It’s that time of year once again! Football Absurdity will bring you a breakdown of every notable fantasy football-relevant player throughout June, July, and August. Now that we’ve finished with the main bulk of the player profiles, it’s high time that we fill in around the edges with extra players that you need to know. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought Julio Jones in from the cold and gave him their #4 roster spot, and it sent the fantasy football world alight with opinions on the matter. Well, we are a fantasy football site, and we, too, have opinions on the matter! What should we be doing with Julio Jones in our 2022 fantasy football leagues?
Julio Jones ADP and AAV:
Average Draft Position: WR60, 145 overall
Average Auction Value: $1.3
Julio Jones Statistics:
| Year | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yards | TD | Tgt/G | Rec/G | Rec% | Yds/Tgt | Yds/Rec |
| 2021 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 31 | 434 | 1 | 4.80 | 3.10 | 64.6% | 9.04 | 14.00 |
| 2020 | 9 | 9 | 68 | 51 | 771 | 3 | 7.56 | 5.67 | 75.0% | 11.34 | 15.12 |
| 2019 | 15 | 15 | 157 | 99 | 1394 | 6 | 9.81 | 6.19 | 63.1% | 8.88 | 14.08 |
| Year | Std Pts | HPPR Pts | PPR Pts | Pts/G | HPPR Pts/G | PPR Pts/G | Pts/Tgt | HPPR Pts/Tgt | PPR Pts/Tgt |
| 2021 | 49.4 | 64.9 | 80.4 | 4.9 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 1.03 | 1.35 | 1.68 |
| 2020 | 95.1 | 120.6 | 146.1 | 10.6 | 13.4 | 16.2 | 1.40 | 1.77 | 2.15 |
| 2019 | 175.1 | 224.6 | 274.1 | 11.7 | 15.0 | 18.3 | 1.12 | 1.43 | 1.75 |
| Year | Air Yards | aDOT | YAC | YAC/Tgt | YAC/Rec | AYMS | Tgt MS |
| 2021 | 576 | 12.0 | 112 | 2.33 | 3.61 | 24% | 16% |
| 2020 | 764 | 11.2 | 231 | 3.40 | 4.53 | 28% | 20% |
| 2019 | 1913 | 12.2 | 364 | 2.32 | 3.68 | 37% | 25% |
2022 Julio Jones Overview:
First and foremost, Julio Jones’ position on the Tampa Bay depth chart, depending on Russell Gage’s growth and Chris Godwin’s injuries, could be anywhere from second to fourth behind Mike Evans. Personally, I think that once Godwin returns, Julio will fill the #4 target role in a mold similar to the now-retired Rob Gronkowski. At the same time, he will also fill the role of “guy who gets hurt all the time,” just like Gronkowski. Julio Missed 7 games each of the last two seasons with persistent hamstring issues, and I fear that will once again limit his upside in 2022.
On DraftSharks.com’s Injury History tool, there are nine entries for Julio Jones’ right hamstring… from 2020 and 2021. That’s a horrifying proposition that supersedes any potential output he might have on the football field, because injuries are hard enough to deal with in fantasy football, why would I go into the season with a guy who I know will get hurt at some point, potentially in a game where I started him?
If you want to leap in on Julio Jones, then there are still some things to like. For example, his 11.3 and 9.0 yards per target in 2020 and 2021 ranked third and 22nd, respectively. So, if you figure that he should be in line for six or seven targets per game to start the year until Chris Godwin is up-to-speed, then he’s worth a look as a handcuff wide receiver to Chris Godwin. But, given his ranking on the depth chart and his proclivities for injury, he’s not a player I want to rely on.
2022 Julio Jones Fantasy Football Draft Strategy:
Julio Jones Salary Cap Value: $1
Draft Ranking: Find out for your league settings in a Beersheet!
That having been said, I love Julio Jones as a speculative late dart throw, especially at his price of 146 overall. If you’re taking him in the single-digit rounds, you blew it. But, we are out here trying to squeeze life into Isaiah McKenzie and Jahan Dotson down in the late rounds, we might as well try that with one of the best wide receivers of the 2000s. Julio is extremely high-reward, but his floor is also Randy Moss on the Titans (betcha don’t remember that). So, get him as your WR5 and see what happens, but be ready to move on if (let’s be clear here… when) his hamstring issues flare up.
Best Case Scenario:
Julio Jones gets 100 targets and finishes as WR19 after playing all year long.
Worst Case Scenario:
Julio gets 19 targets and finishes as WR100 after playing in parts of 5 games.
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[Statistics are sourced from pro-football-reference.com, airyards.com, and ftnfantasy.com]
