Aaron Jones: The Best Value in Fantasy Football?
Written by: Damian Paton
Intro
Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones is currently being drafted as the RB13 (21 overall) in redraft PPR leagues (according to @fantasypros) . Which makes Jones one of the biggest values in fantasy football. I have Jones as my RB 3 in PPR scoring for 2022.
Opportunity
Unanimous All-Pro WR Davante Adams was traded to the Raiders earlier this offseason. This creates a massive amount of opportunity and target share for Packers skill position players in 2022. The fantasy football community has spent all offseason debating who will fill the void that Adams departure created. Aaron Jones is poised to play the role as the top offensive weapon in an Aaron Rodgers led offense.
Since 2019, Aaron Jones has played 7 games with Davante Adams inactive. In those games, Jones has averaged 26.82 PPR points per game. Check out these stats below.
Jones as a receiver:
47 targets (6.7 per game)
36 catches (5.1 per game)
448 receiving yards (64 per game)
4 receiving TD’s (.57 per game)
Jones as rusher.
101 carries (14.4 carries per game)
470 rushing yards (67.1 rushing yards per game)
6 rushing TDs (.86 per game)
With 26.82 PPR points per game, Aaron Jones would have surpassed Titans RB Derrick Henry’s 24.2 PPR points per game (8 games played) which was the highest average in 2022 at the position. Even further, Jones’ PPG average would’ve also surpassed Rams WR Cooper Kupp who led all positions with 25.9 PPR points per game (17 games played).
Another fun set of stats, in this past postseason’s NFC Divisional Round matchup between the Packers and 49ers Aaron Jones led the team in carries (12), rushing yards (41), and receiving yards (129). Davante Adams was healthy and played in this game.
In the same game, Jones tied Adams for most catches (9), and only trailed Adams by one target (Adams: 11, Jones: 10). When the entire fate of the Packers’ season was on the line, Aaron Rodgers went to his most trusted weapons… Aaron Jones and Davante Adams.
AJ Dillon
By ranking Aaron Jones as my RB3 in 2022, I must be low on AJ Dillon. Right? However, I currently have Dillon slotted as my RB28, which isn’t far off of his ADP of RB25 (according to @fantasypros). I project Dillon’s role becoming much more significant with how this current Packers offense is set up on paper. With the roster as it stands, the Packers WR depth chart is arguably one of bottom tier groups in the NFL. In fact, PFF has the Green Bay Packers receiving corps ranked 31st in the league! The group is led by Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, rookie Christian Watson, and Randall Cobb.
This offense, run by Matt LeFleur (Kyle Shanahan disciple) will likely feature a large balance between rushing and passing as far as play calling will go. This will enable Dillon to expand on the role we’ve seen him play for the Packers thus far in his young career! Candidly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dillon were to finish as the Packers leader in total rushing attempts. Dillon’s 6’ 247-pound frame, compared to Jones’ 5’9 207-pound frame, suggests that Dillon would be able to handle more rushing attempts over the course of the season. Regardless of Dillon’s success, with Aaron Jones’ skillset, Jones will still have plenty of opportunities to produce for fantasy managers!
Outro
Being drafted as the 21st player off the board, Aaron Jones presents what I would consider to be the BEST value in all of fantasy football. You can currently draft Aaron Jones AFTER players such as RB Alvin Kamara (possible suspension looming), RB Javonte Williams (splitting time with Melvin Gordon), and WR Tyreek Hill (Tua is not Patrick Mahomes).
Currently slated as my RB 3, I see no way that Aaron Jones is anything less than a top 5 player at the position, and one of the best players in fantasy football. Take advantage of this value while you can and cash in on Packers RB Aaron Jones, a potential league winning value!
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