Just when MJD became fantasy relevant again, he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of the game for Week 15. Columnist Jon Sousa breaks down how backup Jordan Todman did, and who you should play going forward.
For the first part of the NFL season, the Jacksonville Jaguars seemed to be doomed to be 0-16. The defense was a mess, the offense was less than average, and all hope seemed to be lost in the Sunshine State. Well, it’s not too much better now, but the Jags have won four of their past six games and seem to be poised to finish the season on a good note. One of the bright spots on the Jags over the past month and a half has been running back Maurice Jones-Drew. MJD has been a fragment of the player that he used to be, but he has had some decent games during the Jags semi-hot streak. Despite not playing in Week 15 against the Bills, Jones-Drew has had 4 ten-plus fantasy point efforts in Weeks 10-14, and the only non double-digit effort was nine points against a stout Arizona Cardinals defense. Fantasy owners were finally being rewarded for what seemed like a wasted 2nd-3rd draft pick on Jones-Drew, until MJD missed the aforementioned Week 15 game with a hamstring injury that he sustained in the Jags’ Week 14 win vs. Houston.
Jordan Todman filled in nicely for Jones-Drew, running for 109 yards on 25 carries. The Buffalo Bills run defense was ranked 26th in the league, so some people would not see it as a surprise that Todman was able to put up the numbers that he did. However, there are some facts you should consider before either losing faith in Jones-Drew or putting all of your marbles in the Jordan Todman basket. First of all, Todman most likely would have split carries with rookie Denard Robinson, however Robinson fumbled a first half goal line carry, which put Todman in line for the majority of the work. Secondly, the Jags have always trusted MJD to preform for them, no matter if he is injured or not. If MJD can go in Week 16 against the Colts, he is going to get the majority of the carries, and Todman will go back to his role as a regular spell back.
My verdict? Stick with MJD and do not buy the hype of one good game by Todman. I’d like to leave you with a little comparison and homework assignment. Remember Rishard Matthews, the Miami Dolphins WR that caught 11 balls for 120 yards and two touchdowns Week 10 against the Bucs? Remember how everyone was ready to jump ship on Mike Wallace and trust Matthews going forward? Go compare their stats since that game, then tell me if you’d like apply the same logic to the Jaguars running back situation. I’ll be waiting!
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