2022 IDP Dynasty Target: Brandon Jones
Today, we continue our series on players to target in your dynasty leagues this season. Let’s keep the train moving as we break down our next IDP dynasty target, Brandon Jones!
Background
Drafted by the Dolphins out of Texas A&M in the 3rd round in 2020, Brandon Jones spent his first year buried on the depth chart on the team. By week 5 in 2021, Jones was thrust into the starting strong safety role ahead of incumbent Eric Rowe evidenced in snaps played per game. In fact, speaking of snaps, out of all defensive backs who played a minimum of 600 defensive snaps in the NFL in 2021, Jones was second in the league in most snaps played with a 12.7% tackle rate which was 8th best in the NFL among defensive backs according to Pro Football Reference. In terms of his solo tackle production, he was the DB7 in solo tackle rate among defensive backs who played a minimum of 15 games on the season.
#dolphins dial up a blitz on third down. brandon jones gets the sack. pic.twitter.com/3OGH5nXeQn
— josh houtz (@houtz) September 26, 2021
Now where Jones made a name for himself in 2021 was his ability to rush the passer.
Most strong safeties nowadays play as a 3rd or 4th linebacker, depending on the defensive scheme being run, with one of their primary roles being helping defend against the run. The was NOT Jones’ forte as he didn’t even make PFF’s Top 100 DBs in run-stopping percentage. Now in terms of the percentage of plays played rushing the passer, no other defensive back in the NFL came close to doing that as Brandon Jones. In fact, both he and fellow teammate, rookie Jevon Holland, were the only tandem safeties in the NFL that made the Top 7 in QB rush %. His 10 QB hits, 14 total pressures, 5 sacks, and 2.3% pressure rate, according to Pro Football Reference, were the best in the league among defensive backs in 2021. He blitzed the quarterback 69 times which was 7th most among ALL DEFENSIVE PLAYERS IN THE NFL.
Current Situation
The big elephant in the room is what makes a “QB-blitzing” defensive back a viable option for the short and long term in IDP Dynasty? For starters, consistency with the coaching scheme. Despite the hiring of new head coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins retained defensive coordinator Josh Boyer who was instrumental in orchestrating the blitz-heavy nature of the Dolphins defense down the stretch last season. Another reason to be optimistic is Jones is still progressing and maturing as a player. Do you know what that means for dynasty? His value is probably considered low because he has a bit of a learning curve which makes him an easier acquisition (more on this later). The third reason is opportunity. No one is coming to steal his spot on this team. No free agents or rookie prospects. Jones has the keys to the car at the strong safety position.
Currently ranked on DLF as the DB36, Jones has been seen going as low as a 2022 4th-round pick this season and as high as a low-second-round pick. As with any value when it comes to trading, everyone’s perception of value comes from their team’s needs. When making my final assessment of a player’s value I have to remember that as much as I enjoy talking about X’s and O’s, on-field performance and how that translates to fantasy production is what I care about the most.
As you can see from the chart above, depending on your choice of scoring rubric (we of course encourage our own Fantasy In Frames Scoring for more balanced scoring across individual positions compared to the other two scoring rubrics), one scoring format values a player differently than another. Based on the data from last year combined with his and the team’s current situation, Jones looks to be entrenched in low DB2/high DB3 positioning with mid-to-high DB2 upside in terms of fantasy value.
Outlook
In my assessment, Brandon Jones has the makings of being a consistent DB2 for you this year and for years to come. The consistency in scheme heading into this season shows that, the commitment by the team to him evidenced by not bringing in any competitions for snaps shows that, and the fact that this Dolphins organization views both Jones and Jevon Holland as the cornerstone playmakers in this secondary shows that.
In other words….
Thanks for checking out our IDP Dynasty Target article on Brandon Jones. Over the course of the summer make sure to click here for more Dynasty Target articles discussing players for you to acquire this season
For all your other IDP needs, tune in to “Shoot the Gap” for our weekly IDP Podcast, as part of the Fantasy In Frames Podcast Network.
