There are some players whose talent transcends their surroundings and situation (Adrian Peterson). Unfortunately for 99% of players that is not the case. That's where the Talent, Situation and Opportunity Report comes in. The TSO Report puts an individual under the microscope and analyzes that player through three different lenses to determine their fantasy outlook:

Talent: What does the player bring to the table? Do they have any trump cards? Will an area of weakness prevent the player from reaching their potential?

Situation: Will the player be used correctly? Are they an integral part of a good offense? Do they fit the offensive scheme well? Is the arrow pointing up or down for the offense?

Opportunity: Where do they sit on the depth chart? Do they have a role carved out in their offense? Are they stuck behind an elite talent?

Background:

Name: Marvin Jones

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 199 LBS

College: California

Drafted: 5th Round, 166th Overall by Cincinnati in 2012

Experience: 5th Season

2015 Season Stats: 65 Rec, 103 Targets, 816 Yards, 12.6 YPC, 4 TD

Talent:

In 2013, Marvin Jones had a breakout sophomore campaign with the Cincinnati Bengals hauling in 51 Rec, 712 Yards and 10 TD's on just 77 Targets. Jones missed all of 2014 with a variety of foot and ankle issues but bounced back with an impressive 2015 campaign where he set career highs in receptions, yards, targets and snaps.

As seen in the clips below Jones has made a name for himself as a deep threat opposite AJ Green. Jones makes the most difficult acrobatic over the shoulder catches look routine. Jones has ballerina like footwork along the sidelines which makes him a Quarterback's best friend on back-shoulder throws and comeback routes. A polished and refined route runner Jones is also underrated with the ball in his hands. An elusive runner after the catch, Jones forced 12 missed tackles in 2015. 16th best among WR according to Pro Football Focus. Incredibly surehanded, Jones has never fumbled in the NFL and only dropped two passes in 2015. Jones' drop rate of 1.9% was better than Calvin Johnson's 2.7%.

Overall I think it's fair that Jones isn't considered an elite talent. He can struggle against press coverage and is lacking a true elite trait but I will say that Jones is a player who has been underrated for far too long. Part of that may be due to him missing all of 2014 coming off his breakout 2013 season. But he was underrated throughout the draft process as well. I know many in the NFL Draft community who viewed Jones as a sure-fire day 2 talent rather than the 5th round pick he was.