RADIO
Daniel Jones is a 2022 fantasy football draft sleeper at quarterback and an ADP draft value. Target Jones as an undervalued QB in fantasy football drafts.
BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~160 Overall
CURRENT ADP: ~200
ANALYSIS: Jones is heading into a prove-it year as he enters his fourth season in the NFL, now under the direction of Brian Daboll. You know, the guy that helped Josh Allen become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL? Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but there is reason to believe that Daboll can take Jones to another level.
The former sixth-overall pick in the NFL Draft has been under the direction of lackluster coaching ever since he arrived in New York, so we will likely be able to truly see the kind of ability the 25-year-old has under the new coaching staff.
Despite a terrible offensive scheme, one of the league’s worst offensive lines, and a depleted group of skill position players, we have seen Jones produce some eye-popping performances. Sometimes in a good way, but sometimes in a bad way. Before Joe Judge came in as head coach, Jones was the QB15 with 17.2 fantasy points per game as a rookie, where he threw for 24 touchdowns in just 13 games.
Enter Judge as head coach, and Jones throws for just 21 touchdowns over a 25-game span from 2020-2021, finishing as the QB17 in PPG in 2021 and the QB29 in 2020.
Even with such a poor coaching staff and poor offensive line, Jones was the QB6 in fantasy points through the first four weeks of the 2021 season, with a 400-yard passing performance under his belt. Yes, this is a small sample size, but the point is that Jones has shown flashes of his ability, which is exciting when you consider his much-improved situation going into Year 4.
The 6-foot-5, 221-pound Jones should be able to take steps as a passer with Daboll and Mike Kafka, who has the quarterback coach of Mahomes, now leading him. With Andrew Thomas ascending as a very good player and Evan Neal being added to the mix, the Giants' improved offensive line should help Jones be more comfortable in the pocket.
The skill position group of Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, and Wan’Dale Robinson is the most talented Jones has been surrounded by during his time in New York.
However, the thing that sticks out the most about Jones is his dual-threat ability, which we all know is very valuable in fantasy football land. In 2021, he finished with 27.1 rushing yards per game. Among quarterbacks that started over 10 games, that ranked as the sixth-most. Only Allen, Jackson, Hurts, Justin Fields, and Kyler Murray averaged more.
If Daboll would like to deploy Jones as a rusher in a similar fashion to Allen, we could see him be pretty active with his legs given that he has proved he can be effective with the ball in his hands. Allen finished with the most red zone carries (32), while having the third-most rushing attempts (122), rushing yards (763), and rushing touchdowns (six) among quarterbacks.
Now, I’m not expecting Jones to see this type of volume as a rusher, but we have seen he can handle a significant workload on the ground, as he finished 10th in carries among quarterbacks in just 11 games this season.
This kind of upside is hard to find at the end of drafts, as he is being drafted as a low-end QB2 option, and likely has the most upside out of anyone being drafted around him, which includes players like Ryan Tannehill, Zach Wilson, Carson Wentz, and Jared Goff. When you consider Jones is in a position to succeed as a passer and is one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, that is enough to identify him as a potential fantasy sleeper and great late-round dart throw.
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