Career Stats Year Rushing Receiving Fumb. Year Team G Rush Yds Y/G Avg 100+ TD Rec Yds Y/G Avg 100+ TD Lost 2015 WAS 13 144 490 37.7 3.4 1 3 19 304 23.4 16.0 1 1 4

2015 was a great year for the Washington Redskins. They clinched the NFC East for the 2nd time in 5 years. Matt Jones on the other hand had a rocky season. Kirk Cousins and Jordan Reed lead the offense through the air but Washingtons’ run game was a full on committee.

Matt Jones shared carries with lead back Alfred Morris throughout nearly the entire season. The Coaches seemed like they wanted to let Jones take over the lead but, every time they gave him a chance he would fumble it and the ball away. Fantasy owners of Redskins’ running backs were constantly hoping that one would become the clear leader and they would know who to start every Sunday.

So why is there so much hype for a player who finished the season under 500 yards with an abysmal average of 3.4 yards a carry? Its because the Committee approach looks to be a thing of the past for Washington. During the offseason Alfred Morris made his way to the cowboys leaving only 7th round draft pick Keith Marshall as a threat to Jones starting role.

The opportunity sure seems to be there for Jones in the 2016 season. The Redskins were #7 in rushing attempts last year and he looks to get nearly all of it. Physically he is a solid player coming in at 6’2, 231lb and isn’t afraid of contact. He has a bruiser running style that would be great for goal line work and he isn’t bad at pass protection either.

So will the sophomore slump? Well, yes and no. I believe that Jones is sure to improve upon his 2015 season through opportunity alone, but as far as fantasy is concerned I have doubts that he out performs his ADP. Currently he is going 49th overall and as the 21st running back off the board.

Jones is a high risk and low reward kind of player. I normally preach that any one getting the main share of a teams work is someone to be coveted, but Jones has not shown he can do anything with the touches that he has gotten. During last season he lacked vision often missing holes and occasionally running into his own teammates. Combine this with the Redskins’ centers being some of the worst in the league and you will have broken plays all season long.

The one thing Jones had going for him in 2015 was his touchdowns, but even those are questionable this year. With their star TE Jordan Reed healthy and the Skins adding Josh Doctson at WR their passing game will be stronger than ever. Even though he missed a chunk of the season Reed finished as the #7 player targeted in the red zone. You can expect Reed and Doctson to be targeted heavily near the goalline, with every short fade being a dagger into Jones fantasy production.

At his price and situation Its safe to say that Jones will get enough work to put him into the low RB2 discussion but his ceiling will not be much higher than that. For me his risk level is too high for a player that has no track record on a team that is likely to regress from their 2015 season. He might kill it this season but to me all signs point to more of the same 2015 Matt Jones, just a lot more of him.