Jaguars' Travis Hunter Presents Unique Fantasy Football Issue

Travis Hunter Jr. will be one of the most intriguing players in the 2025 fantasy football season. He'll be one of the most interesting talents in the NFL altogether. The Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie is setting out to become the first prominent full-time two-way player in the history of the league.

We've seen players dabble on both offense and defense before. Most notably, Deion Sanders played both wide receiver and cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys in 1996. He registered catches in eight different NFL seasons, but he had by far the most receptions in 1996, with 36. There's a good chance that Hunter Jr. will surpass that total in his first five or six games for the Jaguars while also lining up on defense. Sanders didn't have any other years with over seven receptions.

Jacksonville Head Coach Liam Coen has already stated that he plans on deploying Hunter Jr. on 80 percent of all snaps on both sides of the ball. If he sticks to his word, the Jaguars' second-overall pick will easily set a new record for most average snaps in a game. It could also make him one of the most potent fantasy players in the 2025 NFL season.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, preseason, Pittsburgh Steelers, James Pierre, Travis Hunter Jr. — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) sheds Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre (42) during the first half of the first preseason game where the Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday Aug. 9, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Should Travis Hunter Jr. be allowed to slot in as a defensive player in fantasy football?

While it's not the standard, some fantasy football leagues allow defensive players. These athletes can rack up points for tackles, sacks, interceptions, and of course, touchdowns on fumble returns or pick-sixes. Even offensive players can get rewarded for getting tackles on special teams or after a turnover.

Travis Hunter Jr. is a special case, though. Since he's setting out to be a full-time cornerback on top of lining up at wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he's eligible to be deployed as a defensive player in leagues that allow one. The question now is, should the points he racks up on offense count if he's slotted into the defensive player position?

Fantasy football question!

Should Travis Hunter get WR points if he’s played as a DEF in fantasy?
— Jaguars OnSI (@JaguarsOnSI) August 25, 2025

Even with Hunter Jr. playing 80 percent of snaps for Jacksonville's defense, he's not likely to make a ton of fantasy impact on that side of the ball. He's expected to be similar to Deion Sanders in that way, someone whose defensive merit can't fully be quantified in a standard box score. He probably won't rack up a ton of tackles or sacks but could shut down his assignment as a cornerback.

Adding in the few defensive points he might add to his wide receiver total isn't a big deal. However, if he gets offensive points while set as a defensive player in a fantasy lineup, that would give his drafters a huge advantage.

For example, safety Budda Baker averaged 14 points per game in the 2024 NFL season, tying him for ninth among individual defensive players. That mark would have been 28th among wide receivers. Travis Hunter Jr. might already be set up to have an explosive fantasy season in his rookie year. Allowing him to garner offensive points in the defensive player spot might make him the best value pick in the entire league.

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