For the second season in a row, Fred Jackson enters the season finale needing more than 100 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the season. The fourth-year back needs 108 yards Sunday against the New York Jets.
Rushing for that many yards Sunday will be no easy task against a Jets run defense that only allowed its first individual 100-yard rusher of the season this past week against Chicago. But Jackson needed 150 in last year’s finale against Indianapolis to reach 1,000, and ran for a career-high 212.
In a season where team accomplishments had to be re-evaluated by midseason, getting Jackson to the millennium mark has become a team goal.
Jackson has 209 carries for 892 yards and five touchdowns this season, and is the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher in the second half of the season (579 yards). What makes those numbers even more impressive is that Jackson has 20 or more carries in a game just five times this season, and has recorded 12 or fewer carries in a game eight times.
This is usually good news for fantasy owners because it should mean Jackson will get a lot of touches and chances against a Jets team that's locked into their playoff spot and will likely rest so guys, even if it's in the second half. Jackson's value gets a little bump up this week as a result of this and it looks like he's a decent option in week with a lot of question marks.