2021 Fantasy Upside
In one of the biggest moves of the offseason, the Falcons shipped franchise legend and superstar wideout Julio Jones to the Titans. In Tennessee, Jones joins a pass-catching arsenal devoid of established talent behind budding star A.J. Brown, who will line up opposite Jones in base sets. Jones and Brown project to dominate Ryan Tannehill's target distribution as a potential game-breaking duo operating out wide. Jones is now 32 and firmly in the late stages of his career. That being said, he has remained effective when active. Battling numerous physical ailments throughout 2020, Jones still finished third in both yards per route run (2.70) and yards per target (11.3) among wide receivers. While Brown's presence likely means Jones will be target 1B in the Tennessee offense, Julio retained substantial fantasy value in a similar scenario with Calvin Ridley in Atlanta. The threats posed by Brown and Derrick Henry in the running game mean defenses will not be able to sell out to stop Jones, and he could even see some favorable coverages in light of Brown's ascension to alpha status. Health and age caveats aside, Jones still has enough gas in the tank to serve as an intriguing WR2 for fantasy purposes.
2021 Fantasy Downside
As alluded to above, Jones comes with several red flags as a fantasy asset. He sat out seven games last season due to injury and was severely limited in several more he was active for. At the age of 32, injury concerns will only become a bigger problem for Jones's fantasy profile and the likelihood of him maintaining full health through 17 games in 2021 is low. Jones is also no longer the surefire No. 1 target on his team, a status he held for virtually his whole career aside from stretches where he was dealing with injuries in Atlanta. How Jones adapts to being a complementary piece instead of the offensive focal point remains to be seen.
2021 Bottom Line
While Jones is no longer the locked-in fantasy WR1 he has been for the past decade, he still has substantial upside playing in an efficient offense with little competition for targets other than Brown. The Tennessee defense looks to be mediocre at best, meaning the Titans could be forced to throw more this season. Jones projects as a strong WR2 who will provide weekly WR1 upside whenever healthy.
