Fantasy Football Rookie Spotlight: Jordan Travis

In his final season at Florida State, Jordan Travis had the Seminoles undefeated before suffering a season-ending leg injury. It was a sad end to the college career of a player who'd gotten better year after year.

Travis wasn't one of the more hyped quarterback prospects in this season's draft class, but he showed enough in college to become a fifth-round selection for the New York Jets. He was the eighth quarterback taken in the draft, sandwiched between Saints fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler and Patriots sixth-round pick Joe Milton III.

Below, you'll find our fantasy football rookie profile for New York Jets quarterback Jordan Travis.

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Jordan Travis' Path to the NFL

Jordan Travis began his college career in 2018 at Louisville, but he barely saw the football field that season for the Cardinals. Travis appeared in three games, going 4-of-14 for 71 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Following that season, he opted to hit the transfer portal, moving in the conference to Tallahassee to play for Florida State.

In 2019, Travis appeared in four games for the team, going 6-of-11 for 79 yards. It wasn't until 2020 that Travis got a chance to start, playing in eight games and starting six of those. He took over the starting job after the team's 52-10 loss to Miami, going 12-of-17 for 210 yards and a touchdown and adding 48 rushing yards in his first start, a win over Jacksonville State. He ended the season with six touchdowns and six interceptions, with his biggest contribution coming on the ground as he rushed for 569 yards and seven touchdowns.

You might shed a tear watching this segment highlighting Jordan Travis’s career at FSU🥹

The @FSUFootball Video Team did an excellent job covering this Draft process on The Climb pic.twitter.com/N2EgCrXQoX

— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) May 9, 2024

Travis actually had exactly seven rushing scores in all four of his seasons as the FSU starter, but his passing ability grew each season. In 2022, he threw for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns, the best marks of his career.

Last season, Travis completed 63.9% of his pass attempts for 2,756 yards. He threw 20 touchdowns to just two interceptions, cutting down on his turnovers in a big way. He led Florida State to an undefeated regular season, but his injury kept it out of the postseason.

What Jordan Travis Brings to the Jets

First, let's acknowledge the fractured leg. In talking about the NFL upside for Jordan Travis, we're assuming he rebounds to full strength, but you can never guarantee that when talking about leg injuries. It's especially worrisome when a quarterback is a runner, and that's one of the big strengths for Travis. In college, he showcased a really good ability to escape pressure and create plays with his feet. He also throws relatively well when scrambling.

In fact, I'd say Travis's ability to create with his legs is probably his biggest strength. He has some questionable mechanics as far as his throws go, which can cause issues with both velocity and accuracy. If he can use his athleticism to create time to get receivers open, those issues would be mitigated somewhat, but I worry about what will happen if he loses some of that athleticism and is forced to spend more time as a pocket passer.

Jordan Travis pic.twitter.com/zoTFfoqD0f

— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) May 8, 2024

Still, he has an NFL-caliber arm. He just needs to refine a lot of things. The Jets might be a great spot for him to do that. Without the pressure of playing immediately, Travis can watch Aaron Rodgers in practice, plus Tyrod Taylor provides him with a veteran mentor who has some similar skills.

Path to Playing Time

If we're talking exclusively about the 2024 season, there's not really a path to snaps for Travis. While it was reported in March that he'd be good to go for camp in his recovery from the leg fracture he suffered at the end of the college season, he comes into 2024 as the No. 3 quarterback on the team.

The starter is Aaron Rodgers. He returns this season from a torn Achilles that cost him virtually the entire 2023 campaign. As long as Rodgers is healthy enough to get on the football field, he'll start all 17 games. It doesn't matter if he looks awful in his return from the injury -- Rodgers isn't getting benched for ineffective play.

Let's assume Rodgers does get hurt. Well, the team has Tyrod Taylor, who isn't spectacular but offers a much higher floor than Travis would. This offense has the personnel to contend for a playoff spot if Taylor is forced into action.

For Travis to see the floor, he needs two injuries, or he needs a Rodgers injury and then Taylor to just fall apart. But even then, there's no guarantee he takes the reins. The Jets could dip into the free-agency market and grab a veteran who could come in and try to game-manage the team into the postseason.

2024 Fantasy Football Outlook

I'll keep this short: Jordan Travis is not a fantasy football option in 2024. Even if he manages to make it onto the football field, which is highly unlikely, he wouldn't be worth a roster spot in redraft leagues.

I mean, theoretically, there's Superflex appeal if Travis is forced to start, but that's about it. Like I mentioned above, this is Aaron Rodgers' team, and there's nothing Travis can do about it.

As a former NFL scout, I feel like Jordan Travis has become a forgotten man and he shouldn't be—-

His leg injury is why he ain't being talked about like how they talk about JJ McCarthy now…a 1st round pick —-except for Travis it would be valid
pic.twitter.com/3ttYv3flia

— Lawrence Jackson Jr. 🃏 (@LordDontLose) April 3, 2024

In dynasty leagues, Travis is definitely worth taking a late-round flier on in Superflex leagues. The post-Rodgers quarterback situation for the Jets could go a number of ways, but as long as Rodgers is healthy, you can expect New York to draft too late to grab an elite prospect. That could result in Travis getting a shot to compete for the starting spot in a couple of years. I wouldn't bet on that being the case, but stranger things have happened in the NFL before.

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