This is one of the biggest question marks for the 2023 NFL season is the Green Bay Packers. After trading away Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, there will undoubtedly be some growing pains on offense in 2023. Jordan Love is set to take over as the Packers’ quarterback and will need some help to get going in his first full season. Luckily for Love, he’ll have an assortment of weapons to help him ease into the starting role. He’ll have several young, dependable receivers looking to break out and the best running-back tandem in the NFL too. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon man the two-headed beast that is the Packers’ running game. Last year, the duo was very effective and touches were split pretty evenly. But could things be heading in a different direction in 2023?
Aaron Jones 2023 Fantasy Football Profile
Recap of Jones’ 2022 Season
Jones set a career-high in rushing yards in 2022 and had a healthy 5.3 yards per carry. However, he only scored twice on the ground while appearing in all 17 games. Even in his time as the non-starter, that was the lowest touchdown tally he’s had in a season. Things were better for Jones in the receiving game, as he scored five times and had a career-high 59 receptions. Towards the end of the year, Dillon saw 75% of the red zone snaps and finished with seven rushing touchdowns. This sharp decrease for Jones is evidence that his role is decreasing and that the two will continue to split time. Jones had an up-and-down fantasy season, as he scored ten or fewer points and 18 or more points five times each. Overall, he finished as the RB9 but it’s believed that he’ll take a step back in 2023.
Production Projection for Aaron Jones’ 2023 Season
With Love learning the role of the starter, the Packers will really have to rely on their running game. This should mean that Jones and Dillon be given tons of touches, both through carries and receptions. Jones should see plenty of carries as the starter, but most of the red-zone opportunities should again go to Dillon. Jones will likely finish right around the 1000-yard mark while seeing a similar workload from last year. It would be nice if Jones got into the end zone a bit more, and he could score five or six times. What will make or break Jones’ 2023 fantasy season is how he performs in the receiving game. Love could look for Jones a lot with swing passes and screens to move the ball more. Using his athleticism and speed, Jones could actually be a very viable receiving target.
Fantasy Information For Aaron Jones
Based on the stat predictions, Jones could finish around a 13-15 point per game average. That would put him as a very suitable RB2 in most lineups, but also a low-end RB1 in larger leagues. Despite finishing as the RB9 in fantasy in 2022, Jones drops to RB15 in the pre-season rankings for 2023. He is just behind a few notable names like Najee Harris, Joe Mixon, and Travis Etienne. This ranking slots him right around the 40th overall pick which means he should go as a fourth or fifth-rounder in standard-sized drafts. Only time will tell how the Packers will do in 2023, but if Love succeeds, the whole offense, including Jones, should succeed too.
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