Fantasy Impact: KJ To Chicago
July 16, 2008 at 7:02 am | Article by Paul Hickey |
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25 year old former Detroit Lions running back Kevin Jones signed a one year contract with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday afternoon. Now that he’s back on the fantasy radar, what’s Jones’ prognosis for 2008?
The Detroit Lions are horrible. They are. They’ve made awful move after awful move and have one playoff win in their franchise history to show for their efforts. The most recent awful move has now culminated in a former first round running back landing with a division rival.
The Lions released former standout RB Kevin Jones in February after he underwent off-season surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered December 23 against Kansas City. While Jones had developed a history of significant, career threatening injuries, there was no doubt that at the age of 25, he still had a lot to offer. But Detroit, and new blowhard offensive coordinator Jim Colletto cut him free. Imagine how they felt when they attended a recent workout a few weeks ago, in which Jones showed he had regained all of his speed, quickness and footwork since his most recent injury.
Fantasy owners have wondered for months why he didn’t end up signing with a team sooner, but now that he’s a member of the Chicago Bears, that really doesn’t matter anymore.
A crowded free agent RB market, and a lack of roster space until Cedric Benson release, were the main reasons why Chicago wasn’t a player until recently.
So, with regards to Jones’ fantasy value, what should owners expect of him? And, where should owners plan on drafting him, if at all?
Well, one thing is clear, Chicago didn’t want a veteran RB, as they felt comfortable with rookie Matt Forte as their starter, and veteran Adrian Peterson as their back-up, UNTIL they saw Jones. Obviously, they saw something they liked in KJ, and wouldn’t have added him to their team if they didn’t want him to play a role of some sort.
Expect Jones to be the back-up heading into training camp, but to push Forte for the starting gig. We’ve been high on Forte for a long time, and still believe he’ll be the starter, but if Jones stays healthy he’ll definitely cut into Forte’s time and eat into his seasonal potential. Our prediction is that Jones and Forte end up splitting time evenly in 2008, drastically limiting the fantasy potential of both backs. Now, that’s not to say Forte isn’t worth drafting now - only that he’s gone from a 3rd or 4th rounder, to a 6th or 7th rounder pretty fast. I’d say Jones falls right around the 7th or 8th round himself. This makes both players solid fantasy reserve options in 2008, as Chicago will likely pound the rock a ton.
For the record, Kevin Jones is a fantasy RB4 at best in 2008.
For more inside information on the impact of Jones’ signing on rookie Matt Forte, join the USP today!
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