Chandler Jones

Jones will step in as a replacement in the Raiders' starting lineup for fellow edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who was sent to Indianapolis in a trade. The move could point to the Raiders shifting to more 3-4 defensive looks under new coordinator Patrick Graham, though Jones also has experience working in 4-3 schemes. The 32-year-old finished 2021 with 10.5 sacks and 26 QB hits in 15 games for the Cardinals, albeit with five of those sacks coming Week 1.

After totaling 60 sacks in four consecutive 16-game campaigns in Arizona, Jones was limited to just one sack in 2020 due to a season-ending biceps injury suffered Week 5. The outside linebacker is on track to be ready for the upcoming season, but without an ability to rack up tackles - he's surpassed 50 just three times in nine years as a pro - his utility is inhibited in IDP leagues whose scoring is driven primarily by notching stops.

Jones is among the most consistent pass rushers in the NFL, reaching double-digit sacks in six of the past seven seasons. The high point may well have been 2019, when he finished second to the Bucs' Shaquil Barrett for the sack title with 19 to the latter's 19.5. In addition to the career-best mark, Jones added 53 tackles (11 of them for loss) and a league-leading eight forced fumbles. Despite the eye-popping production, he was negatively impacted in the fantasy realm due his listing as a linebacker in coordinator Vance Joseph's 3-4 scheme. Fortunately, some IDP leagues have introduced an edge position in 2020, thereby improving his potential viability.

Jones remains an elite IDP asset in leagues where he still qualifies as a defensive lineman. However, with coordinator Vance Joseph installing a 3-4 defense this year, Jones will see his DL eligibility dissolve in many or most formats. It's tougher to stand out as an IDP at linebacker than defensive line, so this is no fault of Jones, who remains utterly dominant. Jones is an All-Decade pass rusher with 30 sacks in his last two seasons, so he should continue finding the quarterback at a standout rate despite the position change technicality. If the Cardinals Air Raid offense works, Jones could see more pass-rushing opportunities than ever if opponents need to drop back more often in response.

With James Bettcher off to the Giants and new coach Steve Wilks arriving from Carolina, Jones should switch from a 3-4 outside linebacker to a 4-3 end in what ought to be a Ron Rivera-style scheme. If so, Jones' IDP value stands to skyrocket. Fantasy points are more scarce on the line than at linebacker, so the position switch alone is a boon to his IDP worth. There's also the chance that playing with his hand on the ground more often affords Jones more sack opportunities. With 28 sacks the last two years, it's not as if he needed any help on that front.

Although the Cardinals' 7-8-1 finish tarnished many of the accomplishments from 2016, the acquisition of Jones from the Patriots has to be considered a success, both personally and collectively on the defensive side of the ball. Powered by his 11 sacks, the Cardinals jumped from middle of the pack to top of the heap, finishing with an NFL-best 48 sacks. Jones' presence opened the door for second-year pass rusher Markus Golden to emerge, as evidenced by the latter's team-leading 12.5 sacks. After the season, Jones deservedly received the team's franchise tag, which was soon followed by a five-year, $83 million contract. Living up to lofty expectations may be difficult due to Calais Campbell's departure in free agency, but Jones will nonetheless be searching for the fourth double-digit sack tally of his career in 2017.

The 2012 first-round selection spent four successful seasons in New England, where he racked up 211 tackles, including 36 sacks, and 10 forced fumbles through 55 games. Due to inevitable extension talks, though, the Patriots opted to ship Jones to the Cardinals in the offseason. He's played all 16 regular season games just once in his career due to the occasional minor injury, but if he remains healthy throughout 2016, he should flirt with double-digit sacks as he provides Arizona with a pass-rushing presence on the outside.

Jones, who missed six games last year with a hip injury, is bouncing back from an offseason procedure, but the Patriots unsurprisingly picked up his fifth-year option for the 2016 season and there is nothing to suggest that his availability for the coming campaign will be impacted by his repair work. The 25-year-old defensive end wound up with 43 tackles and six sacks in 10 games for the Patriots in 2014, but with his expected return to health, he’s a threat to record double-digit sacks while seeing every-down duty on the team’s stout defensive line.

Standing 6-5 with 35 and 1/2-inch arms and excellent quickness, there was always reason to believe Jones would turn into an IDP monster. The only obstacle in his way was durability. He missed five games with a leg injury during his final collegiate year in 2011, and a Week 11 ankle injury drained him of his effectiveness for the end of his 2012 rookie season. Jones had good injury luck in 2013, however, and he turned in an enormous season. With 79 tackles and 11.5 sacks last year, Jones gave reason to believe he can put up stats near the level of J.J. Watt, so long as his lanky legs and ankles avoid further injury. The Patriots are thin at defensive end, so Jones should get all the work he can handle after playing 1,056 snaps last season. You might want to rank Jones among your top three DL if you're the gambling sort, because the payoff will be big if he stays fully healthy. He has a lower floor than some other players in this range, however, as he's still only 1-for-3 on injury-free seasons going back to 2011.

Like Justin Tuck, Jones is a player with a ton of upside but also a low floor once you take his recent injury history into account. The Patriots' 2012 first-round pick bolted to a 33-tackle, six-sack start in his first eight games, a pace that had him firmly in Pro Bowl contention, but he disappeared in the second half of the year likely due to a lingering ankle injury suffered in Week 11. Jones also missed five games due to a lower leg injury at Syracuse in 2011. Nonetheless, once you've gotten past the more reliable options at the position, Jones' upside makes him worth a dice roll.

While like most rookies, he’s far from a sure thing, Jones has the skill set and opportunity to post sizable numbers right away, particularly in the tackle category. He finished his Syracuse career with 147 tackles (102 solo) in just 32 games, which projects to roughly 74 stops (51 solo) in an NFL season. With a mammoth wingspan (35.5-inch arms) and flexibility and balance for his size, Jones has truly rare side-to-side range to trap ballcarriers. He can plant, change direction and lunge much more gracefully than is natural for someone of his build. While he is not as explosive or fast as the San Francisco star, the Aldon Smith comparisons are not entirely unwarranted for Jones, though Jones will not rival Smith as a pass rusher.