Tony Jones Jr.'s Updated Saints Fantasy Outlook After Latavius Murray's Release

With the 2021 NFL season only days away, New Orleans Saints running back Tony Jones Jr. is quickly watching his fantasy football stock soar.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday the Saints are releasing Latavius Murray, which moves Jones up the depth chart for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

According to Schefter, Murray declined to take a pay cut, so New Orleans chose to move on. One can also view his departure as a tacit endorsement of Jones since the team is jettisoning a player who had 832 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in 2020.

Jones logged just three carries as a rookie but enjoyed a strong preseason. He went for 106 yards and one touchdown on the ground in two appearances.

As long as Alvin Kamara is healthy, the 23-year-old will be the No. 2 option in the running game. It's also difficult to fully know what the Saints offense will look like in a post-Drew Brees era.

That shouldn't stop fantasy managers from targeting Jones.

Kamara has yet to eclipse 200 carries in a single season and 2017 was the last time he made it through a full year. Jones figures to get touches on a regular basis—Murray averaged 9.4 carries per game in two years with the Saints—and will find himself thrust into the starting role if Kamara is unavailable.

Based on his college career, Jones' value as a receiver may be limited. In his final two seasons at Notre Dame, he caught 21 passes for 261 yards and two scores. 

But upon finally becoming the Fighting Irish's primary ball-carrier as a senior, he averaged 6.0 yards per carry despite playing behind an average offensive line.

If Jones is still available in your league, then you can't rush fast enough to the waiver wire to scoop him up and get him rostered. There won't be much time to see how New Orleans' backfield situation evolves.