Opportunities and Obstacles for Redskins Rookie RB Matt Jones

Ratty HeadshotWhy do we play fantasy football? We play it to win money, beat our friends, and have something else going for us on Sundays when the team we root for loses. In fantasy, anyone can draft a good team, but it takes a smart, risk-taking player to maintain a great lineup and win a fantasy football championship. That said, taking chances in free agency is a must, as it not only potentially gives you another key player, but it keeps that player away from another team.

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Three years ago, Alfred Morris was the hot in-season add. This year, another Washington Redskins running back could be the name to add. That name is Matt Jones.

Who exactly is Matt Jones? In the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Redskins selected Jones out of Florida. In a deep running back class, Jones was a huge sleeper to most outside of RosterWatch Nation. However, over the past two weeks, he’s shown that he deserved to go higher in the draft.

At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Jones is a bigger back, but he also runs with a ton of speed. General manager Scot McCloughan saw a little bit of Marshawn Lynch in Jones. Given their size and agressive playing nature, it’s easy to see the comparison. However, Jones is extremely quick. NFL.com did a statistic on Jones. On the rookie’s 39-yard touchdown ran, Jones reached speeds of 21.70 miles per hour. That’s insane for a big, bruising back.

What are some obstacles?

Well for starters, Jones is the clear-cut backup behind Alfred Morris (for now). Sure, he may have more talent and he may have proved that in Week 2, but the fact of the matter is that the Redskins are comfortable with Morris in a contract year. They’ve relied on him for three years now and he’s been solid.

However, all of this doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t take a chance on Jones. Why you should add Jones? With Jones, you’re getting a chance to bring in a running back that can make a lot of noise in the fantasy world. In 2015, the Redskins made improvements on both sides of the ball. However, many expected them to be a lot like Dallas was in 2014, a team that ran the football efficiently. With a duo of Morris and Jones, the Redskins have two power backs that can simply tire out defenses.

The Redskins’ plan is to use the ground-and-pound and be more conservative with their play calling. If that is the case, the combination of Jones and Morris should get around 30 carries a game. And if that is the case, Jones will have good opportunities to put up flex-type numbers over the course of the rest of the 2015 season.

Furthermore, at some point, the Redskins are going to have to decide whether or not they will be leaning toward bringing Morris back via a second contract. If, at that point, they’ve seen enough of Jones to think he might be able to carry the load on a cheap rookie salary for three more years, it would only make sense to get an extended look at Jones in more of a workhorse-role, especially if the late-season rolls around and the Redskins are out of playoff contention.

3 Comments

  1. Standard league pick 2, Allen Robinson, Brandon Cooks, or Dion Lewis. Thanks

    1. Lewis + Robinson

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