Jacoby Jones

Although his main value to the Ravens comes in the return game, Jones was on pace to rack up a career high in receiving yards if a knee injury hadn't sidelined him for four games. The passing game could open up with Gary Kubiak now calling the shots, which may bode well for a deep threat like Jones, but free agent signee Steve Smith will need some targets too and second-year player Marlon Brown offers size that Jones can't match.

Jones made some huge plays during the Ravens postseason run but now finds himself in uncharted territory – he enters the year as the team's No. 2 receiver opposite Torrey Smith. At 6-2, 212 and with good straight ahead speed, Jones excelled as a return man last year, with a punt return touchdown and two kick returns for scores – and that's not counting his record-setting kick return touchdown in the Super Bowl. No. 3 receiver Brandon Stokley was signed during the preseason and could cut into Jones' targets, but the Ravens are still entrusting Jones with a bigger role, as they neither signed nor drafted any significant competition for the No. 2 spot.

Jones was a popular sleeper pick the past few seasons, but at this point he is what he is. He appears to have the No. 3 receiver spot locked down, but is probably only the sixth option in the passing game behind Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Ray Rice, Dennis Pitta, and Ed Dickson. There could be some fantasy value here if Boldin or Smith get injured, but otherwise it's hard to envision Jones playing more than 10-15 snaps per game.

Jones finally saw semi-regular targets last year, and the results weren't particularly inspiring. Jones' per-catch and per-target numbers plummeted to 11.0 and 7.2, respectively, and he managed just one catch of 40-plus on 78 looks, compared to three on 40 looks the year before. At 6-2, 210 and with good speed, Jones has always had potential, but his focus and maturity have been uneven to date. He was a restricted free agent heading into 2011, but the Texans decided to bring him back on a three-year, $10.5 million contract, which included $3.5 million guaranteed.

This is a big year for Jones, who made some plays on offense in 2009 and is expected to do even more in 2010. Six of his 27 catches went for touchdowns and he showed some nice open field ability once he caught the ball. His biggest obstacle has always been concentration and maturity, but coach Gary Kubiak was more than pleased with his effort during organized team activities. He's a serious threat to be the second-most utilized wideout, behind Andrew Johnson and ahead of Kevin Walter.

Jones exploded onto the scene during training camp of his rookie season, but an early shoulder injury and a case of the dropsies have hurt him early in his career. He's been a pretty good punt returner (12.1 avg, two TDs in 2008), and didn't have problems with the handle. You can feel comfortable with him as a special teamer, but the Texans have been reluctant to give him a primetime role in the offense.

Injuries hurt Jones last year after he made news during the preseason. The Texans are still enamored of the speedy Jones and are looking for him to be a major contributor in the punt-return game and to develop more as a receiver. When healthy, Jones is often the quickest guy on the field and has nice ability after the catch.

Jones created a lot of buzz coming out of organized team activities, and will be given every opportunity to win a spot high on the wideout depth chart. He'll probably make the team based on his kick-return ability.