FANTASY SPOTLIGHT "JAMES JONES"

Hello fantasy footballers it’s me again ‘THE FANTASY TYPHOON’ here to give you yet another addition of the fantasy spotlight. This week we will be highlighting the talents of Green Bay wide receiver James Jones. (SUBSCRIBE HERE)

 When you say the name James Jones around fantasy owners the first thing that usually comes to mind is the 14 league leading touchdowns that he produced last year. People are shying away from James because they believe that he will regress this year. They also believe that catching touchdowns is the only way he will have value this year. We here at Fantasy Football 1 on 1 are known for going against the grain, but NOT with a mere hunch or guess, we pull the film out. Let’s take a look at what James Jones has to offer to us in real life and fantasy for the 2013 season.

  

JAMES JONES QUICK POD

When I pop in the tape of James Jones I don’t see the usual speed nor do I see the superior athletic ability that top notch wide receivers possess. When I look at James Jones I see a guy who has learned from one of the great route running wide receivers in Gregg Jennings, a guy who is now manning the spot of Gregg Jennings (which is the #1 spot), and a guy who is talented enough to make a difference on this GB roster (as well as yours) for 2013. 

When you see James Jones you usually see him lined up in the “X” position (far left) and facing 1 on 1 coverage, which is an excellent set up for a talent like Jones. With that being said let’s make no mistake that Randall Cobb is the most talented receiver on this team and that’s not even up for debate. Where James will excel at is the QB and coverage. While the defenses will be geared up in stopping or slowing down Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, James Jones is pretty much forgotten (even you don’t even think about drafting him). He will be left alone with one defender. The worst defender at that. Jordy and Cobb will command a double team but they also will catch the attention from the top two DB’s on the opposing defense’s leaving Jones all alone with the third best DB on the team. The guy who is barely a NFL starter. Let's take a look below.

   

I have watched Jones eat up this coverage time and time again. When you look at the picture above It shows James in 1 on 1 coverage. The DB is giving Jones a nice cushion in order to maneuver and get position. 

 

As you can see this is your basic "GO ROUTE" and like I said earlier Jones does not have top 40 combine speed but he does have enough to get the job done on Sunday's.

                  

 

As Jones gets to the end zone the throw from Rodgers is perfect and Jones just abuses the DB to win the ball position battle and the TD that went along with it. Actually they repeated this same play again for a TD with another pass from Rodgers to Jones for a touchdown (1st quarter 4:50) but it was called back because of offensive holding. These don’t show up in the stats and are missed by calculators and algorithms. Jones has the skills to continuously defeat 1 on 1 coverage which makes him special in 2013 because Rodgers is seasoned enough to make more than 1, 2, 3, reads.

It's clear that Jones needs to have another key to his game that ultimately separates him from the pack and that is the accuracy and rapport of Aaron Rodgers. I would not be able to suggest Jones as a fantasy candidate if he had an average QB. Rodgers has the skills to not only see the 1 on 1 coverage he also has the arm to make the necessary throw. You could see this last year especially in week 13 and beyond. For the record, this is a week 13 game against the Vikings when the two were starting to get into a groove. Rodgers comes to the line and signals to Jones that he is about to hit him with a target. This usually happened when the offense were on or approaching its own forty or thirty yard line. 

For fantasy purposes we are suggesting that you let everyone else take Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson in the third while you wait and take Jones in the sixth. He should finish near both of them once the season is done. While your league mates are drafting Jordy and Cobb you take a running back and solidify your core. Also make sure you pay attention and if you begin to see the coverage start to roll over to James’ side be sure to make a note of this. We don’t expect for this to happen this year but it could definitely happen during the off season next year ( DC's review film) but you will be prepared for this in your dynasty leagues. Go ahead and implement James Jones into your draft strategy and you can thank me later. 

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