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Aaron Jones 2022 NFL Player Outlook: Set For A Larger Passing Game Role
3 years agoGreen Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones got off to a hot start in 2021, scoring four touchdowns in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. He would go on to score just six more total touchdowns on the season while finishing with just 799 rushing yards on 171 carries. The sixth-year veteran lost significant rushing work to A.J. Dillon during the season as the Packers looked to keep him fresh. Despite the slow 2021 season, Jones is set to smash in 2022 as the Packers traded star wideout, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. While Adams was on the Packers, he commanded massive target shares, but Jones took a more prominent role in the passing attack when the former was sidelined. Adams missed eight games that Jones played in from 2019 to 2021. In those games, Jones averaged 4.5 receptions and 48.5 yards on 5.9 targets, all well above his career averages in those categories. After losing Adams and Marques Valdes-Scantling, the Packers will utilize Jones and Dillon heavily this season. The running back duo rushed for 1,100 scrimmage yards and combined for 17 total touchdowns. Dillon should see short-yardage work and is expected to be Green Bay's goalline back as the Packers rotate both running backs. Dillon and Jones' workload shouldn't change drastically with the loss of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett; fantasy managers can expect more of the same in 2022. Jones can be grabbed near the end of the second round in PPR-league drafts and could realistically outscore several of the Round 1 fantasy running backs in the upcoming season. He is a solid target for fantasy managers drafting in the middle or end of the second round in 2022.
