Debating Travis Hunter: Is Fantasy Football's 'Shohei Ohtani' Worth His ADP?

Travis Hunter has a dynamic role, playing on offense and defense, and so his fantasy football viability is up for debate.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) looks to the sideline during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Jaguars 20-12. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Travis Hunter was drafted in 2025 and labeled a generational talent. He was meant to be the NFL's version of Shohei Ohtani, and he still very well may become that. Hunter's rookie season was marred by injury, but he returns aiming for new heights in his sophomore season. The team, however, has implied that he will play defense-first. So, will he be worth his ADP and upside in 2026 fantasy football at the wide receiver position?

A Deep Analysis of the Wide Receiver

Hunter is currently listed as a backup wide receiver on the Jaguars. Our latest depth chart update listed Hunter as the Jaguars' WR4, behind Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr, and Parker Washington.

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In media availability this offseason, Jaguars GM James Gladstone commented, "He (Hunter) is set to play both sides of the ball." He does expect Hunter to play more snaps at cornerback, serving as a starter in that role. Jaguars Head Coach, Liam Coen, has explained that "The plan has not changed at all" regarding Hunter's two-way role.

When active, Hunter played to a 17.4% target share in 2025. On a per-game basis, Hunter accounted for 6.4 targets, 4.0 receptions, 42.6 yards, and 0.14 touchdowns. On a PPR per-game basis, Hunter was fantasy football's WR49. In translation, he was a borderline WR3/Flex option.

The hope is that the Jaguars further improve on offense while working Hunter in even more. How much more? That is to be determined. Given his defense-first role, it might be ambitious to expect his target share to go beyond 17.4%, if at all.

The current NFL Power Index, per ESPN, ranks the Jaguars' offense 17th-best in the league. They are the epitome of average, with a 0.0 offensive rating. The Jaguars finished 2025 with the NFL's 13th-best offense, posting an 0.8 offensive rating. Much of this is due to the departure of Travis Etienne Jr., so there is really no expected downtick in passing offense.

In 2025, Trevor Lawrence threw 32.9 passes and completed 20.1 per game. He did so on a team that was 19th in pass rate (55.4%). The Jaguars may be expected to pass the football a tad more with Etienne Jr. gone. Nonetheless, they operate in the same Liam Coen scheme, so little change is expected.

Lawrence's 2025 season also provided 235.7 yards and 1.7 touchdowns thrown per game. Assuming he remains on par, Hunter may expect to have 3.5 receptions per game, resulting in an average of 40- 50 yards per game.

Where Hunter may lack is in the red zone. Across 7 games, he had 5 red-zone targets and 2 receptions, none of which resulted in a touchdown. He may be used in the red zone, but he cannot be expected to perform at a high level, especially when not playing a full snap load. The Jaguars may favor the likes of Meyers and Thomas Jr., plus a healthy Brenton Strange at tight end. Strange had 9 red zone targets in 12 games.

Is Travis Hunter Worth His Current ADP?

Hunter is going as the WR68 in PPR formats. That is well below his per-game ranking as a rookie, when Hunter was WR49. Given the above information, Hunter is expected to be not far off his 2025 pace. In fact, with the Jaguars knowing better how to leverage Hunter, even if on fewer snaps, he may rise beyond WR40 and into the WR30-35 range.

The final verdict? Yes, Hunter is certainly worth his ADP. His role will be diverse, lower in volume, but high-leverage, as the player is ultimately a rarely found athletic talent.