Aaron Jones Fantasy: How High Can Packers RB Climb?

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Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers flexes his muscles after scoring a touchdown during a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 6, 2019 in Arlington, Texas.

Only four other Green Bay Packers running backs have done what Aaron Jones did Sunday inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The third-year rusher from El Paso, Texas, was triumphant in his homecoming as he collected 182 scrimmage yards and rushed for four touchdowns in the Packers 34-24 bounce-back victory against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. He never broke a run longer than 18 yards on 19 carries, but he rushed for 107 yards — his second 100-yard game this season — and caught another seven passes for 75 yards as well.

For fantasy football owners who have been waiting anxiously for the Green Bay rusher to take off, Sunday was proof they hadn’t made mistake in drafting Jones in an early round. Jones is now the NFL’s touchdown leader with eight total on the season, scoring in each of the team’s last four games while catching at least six passes for two straight weeks.

Starting Jones? It’s a slam-dunk decision, at least until Jamaal Williams returns to the fold after suffering a concussion Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was sidelined all of Week 6 for the Packers and has an uncertain status moving forward.

Given how Jones ran Sunday, though, the Packers have no need to rush back Williams before taking on the Detroit Lions for Monday Night Football at 7:15 p.m. C.T.

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Aaron Jones Fantasy Outlook vs. Lions

Now, expecting the same from Jones next week sets yourself up for disappointment because, well, that’s just not realistic. Guys don’t score four touchdowns every day, and they certainly don’t two games in a row. But Jones has shown what he can do when he is the primary ball carrier and is facing a softer matchup in Week 6 against the Lions defense.

Assuming Williams misses another week — or is limited at the very least — Jones’ momentum from Sunday’s career game against the Cowboys could see him have another big week in a prime-time game back at Lambeau Field.

The Lions haven’t been terrific against rushers thus far, but their first four opponents have all posed the unique challenge of a two-back running attack. Whether it was a one-two punch of Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders with the Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs’ rotation of Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy, Detroit struggled to hold the line.

The Packers could continue that trend if they commit to giving more touches to Tra Carson, as they resisted doing against the Cowboys, but they’ll more than likely trust Jones to do a bulk of the work against a Lions defense that has given up the fourth-most overall yards.

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Will Aaron Jones Produce Like a True RB1 in Week 6?

While 15 other running backs in the league have more rushing yards than Jones, only three of them — Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler and Dalvin Cook — have scored more fantasy points through the first five weeks in PPR leagues, with Jones rising above Ekeler in standard leagues, according to FantasyPros.

His pass-catching tendencies help his numbers, but Jones hammered home how dangerous he can be on his feet in a challenging environment against the Cowboys. The Lions, as can be said about any NFC North team this season, will challenge the Packers on their home turf, but Jones’ first 100-plus rushing game did come against in a similar matchup Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Final verdict: Jones ascended in the FantasyPros running back projections for Week 6 to the No. 7 rushing option across the board, but are you fooling yourself hoping for another big week? Not really when you consider his momentum, his home-field advantage and the pure fact that Jones has been in the cards for a breakout season all along. Four touchdowns again is a stretch, but an excellent performance isn’t. You’re the one who drafted or traded for him, now sit back and reap the benefits.

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