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 16th in the league with 163.3 RB fantasy points (basic scoring system)
~ Tied for 49th in the league with 2 rushing touchdowns
~ Tied for 93rd in the league with 4 total touchdowns
~ Ranked 15th in the league with 1,062 rushing yards
~ Ranked 17th in the league with 66.4 rushing yards per game
~ Ranked 13th in the league with 237 attempts
~ Tied for 20th in the league with 5 rushes of 20+ yards
~ Tied for 20th 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)
