Keeping up with the fantasy Joneses

BOB HARRIS Back Page Julius Jones raced past his brother Thomas on the fantasy charts after a three-TD game on Monday night. AP

As impressed as I was watching one of my failed preseason favorites pull off a 33-yard catch-and-run that produced Arizona's only touchdown against the Lions last Sunday, Cardinals tight end Freddie Jones has a long way to go when it comes to keeping up with the fantasy Joneses.

So does Jacksonville rookie Greg, whom head coach Jack Del Rio envisioned playing a Mike Alstott-like role in his first year as a pro.

Of course, the guys I'm interested in here are the trio of Joneses getting the touches necessary to propel fantasy owners to success over the final four games of the season.

Here you have them, in the order I like them.

1. Julius Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had 198 yards rushing against the Seahawks on Monday night. Jones had every single one of them.

As the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted, "There were big, game-changing runs such as his 53-yard run in the first quarter. There were gritty, tough yards like the ones on his 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, on which he kept plugging and driving until he reached the end zone."

And with 37 seconds remaining and the Cowboys trailing, there was the 17-yard run that stole a 43-39 victory.

It was his 30th carry, but Jones charged through the hole and did not stop until he was at the back of the end zone, his third touchdown.

Just like that, the Cowboys became a running team that passes for an occasional change of pace. And they head into Week 14 on an offensive roll that's likely to continue against the Saints, who currently lay claim to the league's worst defense.

Meaning, Jones has a legitimate shot to break a tie with Earl Campbell for the NFL record of consecutive games with at least 30 carries.

"It's a little strange to be getting the ball this much," Jones said Wednesday. "It's kind of unexpected. But that's what I'm here for. Whatever the coaches think I can handle, then obviously they will put me in that situation. It feels good to be gaining their confidence."

Jones' streak began in Baltimore on Nov. 21 when he had 30 carries for 81 yards in a 30-10 loss. The game marked his return from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss seven games.

Four days later, he carried 33 times for 150 yards and two TDs in a 21-7 Thanksgiving Day victory over Chicago. Then came his spectacular 198-yard, three-TD performance against the Seahawks.

Of course, with a 5-foot-11 frame that carried 232 pounds, Campbell was the prototypical workhorse back. Jones is only 5-9, 217 pounds.

"I've got a couple of bumps and bruises," Julius said. "But other than that, I feel good. Winning takes a lot of the pain away."

Yes, it does. And 30 touches a game make Julius my favorite Fantasy Jones.

2. Kevin Jones, RB, Detroit Lions

Word out of Detroit has it Jones decided to stop rushing things a few weeks ago, and it helped him turn in the second-best rushing performance for a Lions rookie running back.

"I think I was patient in the preseason," he said Sunday. "Then I kind of started rushing things at the beginning of the season."

Over the last few weeks, though, Jones' patience has helped establish him as the Lions' undisputed No. 1 running back.

"He said, 'I'm trying to make too many big plays,'" Joey Harrington said. "He was trying to make a big play each time he touched the ball, when really if he stuck with his blocks and what he knows how to do, good things will happen."

Jones carried a season-high 26 times -- it was the first time he'd carried more than 19 times -- and finished with 196 yards and a touchdown. Only Mel Farr, with 197 yards a 1967 game, rushed for more yards as a Lions rookie.

In fact, his 196 yards were the most by a Lion since Barry Sanders gained 216 against Indianapolis in 1997.

With 703 yards on 145 carries, Jones has a good chance to eclipse 1,000 for the season. He has four games -- two at home -- to gain 297 yards.

"I just try to get better each week and I figured that I could do nothing but get better this week," Jones said. "That's what I was striving for, as well as getting the win."

Against the Cardinals, Jones had 11 carries for 105 yards in the first half and 15 for 91 yards in the second half. Harrington never handed off another back all day.

I strongly suspect that trend will continue, making Kevin my second favorite fantasy Jones.

3. Thomas Jones, RB, Chicago Bears

Those who watched him share the workload in last Sunday's win over the Vikings understand why I rank Thomas third among the fantasy Joneses.

Of course, head coach Lovie Smith insists splitting the workload with Anthony Thomas was an aberration and Jones will remain the Bears' featured back.

"We don't have a two-back rotation or anything like that," Smith claimed Monday. "There's a starter and there's a guy who's backing him up who we would like to get plays. It will continue like this. We're going to go with our starter and we're going to try to get our backups in place."

I'd like to believe the coach, but with both players getting 15 carries against the Vikings, Smith's words might be best taken with a grain of salt.

Especially after offensive coordinator Terry Shea came out shortly after Smith and told reporters the Bears had planned on getting both backs involved on Thanksgiving in Dallas, but the offense mustered a season-low 140 total yards and never advanced inside the Cowboys' 30.

"We went into [Sunday's] game more focused on the fact that we'd like to insert Anthony into the routine of the game," said Shea.

So far this season, Jones leads the Bears in rushing with 665 yards and five TDs on 164 carries (4.1 avg.) and also in receptions with 39 for 284 yards. Thomas is second in rushing with 383 yards and 2 TDs on 116 attempts (3.3 avg.).

"We've always said our ideal situation is to play both guys," Smith said. "It really kind of worked out that way a little bit [Sunday]. But there's still a starter and there's a guy that we would like to get plays based on what he has done."

Bottom line? He may be the undisputed starter, but as long as there's another guy in the picture, Thomas will remain my least favorite of the three fantasy Joneses.

Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications.