Fantasy Football 2019: Aaron Jones makes the wish list

Tale of the Tape

Let’s check out a few runs from Jones’s career so far that show his special qualities. First, this run from 2017 shows his elite acceleration. Acceleration is no necessarily about what your top speed is; it is about how quickly you can get going. On this run, when the holes close up at the line, Jones decides to take it outside to the edge. The defensive lineman has a beat on him, but Jones just flies past him as if he is standing still – and takes it to the house.

But Jones’s skill set goes beyond the ability to accelerate. Once he is at top speed, he shows a remarkable ability to change direction. In the two runs below, he changes direction in the midst of a run to beat a defender – without slowing down. That is a rare trait, and obviously leads to a lot of big runs.

You can see in both runs that touchdowns were unlikely early in the run. But because he can change directions due to his flexible hips and overall athleticism, he is able to beat defenders to spots, which leads to many big plays. These big plays do not always end in touchdowns, but they are the reason his yards-per-carry average has been so high in both of his seasons.