On Monday afternoon the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed veteran wideout Julio Jones. When you first see the name, you instantly flashback to his insane numbers when he was with the Atlanta Falcons. Then reality sets in and you remember he’s now a 33-year-old wide receiver with plenty of miles.
Over the last few years, Julio has battled soft tissue issues that have derailed his seasons. Last year he was expected to complement Tennessee Titans wideout AJ Brown as the number two wide receiver but he did anything but that.
So, why is Julio Jones suddenly getting some preseason hype in fantasy football? Since news of the signing broke, his ADP has risen significantly. I get the appeal of that stacked Tampa Bay offense with one of the best Quarterbacks of all time throwing to him but I’d caution owners on buying the hype or the ADP trend upward.
Tampa’s offense now has Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Russell Gage, Kyle Rudolph, and Julio Jones. With Rob Gronkowski retiring this offseason I see Julio Jones as nothing more than another big red zone target for Tom Brady. I view the signing as an insurance move to help Tom Brady out while Chris Godwin continues to rehab from a torn ACL. He was the number two option in the Titans offense and the numbers weren’t great. In ten games played he had 31 catches for 434 yards with one touchdown.
In his defense, the Titan’s offense is a very run-heavy scheme that feeds off of play action. Julio Jones should be nothing more than a late round filer in fantasy this year. Once Chris Godwin comes back and is fully cleared medically, I don’t see Julio higher than fourth on the depth chart. Russell Gage has sneaky-good potential and the Bucs gave him a 3-year 30 million dollar contract with 20 million of that guaranteed. That’s not money you pay someone to sit on the bench.
Julio will be a boom or bust red zone target at Tom Brady’s disposal. This signing is more impactful in the real life football world than it is in the fantasy world.
Unless an injury happens to Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, or Russell Gage, Julio will be a touchdown dependent top 50 WR this season. There are lots of mouths to feed in that high-powered offense including running back Leonard Fournette. I would fade Julio Jones this upcoming draft season and go with someone with more upside.
-Philip O’Brien
Twitter: @bruins4life487
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.