Fred Jackson

                          RUSHING                            RECEIVING                            FANTASY

(+) Before his injury, Fred Jackson was one of the most productive backs in the league and considered a high-end MVP candidate

(+) In just ten games last year, he compiled more rushing yards then he did the entire previous season

(+) Also set career highs in yards per carry, rushing touchdowns and receiving yards in those ten games

(+) Jackson was on pace for double-digit rushing TDs before his injury

(+) A solid receiver out of the backfield who can do almost anything coaches ask of him

(+) Being an undrafted back from a Division II school that came up from the Indoor Football League, Jackson is a hard worker who still has plenty of motivation to continue his success

(–) The injury he suffered looked pretty gruesome and who knows if he will be back at full strength to begin the year

(–) C.J. Spiller played well in relief and earned himself a place in the weekly game-plan

(–) Jackson has never been the fastest back in the league and if this injury slows him down anymore, he could return to pedestrian-status real quick

(–) The Bills are a passing team now as they had the sixth-fewest rushes in the league last season

With the fugliest man in the NFL (Marshawn Lynch) suspended for the first three games of the season, Fred Jackson was given an opportunity to take advantage of the 2008 starter’s absence… and capitalize he did.  In his first game, Jackson accumulated 20 touches for 140 yards and a touchdown, while in his second he racked up 34 touches for a whopping 188 yards.  Not since Frank the Tank has anybody taken as much of an advantage of an opportunity. However, Fred’s impressive start to the 2009 season would be cut short by the return of Lynch as the Bills immediately threw Jackson back into his RB2 role on the team.  For the next seven games, Buffalo used an RBBC out of the backfield, a stretch that not only saw the team go 2-5, but also showed just how weak of a running back Lynch was.  The final six games were given to Jackson to see what he could do, and again, he did not disappoint.  The team went 3-3 over that stretch, while Jackson averaged 114.2 yards on 21.3 touches/game including 3 touchdowns.

~ Ranked 16^th in the league with 163.3 RB fantasy points (basic scoring system)

~ Tied for 49^th in the league with 2 rushing touchdowns

~ Tied for 93^rd in the league with 4 total touchdowns

~ Ranked 15^th in the league with 1,062 rushing yards

~ Ranked 17^th in the league with 66.4 rushing yards per game

~ Ranked 13^th in the league with 237 attempts

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

~ Tied for 20^th in the league with 43 rushes for first downs

~ Lost 2 fumbles on the year

~ Ranked tenth among running backs with 46 receptions

~ Ranked twelfth among running backs with 371 receiving yards

~ Set career bests in yards (1,062), attempts (237), total touchdowns (4), yards/game (66.4), receptions (46), receiving yards (371), and total yards from scrimmage (1,433)

Jackson did well enough last season to secure the starting job heading into 2010.  Bills new head coach, Chan Gailey, happens to cater to the running game, so that bodes well for Fred, but Gailey also likes to use a couple of backs to make his system work.  Jackson could still end up averaging around 20 touches a game, and if he does, he has a chance to plant himself among the second tier of RBs come draft day.  The one big caveat to that possibility is that the Bills happen to be the worst team in the league at the moment.  Jackson doesn’t have the skills of a Steven Jackson to make it work on a losing team, so his upside is extremely limited.  He certainly has the size and skills to be a decent RB2 for your fantasy team, especially in PPR formats, but his ceiling tops out right around there.

~ The Bills drafted C.J. Spiller to complement Jackson, so his touches will fall off even further

~ If they keep Marshawn Lynch around, Jackson will be part of a 3-man RBBC.  Not good

~ The Bills will likely be playing from behind a bunch, so the running game will suffer

Jackson does not have a Twitter account.  The official Team Twitter account comes through here:  Bills Player Tweets

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Fred signed himself a nice little four-year deal in May of 2009 to the tune of $7.5 million.  The deal included a $1.1 million signing bonus with $50,000 available annually through workout bonuses.  Here's how the rest shakes out:

2010 - $1.195 million (+ $250,000 reporting bonus)

2011 - $1.625 million

2012 - $1.83 million

2013 - Free Agent

Rookie C.J. Spiller is the handcuff for FredJax this year with Marshawn Lynch likely headed out of town

• Offensive Line


• Offensive Scheme


• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2010 NFL Draft

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