Fantasy Football: 5 Breakout Running Backs for 2019

Fantasy Football Breakout RB – Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

Carpe diem has likely been a consistent theme in the mind of Packers’ RB Aaron Jones, a player who’s had to earn every single snap since entering the league in 2017. While he’s made the most of his opportunities, he begins a new life this season; a life without Mike McCarthy.

With new Head Coach Matt LaFlauer now in town, we may finally catch a glimpse of what Jones can do in an expanded role. Despite finishing as fantasy’s RB24 while carrying a league-leading 5.5 YPC, Jones’ 133 rush attempts in 2018 ranked just 37th in the league. In fact, he only topped 15 carries in a single game twice.

Jones’ development from his rookie year to 2018 was easy to see. Where he really took a step forward, though, was in the passing-game. The former fifth-round pick hauled-in 26 passes at a 74.3 percent catch rate compared to his 9 receptions at a 50 percent rate as a rookie. Jones should only continue to develop this season under LaFlauer, someone who loves to get his tailbacks involved through the air.

Aside from Jones’ impressive YPC, he also led the league last season with 31% of his carries going for touchdowns or first downs, according to Pro Football Focus.

Could it have been poor conditioning that held Jones back from a featured role last year? Possibly. That should no longer be a problem, however, as the third-year back made it a point of emphasis to get his body right this off-season.

In February, Packers’ GM Brian Gutekunst said that Jones needed to improve his strength and conditioning. It seems that Jones heard him loud and clear.

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported in late-May that Jones has shredded his body fat down to 5.3 percent, more than an 11 percent different from 2018. More importantly, he was able to maintain his playing weight of around 205 pounds.

To be fair, these kinds of stories during the off-season are extremely mundane. But a faster, stronger Jones could force the coach’s hand into giving him the lion’s share of touches in Green Bay’s backfield.

Jones, of course, will need to stay on the field in order to truly break-out (missed 8 games through his first two seasons). If he can prove his MCL issues are past him, his involvement in the passing-game and a healthy allotment of carries should have him push for RB1-status when it’s all said and done.