New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is entering his second professional season and many are wondering if he’s ready to take a step forward in the fantasy football world.
Jones was far from a top fantasy quarterback in his rookie season, finishing as the 18th ranked quarterback according to FantasyPros. But, with a revamped group of weapons, there’s a chance for him to make fantasy improvements, right?
Not so fast, says ESPN’s Eric Karabell — who took a look at the fantasy outlook for each second-year quarterback in the NFL. Here’s what he had to say about Jones:
Venerable Patriots coach Bill Belichick could not care less about fantasy football and wasn’t looking for statistical upside when he selected Jones with the 15th pick out of Alabama in 2021. He desired a mature, mistake-free leader to win games right away, and he got that as Jones started a playoff game.
He finished second in NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, but barely in the top 20 among quarterbacks for fantasy points, falling short of 4,000 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes and there is little expectation of Jones adding to his stats in future seasons. Still, he is safe, with a reasonable statistical floor. One can do worse.
Despite Jones’ new weapons and reports that he’s in the “best shape of his life,” Karabell views him at the middle of the pack. The 23-year-old finished 18th in touchdown passes and 13th in passing yards in 2021.
