Aaron Jones makes my wish list due to his elite acceleration, ability to change direction without slowing down, and excellent receiving ability.
In the first two articles in this series, we took a look at why Nick Chubb and Dante Pettis are two of my primary targets in fantasy football drafts this season. Each of them has elite traits that are hard to find, traits that are key predictors of success.
We now turn our attention to another running back on my 2019 wish list this draft season, Aaron Jones. Jones was drafted by the Green Bay Packers back in 2017, and in his two seasons he has certainly impressed. He has averaged 5.5 yards per carry both seasons, which is a rare feat and shows his explosiveness.
In both seasons he played in 12 games, and in his second season took a step forward, adding on 69 additional touches. If he takes another step forward in usage and plays in all 16 games, there is every reason to believe Jones can take a jump into the elite ranks at running back.
Even if he continues to split carries with Jamaal Williams, I project Jones to average 12 carries per game, for a total of 192 carries. Even if he only averages 5.0 yards per carry this season with the increased volume, that would put him at 960 yards rushing. I anticipate he will add on 300-400 yards receiving, on around 40 receptions.
Those numbers would certainly make him elite, and if the new coaching staff decides to ride Jones more heavily, he could quickly jump into the top tier of running backs.