Sunday, May 12, 2024

Fantasy Football

Sophomore SZN : Daniel Jones

Over the next 40 days (May 1st to June 10th), I will break down 40 of the NFL’s “Sophomores”. By sophomores, Imean players in their 2nd year of the NFL. The 2019 Draft class was quite special and has shown some early promise. I want to reflect on each player’s rookie year, take a look forward, and finally evaluate their dynasty and redraft value going into the 2020 NFL Season. I hope you enjoy this 40-day adventure as I dive into the emerging stars the NFL has to offer. Next on the list is Daniel Jones. Below you will find every player I have covered to this date.

Sophomore SZN : Kyler Murray / Daniel Jones / T.J. Hockenson / Dwayne Haskins / Noah Fant / Josh Jacobs / Marquise Brown / N’Keal Harry

Rookie Season

The Giants’ plan for Jones was to sit behind Eli Manning in 2019 while the Giants wanted to stay in the mix for the NFC East championship. After a slaughtering from the Cowboys in Week 1 ( is it just me or does the Cowboys and Giants always play week 1?), the Giants had a decision to make. They continued with their commitment to Eli in Week 2, but heading into Week 3, they went with their rookie signal-caller. Jones got the start in Week 3 against the Buccaneers where he led the Giants to win with over 330 passing yards and 2 scores.

After a strong week 3 performance, Jones was now in charge of “manning” the offense. Jones struggled with turnovers in 2019. He threw 12 interceptions and also fumbled the ball 18 times, losing it to the other team 11 times. Jones will have to be more secure with the ball going into his sophomore campaign. Jones also got sacked too much in 2019 for his liking– a total of 38 times. Despite all the bad, Jones finished with 3,027 passing yards and 24 yards.

Looking Forward

The Giants needed to address the offensive line and their defense this offseason. For fantasy purposes, the additions on the offensive line is what matters to us. With the fourth overall pick, the Giants drafted OT Andrew Thomas to protect their second-year QB, Jones. They went on to draft OT Matt Peart in the third round and followed that up by drafting OG Shane Lemieux in the fifth. They also brought in OT Cameron Fleming in free agency to give them some depth.

Going into the 2020 season, Tate will be 32, and Shepard will be 27. Jones will continue to build a relationship with Slayton, and those two together have the potential to put up big numbers.Slayton found a groove with Daniel Jones in 2019. He brought in 48 balls for over 700 yards and 8 scores. The Giants didn’t draft a WR in the 2020 NFL Draft, and I didn’t think that they needed to. Between Slayton, Golden Tate, and Sterling Shepard they secretly have a pretty solid receiving corps. I was happy to see the Giants address the offensive line. Getting Evan Engram back and healthy will only help Jones’ development in Year 2.

Dynasty Value

Daniel Jones is very intriguing to me in dynasty leagues. He has shown some promise. He threw more TD in 2019 than Kyler Murray. Yes, I know Kyler Murray has the legs and other attributes, however maybe it is time we start talking about Daniel Jones. Jones is in my Top 15 for Dynasty QB’s. With Barkley in the backfield and a good receiving corps, Jones should be able to put up fantasy points in 2020. His value in SuperFlex leagues is great. I just grabbed Jones in the 12th round as my QB3 behind Mahomes and Prescott in our Belly Up Fantasy Sports dynasty league.

Redraft Value

Daniel Jones will also go in the later rounds of redraft leagues. I can very much see Jones’ draft position fall around the 14th to 16th round. He won’t be on many people’s radars in 2020. I do believe Jones will have games that he will be startable for fantasy purposes. He may be very matchup dependent if he can’t hold on to the ball more. I like what Slayton will bring to owners in 2020, which you can read here. My current projection for him is 3,875 passing yards and 27 TD. With his current ADP, Danny Dimes will be helpful for those who take a late-round QB approach.

Follow my work on Twitter @FinalDriveFF and check out other Belly Up Fantasy Sports articles.