“Committee backfield” is one of the most dreaded utterances amid the fantasy football community, and Washington’s running game adheres to it like so many other teams do.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 7: Matt Jones
Washington’s Matt Jones has been quiet since his Week 2 outburst vs. the St. Louis Rams, but greener pastures could be ahead for him against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We break down the fantasy implications.
As the game becomes more specialized, fantasy owners are required to do their homework to see if a potential game plan or injury would favor one running back over the other in the same backfield during a given week (see: LeGarrette Blount when the Patriots play the Colts).
These diligent homework-doers could see that serious production could be looming for Matt Jones on Sunday, when his team takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Fantasy impact: The Buccaneers are no slouches when it comes to defending the run, but Jones' fantasy prospects have more internal factors than external. Passing-down back Chris Thompson has not practiced all week, leaving ample passing duties and snaps for Jones in the likely event he sits.
Thompson had 10 targets in Week 6, seven in Week 5 and 11 in Week 3, leaving plenty of chances for Jones to capitalize on. If Kirk Cousins continues to use his running backs as a checkdown, Jones garnering even half of Thompson’s targets would present flex appeal when compounded with his ability to run the football.
As a result, a decent floor could be set for Jones’ fantasy outlook in addition to a lofty ceiling if he develops the hot hand. Altogether, fantasy owners could do much worse than use Jones as a flex option.
