Fantasy Index

header banner img
OUR FANTASY BASEBALL MAGAZINE IS BACK! PRE-ORDER NOW
Win here.

Around the NFL

Julio Jones

Veteran wideout doesn't seem to have lost much

You might have heard some scuttlebutt around Julio Jones the last couple of days. Something about him maybe being traded before much longer. If that happens, and it seems like it will, how high should expectations be for him with his new team?

Jones played in nine games a year ago, beset by hamstring problems that plagued him all season. He's 32, and maybe his body is breaking down.

But when he was on the field last year, he was one of the league's very best wide receivers. Without question.

While he played in nine games, he played fully in only six games -- the other three he left early, playing limited snaps. Here are his numbers for those six games he played throughout.

JULIO GAME LOG, 2020
OppTgtNoYdsTD
Sea.1291570
at Minn.1081372
Det.98970
at Car.1071370
Den.75541
N.O.106940

Jones' per game numbers for those six contests were 7 catches for 113 yards, with half a touchdown. Projected over a full season he'd have caught 115 passes for 1,803 yards and 8 touchdowns. That would have been the 13th-best fantasy season by a wide receiver in the last 20 years.

TOP 20 WRS, 2000-2020 (PPR)
YearPlayerRecYdsTDPPR
2015Antonio Brown136183411392.2
2014Antonio Brown129169814391.1
2007Randy Moss98149323385.3
2002Marvin Harrison143172211384.2
2003Randy Moss111163217378.0
2015Julio Jones13618719377.1
2019Michael Thomas14917259374.6
2011Calvin Johnson96168116361.2
2020Davante Adams115137418360.4
2003Torry Holt117169612359.1
2001Marvin Harrison109152415351.7
2012Calvin Johnson12219645348.4
2020Julio Jones (proj.)11518038343.3
2015Brandon Marshall109150214343.2
2014Demaryius Thomas111161911340.9
2005Steve Smith Sr.103156313339.8
2002Hines Ward112132912339.1
2018DeAndre Hopkins115157211337.5
2011Wes Welker12215699335.9
2012Brandon Marshall118150811334.6

So yes, there's a hamstring/injury concern, and the team that takes him on needs to figure out how to get his contract underneath their salary cap. And the above is only six games -- you kind of want him to be available for a few more weeks of the season.

But it doesn't look like anyone should doubt what Jones, even at 32 years old, can do for an offense. He's great, and probably worth whatever a team winds up giving up for him.

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index