiple running backs and at least one tight end on the field as much as possible. We should probably anticipate the Giants going with a coordinator that will share that philosophy.
Whether Gilbride’s back with the team or not, Cruz should enter the season at full health making it hard to see Jernigan having a large enough role in 2014 to make a big fantasy splash. He’s shown that he can be a big-play threat, which should create a role for him next season. But he could be used as a specialist and only find his way onto the field when the Giants are looking for an impact play (like his rushing touchdown in week 17.) Such a role would be maddening for fantasy owners as his numbers would be incredibly inconsistent from week to week.
None of this should keep dynasty owners from being interested in Jernigan. Unless your league has less than 12 teams and relatively small rosters, you shouldn’t find his name on the waiver wire. If it is, he’s certainly worth adding to your roster. If you already have Jurnigan rostered, you should enter the off-season with cautious optimism that the Giants will figure out how to involve two slot receivers into their offense.
If I had to guess, I’d say Jernigan only holds fantasy value if Cruz is out of the lineup, at least in 2014. Keep in mind, Jernigan’s contract is scheduled to expire after next season. So his value could spike a year from now. He’s proved that he has the talent, he just needs the opportunity.
- League Tycoon: Dynasty Salary Cap Fantasy Football - December 15, 2023
- Final Dynasty Rookie Report Card: Wide Receivers, Part Two - March 22, 2023
- 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Offensive Player Dynasty Review - March 10, 2023
