Jones has now put up four straight 1,100+ yard seasons and scored 29 touchdowns during that span with a career high 13 coming last season. The problem is that he will be 31 when the 2009 season starts and there is good reason to think his 13 touchdowns were a fluke considering his yearly totals over the previous eight seasons were 1, 6, 9, 7, 3, 2, 5, and 2. I’m looking for 2009 to be the last decent season for Jones.
('09 Proj: 255 att, 1,071 yds, 6 touchdowns, 33 rec, 185 yds, 1 rec TD) ~Robb Perkins
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Undervalued last season due his low touchdown output in 2007 and finished fifth among all rushers in 2008. Jones is never going to do anything to amaze fantasy owners, but he’s as rock solid as they come. There are three ways to consider him heading into 2009: one, the Jets’ uncertainty at quarterback will allow teams to load the box and make life miserable for Jones, or, two, new head coach Rex Ryan’s hard-nosed philosophy will make Jones one of the league’s true workhorses. The third, and most likely option, involves a significant expansion of running back Leon Washington’s role.
(’09 Proj: 240 att, 1,300 total yds, 8 touchdowns) ~Stan Feldman
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New Coach Rex Ryan will want to run the ball a ton in 2009. They’ve already pulled Leon Washington off of punt returns, in expectation of a larger load in the backfield. That won’t keep Jones out of the end zone though. Full steam ahead.
('09 Proj: 265 att, 1,250 total yds, 10 touchdowns) ~Jeremy Fischer
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Carried fantasy teams in the playoffs last year with a week 9-12 stretch in which he gained 487 yards and scored seven times! Finished fifth in yards rushing (1,312) and third in touchdowns with fifteen total. He is 31 years old now and this is when wear and tear truly shows, but Jones was a late bloomer and has Leon Washington to keep him fresh. He should remain a solid #1 option next season. Keep a keen eye on the quarterback and coaching situations for the Jets.
('09 Proj: 1,400 total yards, 9 touchdowns) ~Steve Cavanagh
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Jones had an unexpectedly good season last year, but you shouldn’t look for a repeat performance this season. He’ll be 31 when the season starts (an age when nearly every running back enters “full decline mode”) and the team would be smart to involve the younger and faster Leon Washington more. Also, don’t discount the loss of excellent blocking TE Chris Baker to free agency.
(‘09 Proj: 210 att, 880 yds, 7 touchdowns) ~Frank Mazzola
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Jones had a very successful season in 2008, rushing for 1,312 yards and scoring 15 combined touchdowns. However, upon further review, while Jones was instrumental in getting many teams to the playoffs, he faded over the last four weeks, averaging over four yards a carry only once. With a new quarterback, teams will be daring the Jets to beat them through the air and Jones could find that 2009 feeling a lot more like 2007 than 2008. Throw in the fact that he'll be 31 coming this year, and Jones "feels" like a guy I would rather the guy in front of me drafts.
('09 Proj: 1,025 yds, 6 touchdowns) ~Jon Rascon
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We were all over Thomas Jones last year like white on rice. He was my personal jesus in two leagues and a reason I was a big winner in 2008. The age (31) is the biggest hangup for me heading into this season. Historically, once NFL running back's hit 30, there is a sharp decline each and every year older than that in finding exceptions to the rule. I doubt I'll own T.J. this year in any league. While I don't think his numbers fall to irrelivent, chances are good that one or two fantasy owners in your league will take Jones' numbers from last season, shave 10%-15% and slot him there. That still puts him entirely too high. He's a borderline #2 fantasy back and it's likely he'll be drafted as a borderline #1 in your league.
('09 Proj: 210 att, 830 yds, 5 touchdowns) ~Rick Perkins
