What is going on in Detroit? First, we hear that RB Kevin Jones is only 50/50 to start the season. Then, the Lions say that he is “ahead of schedule” in his return. Now, the Sporting News is reporting that KJ is expected to stay on PUP, which will cause him to miss the first 6 weeks of the season.
RB Kevin Jones (Lisfranc surgery) is expected to remain on the physically unable to perform list and miss the first six games of the regular season. Jones is ahead of schedule and is expected to make a full recovery but team officials want to be cautious with his return. Tatum Bell, who has impressed the coaching staff with his versatility, will be the starter. …
Fantasy owners are unsure about which direction to head. On one hand, you have Bell, who is a talented runner that reportedly looks great in camp. On the other, you have Jones, who finished as RB12 in PPR leagues even though he missed four games in 2006. Bell is going 6.01 in Antsports drafts, while KJ is going 8.01.
With this report about KJ, Bell suddenly becomes a serious sleeper in the fifth round. If it is confirmed by the team, he would be a very interesting pick in the fourth. There’s going to be risk, but that’s the case with any of the guys (Cadillac Williams, Ahman Green, Marshawn Lynch, DeAngelo Williams, etc) being drafted in that round. If Jones stays on PUP, at worst you have a likely top 10 RB for the first six weeks of the season. I’d recommending grabbing KJ later to cover yourself, but these types of situations rarely happen on schedule. If he sits out and Bell is running well, chances are good that they’ll bring him along slowly and Bell’s value will continue deeper into the season.
Update: According to the Detroit News, Mike Martz thinks that KJ will be back for week 1:
Martz said Wednesday that he thinks Jones will be ready to play when the Lions play at Oakland on Sept. 9.
“Yeah, I do,” Martz said after practice Wednesday. “I think we’re all optimistic about that. I think Kevin is, too. He’s making good progress, and we’re all anxious to have him back.”
When healthy, Jones has been the starting tailback for his three seasons with the Lions. However, Martz did not guarantee that he would reclaim his starting job immediately.
“He has to come back and compete for his job like everybody else,” Martz said. “Nobody has a stake on anything. It’s like everywhere else. He’s got to come back and get back in football shape and compete with all the other backs in that spot.
“You can’t plan this stuff. You just cannot plan. What you have to do is wait, get him back, and you take one step at a time. As soon as you make these plans, these plans start getting broken.”
You know all that stuff I said before about Bell being an interesting pick in the 5th (or even the 4th)? Scratch it.
This is turning into a mess of Shanahan-sized proportions. Martz has always been a one-back guy (Marshall Faulk, Steven Jackson, etc.), so someone should emerge. The lesson? If you’re going to draft one Detroit RB, you better draft both.
