Marvin

Jones Jr.

Jones, a 12-year veteran cites tending to family matters as to why he’s stepping away from the game. He played sparingly this season with very little production. Jones has caught 5-of-10 targets for 35 yards.

Also inactive for the Lions are DE Charles Harris, OG Jonah Jackson, CB Jerry Jacobs, WR Marvin Jones, DL Brodric Martin, and DL Levi Onwuzurike. Among Lions skill players, Montgomery has been expected to miss time with a rib injury, while Jones was ruled out for personal reasons. Craig Reynolds and Jahmyr Gibbs are active and will carry the load in the Lions backfield. On the defensive side of the ball, Harris appears to have been benched after a slow start to the season, while NFL interceptions leader Jerry Jacobs has been ruled out with a knee issue.

Jones did not travel with the team to Baltimore on Saturday due to personal reasons and will not play against the Ravens. That could lead to an increase in snaps for downfield threat Jameson Williams considering Jones had been eating into his snaps the previous two weeks. The matchup through the air is not ideal against the Ravens, but any increase in opportunity for the electric second-year wide receiver is meaningful.

Jones was targeted only one time all evening. Catch-less since a rough Week 1 against the Chiefs, Jones might not make it through the entire season on the Lions’ 46-man game-day roster.

An awful statline that gets worse once you realize Jones fumbled away one of his two receptions inside the Chiefs’ 20-yard line. Jones also had a third quarter drop. The rough night came as Josh Reynolds caught four balls for 80 yards. The Lions are going to need more out of Jones, but whatever they are going to get isn’t going to equal WR4/5 value in fantasy.

In addition to missing the start of training camp, Jones also missed a portion of OTAs despite not being listed with an injury. The 11-year vet signed a one-year contract with the Lions this offseason and figures to fill a spot on the outside early in the season. Still, he’ll be hard to trust from a fantasy perspective after a down 2022. His 33.1 yards per game were his fewest since his rookie season, as struggled to do much with the targets he received.

Jones missed time at Lions’ OTAs but wasn’t listed with an injury. The NFI designation suggests Jones, who played through a hamstring strain in 2022 and has a history of lower body injuries, was injured away from the team. Jones can be activated off NFI at any time.

Jones played for the Lions from 2016 to 2020, totaling 3,366 yards and 32 touchdowns while going for 900+ yards in three separate seasons. Now heading into his age-33 season, Jones’ 529 yards last season marked his fewest since an injury-plagued 2019. With Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams set to occupy the top two receiver roles for the Lions next season, Jones will likely be a distant WR3 for the Lions next season, and nothing more than a WR4 for fantasy purposes. In addition to his $3 million salary, Jones will have a chance to earn an additional $2 million in incentives.

Jones played third fiddle to Zay Jones and Christian Kirk. The veteran ended 2022 with 46 receptions for 529 yards and three touchdowns on 81 targets as a mainstay in the Jaguars’ three-receiver sets. Headed into his age-33 season, Jones will be a free agent. He should land with a team in need of wideout depth.

Despite the touchdown, Jones’ compiling was disappointing in a game where the Jags at one point trailed 27-0 and Trevor Lawrence was forced to attempt 47 passes. He will be an uninspiring DFS option when the Jags visit either the Chiefs or Bills in the Divisional Round.