Felix Jones

                         RUSHING                            RECEIVING                            FANTASY

Felix Jones was used as the change-of-pace back in Dallas this past year, though that role was increased quite a bit towards the end of the season.  His yards per carry were off the chart per usual, as Jones led the entire league in that category at 5.9 YPC after going for 8.9 YPC his rookie season.  Marion Barber still got the bulk of the work in 2009, both on 1^st and 2^nd downs and in the redzone, but when injuries caught up to him late, Felix was given a chance to show his stuff.  He accumulated double-digit carries in each of the last four games of the regular season and continued that trend into the post-season as well.  In those six games, Felix showed Dallas just how electric he can be by averaging just over 6 yards a carry and rattling off TD runs of 49 and 73 yards.  Jones became one of the most exciting RBs to watch in the game in 2009, and he’ll look to build on his workload next season.

~  Ranked 40th in the league with 94.4 RB fantasy points (basic scoring system)

~  Led the league in yards per attempt at 5.9

~  Tied for 40^th in the league with 3 rushing touchdowns

~  Tied for 115^th in the league with 3 total touchdowns

~  Ranked 30^th in the league with 685 rushing yards

~  Ranked 34th in the league with 48.9 rushing yards per game

~  Ranked 44th in the league with 116 attempts

~  Tied for 20th in the league with 5 rushes of 20+ yards

~  Tied for 44th in the league with 24 rushes for first downs

~  Lost 3 fumbles on the year

~  Ranked 46th among running backs with 19 receptions

~  Ranked 59th among running backs with 119 receiving yards

~  Set career bests in attempts (116) Yards (685) YPG (48.9) A/G (8.3) Receptions (19) Reception yards (119) and Yards from scrimmage (804)

So here comes the big chance for Felix to show Dallas he can handle a heavy workload and inform the league he’s a force to be reckoned with, right?  Well, we’d love to believe it, and the signs sure are pointing in that direction, but there’s nothing concrete enough to give us confidence in saying it.  Marion Barber actually had a pretty decent year despite his injuries, as he scored 7 TDs and put up close to 1,000 yards while averaging 4.4 YPC.  Tashard Choice is still on the roster as a very serviceable back as well, so why would Dallas put a high workload on Jones now knowing he’s been hampered by injuries throughout his career and has never been the main man on any team he’s played for since High School?  Don’t get us wrong, as the kid’s skills are something special to watch and we’d love to see what he could do with 20 touches/game, but the move just doesn’t seem logical.  He should be upping his workload to an even split with Barber though, and with his big-play ability, that puts him right outside the dependable fantasy RB2 range with an upside among the highest in the league.

~ His touches per game will definitely go up this year, but how much depends on how risky the Cowboys want to get with his health

~ He’s among the top-5 most electric players in the game today

~ With the ‘Boys having so many offensive weapons, it will be tough to get everyone the ball as much as they deserve

~ Can he handle 200 touches in a season?  He never has before

~ Dallas still has two other experienced, efficient backs at their disposal in Barber and Choice

Felix Jones (@felixjones28) can be followed on Twitter at:  http://twitter.com/felixjones28

Follow Pyro® on Twitter @pyroman1ac

Felix signed a five-year, $10.525 million rookie contract in July of 2008.  The deal contained $7.665 million guaranteed, including a $3.57 million signing bonus.  The remainder of the deal is outlined below:

2010 - $775,000

2011 - $1,023,750

2012 - $1.17 million

2013 - Free Agent

Marion Barber for sure, and maybe even Tashard Choice are the handcuffs to Jones

• Offensive Line


• Offensive Scheme


• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2010 NFL Draft

View Overall Strength of Schedule Chart