Week 15 Flash In The Pan Alert: Julius Jones

It becomes harder and harder to pick guys in this piece. But there is always a player that either underperformed all season or rode the bench all season who is ready for a breakout week. This week I look to Seattle’s Julius Jones.

Julius is not even the best running back on the Seahawks’ roster these days--that distinction goes to Justin Forsett (our very first honoree in this column). But this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seahawks will find themselves compelled to run the ball. The Bucs boast the league’s 7th best passing defense and Seattle is a middle-of-the-road passing offense. On the other hand, the Bucs are second to last in rushing defense.

Regardless of the health of the quarterback in Seattle, their best bet on offense is going to be on the ground. Expect both Forsett and Jones to get plenty of touches this week. Julius Jones qualifies for a Flash In The Pan nod because of his relative ineffectiveness all season. But he also is an interesting player to watch this week due to his ability to make bad run defenses pay. He had good weeks this year against the Rams, Bears, and Lions. Jones is healthy, and he is exactly the kind of running back who is good for one ridiculously great day. It is the kind of performance where Seahawks fans will wonder why he has not been able to do that all season. It is the kind of performance where fantasy owners will come in to work on Monday and feverishly try to figure out which team had the foresight to start him.

Finally, in the fantasy playoffs, you have to find guys like Jones who may very well be on your waiver wire to step up and perform for you in place of your horses who might be getting rest these days. Look for Julius Jones to put up a solid stat line and possibly to give your fantasy team a chance to advance in the playoffs.