Why Christian Kirk Should Be an Every Week Starter in Your Fantasy Football Lineup

Christian Kirk after picking up a first down against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Many football fans criticized the Jacksonville Jaguars for signing Christian Kirk to a 4-year, 72-million-dollar deal in March of 2022. This deal instantly made him a top 10 highest-paid receiver in the NFL which at the time didn’t make sense to some, but it makes sense now. Last year, Kirk helped lead the Jaguars to the post-season for just the second time since 2007 and had 78 yards and a touchdown in the Jags miraculous comeback victory in the Wildcard over the LA Chargers.

Kirk has been extremely steady as a fantasy wide receiver option since joining the Jags in 2022. Last year he finished with 84 catches for 1100 yards and 8 touchdowns, but most importantly played all 17 games. Speaking from my own experience, injuries can not only be frustrating but can derail a fantasy football season. Looking at the 2023 season alone, guys like Nick Chubb, Justin Jefferson, and Saquon Barkley were all top picks in fantasy football drafts this year but have been in and out of lineups all season. Meanwhile, Christian Kirk hasn’t missed a single game since the 2020 season which is something that goes under the radar yet is vitally important.

There is no doubt the Jaguars are better since they signed Kirk and he is off to an extremely solid start this season. He is the 15th-ranked PPR wide receiver with 474 yards and 3 touchdowns in 7 games so far. He also leads the team in targets with 55 and is second in receptions with 39, just two behind Evan Engram who has 41. Many thought newcomer Calvin Ridley was going to take over as the Jags top target, however, he has only eclipsed 40 yards twice this season and has clearly taken a backseat to both Kirk and Engram.

So my advice to you fantasy owners out there is that you can definitely feel good about starting Christian Kirk every week. If he gets a good matchup where he and Trevor Lawrence find rhythm like they so often have, his ceiling is extremely high. That being said, due to him always getting his fair share of targets, Kirk’s floor is higher than most. You can tell that by seeing he has only one fantasy performance of under 11 points in 2023 and in that game he still had 9 targets.