Week 19 vs Kansas City
In Week 16, Steven Jackson played on 16 percent of the snaps, rushing for a 7-15 line, in his first week with the Patriots. In Week 17, Jackson played 40 percent of the snaps, rushing for a 14-35-1 line. It's possible that trend continues this weekend in the Divisional Round, but it's also anybody's guess how this backfield shakes out. We're projecting Jackson to be more involved in the rushing game than the passing game, so have him as RB8 in standard, but RB11 in PPR.
Week 17 at Miami
There are some reports Steven Jackson could see more snaps sooner than later, pushing Brandon Bolden back to special teams where he excels.With only 16% of snaps played in Week 16, and a Brandon Bolden-esque 7-15 rushing line on the day, only the most desperate of owners would start Jackson before we've seen these "reports" translate into on-the-field success.
Week 17: Jackson vs. Panthers
Steven Jackson rushed for just nine yards on four carries while catching one pass for 14 yards in the Falcons' Week 16 win over the Saints. After suffering a thigh injury in the second quarter, Jackson left the game and didn't return in the second half. He also didn't practice this week and on Wednesday the Falcons signed running back Jerome Smith off their practice squad, indicating that Jackson is unlikely to play on Sunday. Avoid the veteran RB in Week 17 as he'll probably be inactive.
Week 16: Jackson vs. Saints
Steven Jackson rushed 11 times for 46 yards in the Falcons’ Week 15 loss to the Steelers. Jackson remains a touchdown-dependent RB for fantasy purposes but he’ll face a New Orleans defense this week that ranks 29th overall versus fantasy running backs this season. We currently have him listed as our No. 19 overall RB for Week 16 so consider him a low-end RB2 option for Sunday.
Week 15: Jackson vs. Steelers
Steven Jackson rushed 16 times for 50 yards and a touchdown while also catching two passes for an additional 26 yards as the Falcons fell to the Packers on Monday night. His output is roughly what we expect out of Jackson weekly, although he was coming off an 18-101-0 performance the week before versus Arizona. Jackson ranks as our No. 25 overall RB for Week 15 and will once again be a touchdown-dependent start. View him as merely a FLEX option this week.
Week 14: Jackson vs. Packers
Steven Jackson discovered the fountain of youth for one week as he rushed 18 times for 101 yards in the Falcons’ Week 13 win over the Cardinals. Atlanta finally built a lead and was able to salt away the clock with Jackson in the second half. But despite cracking the 100-yard mark for the first time as a Falcon, don’t be quick to insert Jackson into your starting lineup. In his two previous games, he rushed for 41 and 34 yards, respectively, and has a bad matchup versus Green Bay’s run defense on Monday night. He ranks as our No. 29 overall RB for Week 14, so view him as a flex option only.
Week 13: Jackson vs. Cardinals
Steven Jackson rushed 13 times for 34 yards and one touchdown while also adding two catches for 17 yards in the Falcons' Week 12 loss to the Browns. He has now scored in three of his last four games but continues to be touchdown-dependent start. He has a brutal matchup this week against an Arizona defense that ranks fourth overall versus fantasy RBs this season. Jackson is our No. 32 overall RB for Week 13 and should be avoided.
Week 12: Jackson vs. Browns
One week after putting together his best game of the season, Steven Jackson went back to his normal 2014 production last Sunday when he rushed for just 41 yards on 17 carries in the Falcons’ win over the Panthers. Jackson continues to be Atlanta’s No. 1 back but he hasn’t rushed for more than 81 yards in a given game and has yet to carry the ball more than 18 times. He’ll once again be a touchdown-dependent start against Cleveland on Sunday and it's important to track his status leading up to kickoff because he missed practice time this week due to an illness. Jackson is our No. 18 overall RB for Week 12 and should be considered a low-end RB2.
Week 11: Jackson vs. Panthers
Steven Jackson rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and also added two catches on two targets for an addition 14 yards in the Falcons’ Week 10 win over the Buccaneers. OC Dirk Koetter clearly made Jackson more of an emphasis in the game plan coming out of the bye week. The first three plays the Falcons ran offensively were run plays by Jackson, who easily had his best game of the season. Given last week’s production and the matchup this week (Carolina’s defense ranks 24th for fantasy points allowed by running backs this season), view Jackson as a low-end RB2. He’s our No. 19th overall RB for Week 11.
Week 10: Jackson vs. Bucs
Steven Jackson finished with 18 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 8 loss to the Lions. Jackson isn’t doing much with his opportunities but he continues to be Atlanta’s starting running back and the clear leader of the team’s four-back committee. He’ll once again be a touchdown-dependent start on Sunday but has a nice matchup against Tampa Bay and ranks as our No. 17 overall RB for Week 10. Consider him a mid-range RB2 with six teams on bye.
