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3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Maurice Jones-Drew is in as the feature back of the Jacksonville Jaguars. His ability to provide the big play, stay on the field on every down, and score touchdowns near the goal line make him a fantasy football players’ dream. So why am I still concerned with ranking him this high?
Maybe you could say that I have drunk the Kool-Aid on Maurice Jones-Drew, but the guy does seemed poised for a big season. Fred Taylor got roughly half the carries for the Jags last season, and now that he is gone, the overwhelming majority of those carries are going to go to Jones-Drew. However, Jones-Drew is a diminutive running back, and we don’t know how his body is going to respond to a 200-carry season, never mind the possibility of a 300-carry season. So is drafting him this high a major risk?
At the end of the day, it isn’t.
Jones-Drew is worth his ranking as the 3rd best back in our fantasy football rankings for a couple of reasons. First, he stays on the field for every down. Because he’s such a great athlete, he gets targeted for lots of passes, and as we all know, the Jaguars passing game has a little trouble trying to go vertical, so Jones-Drew gets lots of receptions on 3rd downs, which is something even backs ranked ahead of him fail to do. Second, Jones-Drew will have fresh legs this season. Because he has never been the go-to guy before, Jones-Drew will enter this year as an experienced, but fresh running back, ready to run ramped all over the NFL. And thirdly, Jones-Drew makes big plays. Sure, he won’t be returning kicks or doing as many trick-plays as he has done in the past, but he still has the ability to turn the game around and get points in bunches, which is something all fantasy football players have to love.
So don’t fret over taking Jones-Drew with the 3rd or 4th pick in your fantasy football draft. There is very little reason to be concerned about his ability to produce for your fantasy football squad in 2009. Sure, taking over as the full-time guy isn’t all that easy, but he has learned from one of the best to ever do it in Fred Taylor, and I’m sure he’ll do just fine as the lead guy down in Jacksonville.
TSW 2009 Fantasy Football Rankings - Running Backs
10. Steve Slaton, Houston Texans (7/6/09, 9AM)
09. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants (7/6/09, 4PM)
08. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers (7/7/09, 9AM)
07. Deangelo Williams, Carolina Panthers (7/7/09, 4PM)
06. LaDainian Tomlison, San Diego Chargers (7/8/09, 9AM)
05. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams (7/8/09, 4PM)
04. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons (7/9/09, 9AM)
03. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars (7/9/09, 4PM)
02. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears (7/10/09, 9AM)
01. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (7/10/09, 12PM)
More Fantasy Football Week 1 Projections:
Fantasy Football Week 1 Projections: Quarterbacks
Fantasy Football Week 1 Projections: Running Backs
Fantasy Football Week 1 Projections: Wide Receivers
Fantasy Football Week 1 Projections: Tight Ends
Fantasy Football Week 1 Projections: Defenses
TSW Preseason Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks
1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
3. Peyton Manning, New England Patriots
4. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
6. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
7. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks
9. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans
10. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Other Wide Receiver Rankings
1. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans (8/3/09)
2. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (8/1/09)
3. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers (7/31/09)
4. Randy Moss, New England Patriots (7/30/09)
5. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts (7/29/09)
6. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons (7/28/09)
7. Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills (7/27/09)
8. Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals (7/24/09)
9. Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers (7/23/09)
10. Wes Welker, New England Patriots (7/22/09)
11. Not Top Wide Receivers (7/21/09)
Thursday, July 9, 2009
2009 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings: #3, Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
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