Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
During the Cincinnati Bengals‘ Wild Card round playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers, Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones received 77.7 percent of the offensive snaps. That number seems to be very telling about what the Bengals coaching staff plans to do with the receiving corps in the 2014 season.
In his second season in the NFL, Jones surprised everybody by finishing the year with 51 receptions for 712 yards and ten touchdowns. Fantasy football owners may remember Jones torching the New York Jets‘ secondary for four touchdowns in one game this past year, causing an uproar in the fantasy football world. It appears that Jones is developing into the role that the Bengals had originally envisioned for Mohamed Sanu.
Going into 2014, it seems likely that Jones will be given the role he earned last season as one of Andy Dalton’s favorite targets. So, with a heavy snap count seeming likely for Jones in the upcoming season, where exactly does he fall in terms of fantasy value in 2014?
The Bengals have a very skilled passing attack that likes to stretch the field with elite wide receiver A.J. Green. Due to Green’s abilities, defenders will pay more attention to him at times leaving other options like Jones available. He wasn’t viewed as anything more than a WR-5 heading into last season, but he could become a low-end WR-3 in 2014. The arrow is pointing up for Jones, and he seems to have handled the heavy workload well.
If he can produce like he did last season, he could be flirting with his first 1,000-yard season by the end of 2014 and look to push himself into low-end WR-2 territory for fantasy purposes.
Alexander Muir is a writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @AmuirAlex, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on your network on Google.
