2022 Fantasy Upside
Just two seasons ago, Ronald Jones was a 1,000-yard scrimmage back. He wasn’t as productive in 2021, but that’s simply because Bruce Arians quit giving him the ball. Jones has still been a productive back, averaging 4.8 yards per carry over the past two seasons. He’s been good when given the chance, but he simply wasn’t given a chance last year. That will likely change this year as Jones gets a change of scenery in Kansas City. We saw Darrel Williams have a sizable role last season, and Jones will take over some of that. Jones is currently projected by 4for4 to finish with more rushing attempts than Clyde Edwards-Helaire this season for the Chiefs.
2022 Fantasy Downside
Jones has never been considered to be a great receiver. He saw just 13 targets last season, and the year before he had a 66.7% catch percentage on 42 targets, which ranked 38th among running backs that year. This is bad news considering the Chiefs had the second-most pass attempts in the league a year ago. So Jones’ production will have to come through the ground, where he’ll be splitting carries with CEH. Kansas City also has some depth at the position in Jerick McKinnon, Derrick Gore, and rookie draft pick Isiah Pacheco.
2022 Bottom Line
Fantasy managers will need to hope Jones can carve out a big enough role in this offense, which is going to be difficult to do. When CEH and Williams were both healthy and playing during a five-game stretch last season (Week 11-Week 16), Williams only averaged 7.6 touches per game. It’s difficult to make an impact in fantasy when you’re not on the field enough. Jones will likely have a bigger role for the Chiefs than he did for the Bucs a year ago, but it won’t be big enough unless CEH goes down with an injury. Jones is draftable as a late-round flier, or as a handcuff for CEH, but he’s not going to be someone you want in your lineup every week.
