Charlie Jones – 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook
Wide Receiver – Purdue
5’11 175 lbs
4th Round – 29th Pick (131st Overall) – Cincinnati Bengals
Charlie Jones started his college career at Buffalo in 2018. The freshman receiver had 18 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. Despite the solid season, Jones transferred to Iowa.
Unfortunately, the young receiver struggled to make an impact. Jones had only 21 receptions for 323 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 21 games at Iowa.
After a quiet start to his college career, Jones transferred to Purdue before the 2022 season. There the receiver had a breakout year. Jones had 110 receptions for 1,361 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in his lone season at Purdue.
Furthermore, he led the country in receptions last season. Jones also finished top five in the country in receiving yards and touchdowns in 2022.
Meanwhile, the former Purdue receiver was a star on special teams. He had 77 punt returns in his career for 622 yards and a touchdown. Furthermore, Jones averaged over 22 yards per kick return in his career.
Fantasy Football Outlook
The rookie wide receiver landed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, that’s arguably the worst landing spot for immediate fantasy success, as the Bengals have the top wide receiver trio in the NFL.
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd each play a critical role in Cincinnati’s passing attack. Chase is an elite playmaker, while Higgins is arguably the top No. 2 wide receiver in the NFL. Meanwhile, Boyd has been a consistent slot receiver for the past few years.
Last year Chase led the team with 134 targets despite missing five games with injury. Higgins finished second with 109, making it the third consecutive year he has seen over 105 targets. While Boyd has seen his production slip the past few years with the emergence of Chase and Higgins, the veteran has totaled at least 750 receiving yards and four touchdowns in four consecutive seasons.
Furthermore, the trio combined for 53.6% of Joe Burrow’s pass attempts last year. More importantly, the other wide receivers on the roster only saw 44 targets in 2022, a 7.2% target share.
Dynasty Outlook
Unfortunately, Cincinnati’s excellent trio of wide receivers means Jones will have no fantasy value as a rookie unless one of the veterans suffers a significant injury. However, the former Purdue star is a potential steal in dynasty rookie drafts.
Jones is typically a fifth-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts if he gets selected at all. While some fantasy players think shortsightedly, the former Purdue star could have a starting role in 2023.
The Bengals will have some decisions to make in the next 10 months. Higgins and Boyd are entering the final year of their contracts. Furthermore, Burrow is eligible for an expensive extension this offseason. Meanwhile, Chase is eligible for an extension after the upcoming season.
Cincinnati is determined to keep the trio of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins around long term. Unfortunately, that means Boyd likely won’t return in 2024. However, that is good news for Jones. The rookie receiver will have the inside track to the No. 3 role on a high-powered offense a year from now.
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