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Fantasy debate: My case for Thomas Jones
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One of the biggest mistakes when evaluating fantasy players is to presume their previous season is an accurate assessment of how they will fare this year.
Thomas Jones is a classic example.
No doubt, Jones was a huge disappointment for the Jets last season. He proved he's no Adrian Peterson. He cannot do it alone.
This year, he won't have to. He's going to have Brett Favre by his side.
No two teammates leaguewide complement each other better. Favre is the best at stretching the field, always occupying both safeties (and usually at least a couple of linebackers) in pass coverage. And Jones is great at finding room between the tackles when it's not congested with seven or eight defenders at a time.
Considering he was handicapped by the anti-Favre -- a quarterback (Chad Pennington) who had no downfield passing ability -- last season, Jones wasn't as bad as you might think. He went over 100 total yards rushing and receiving in a game seven times, including four times against clubs he will be facing again in 2008.
And that was before Favre, who has a history of turning rather mediocre running backs into stars. Do you really think Ryan Grant is half as good as he appeared last season?
If Jones is your No. 2 running back, you're in great shape this season.
Meanwhile, Michael Turner's move from San Diego to Atlanta is a money-grab pure and simple. It has "Dominic Rhodes Going to the Raiders" written all over it.
There's no indication Turner will be a great back when he has to stand on his own two feet, and even less indication the Falcons will field a competitive team this season. Remember this: The farther behind they fall, the more the Falcons will have to throw.
And Atlanta's quarterback isn't exactly Favre. It's a rookie, Matt Ryan, who will have a Pennington-type impact (no respect) on defenses.
This, fantasy fans, is an easy call.
For Brad Hostetter's case for Michael Turner, click here.
