Travis Hunter Injury Could Unshackle Brian Thomas Jr. and 2 Jaguars Deep Sleepers

With Travis Hunter landing on injured reserve, the Jaguars will look to Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Dyami Brown to step up — and one of them could quietly emerge as a fantasy football sleeper.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver Travis Hunter suffered a non-contact knee injury in practice on Thursday and has now landed on injured reserve. We don't know the extent of the injury yet, so he could be back after missing the mandatory four games, or his season could be over. We will have to wait and see what the team says about the injury.

The Jaguars are placing Travis Hunter on injured reserve due to a knee injury, head coach Liam Coen announced.

He will miss a minimum of four games. pic.twitter.com/xlcFmODYPW

— ESPN (@espn) October 31, 2025

Currently, all they are saying is that they are assessing the injury. Being that it was a non-contact injury that landed him on injured reserve in less than 24 hours, we are very concerned that this could be a long-term issue. This is horrible timing for the first-round pick, because the team had just said that they intended to make him the main focus of their passing attack moving forward. It's a tough break for Hunter, and hopefully he gets back as soon as possible. 

Fantasy Football Impact of Travis Hunter Injury

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) reacts to a dropped pass during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

WR Brian Thomas Jr, Jacksonville Jaguars

Thomas has been a massive disappointment this season, and we aren't so sure that the absence of Hunter is going to fix that issue. However, it should inevitably lead to more targets and opportunities. The issue is, targets haven't been the issue for BTJ this season. His connection with quarterback Trevor Lawrence seems to be the biggest concern, as have his drops and general poor play. This can't be viewed as a bad thing for Thomas; nevertheless, we aren't so sure it does much to fix his disappointing season either. 

WR Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) scores a touchdown during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Washington could get a big boost from the absence of Hunter. In his last game, he was targeted 10 times, which is only his second-highest target total this season. However, there has been no consistency this season when it comes to targets. With Hunter on injured reserve, he could start to see a more consistent role in the offense. He's looked good with limited opportunities, so he could develop into a sneaky flex option moving forward, especially if Thomas doesn't step up in any significant way. It may be worth stashing Washington on your bench as a speculative add before Week 9. 

WR Dyami Brown, Jacksonville Jaguars

Brown is the most interesting option for us. He has been banged up a lot this season, but early on in the year, he was heavily utilized in the passing attack. While Washington will likely be a more consistent fantasy option, Brown could see more targets downfield and around the end zone, giving him more boom-or-bust upside. He could be an interesting DFS option with Hunter sidelined.