TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 7 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 7 vs. Chicago Bears

Ronald Jones had nearly an identical performance in Week 6 as he had in Week 5, seeing five carries and one catch for minimal yardage (29). Jones has had a pretty consistent role this year seeing between 4-6 carries in every single game with practically no use as a receiver, catching three total passes. Bruce Arians said this week he doesn't plan to trade Jones, so the talented back is simply relegated to scraps in Tampa Bay's offense. It's odd, but it's the reality. Jones is probably best left of waivers moving forward.

Friday, October 22, 2021 - 11:55am
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 6 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 6 at Philadelphia Eagles

Another week, another game where Ronald Jones was barely featured. Jones isn't even playing that poorly, he's just not getting on the field. In Week 5 he played on just 10 total snaps, which is his lowest of the season outside of Week 1 when he got benched after six snaps. He's only played more than 13 snaps in one game this year. He gets a good matchup against the Eagles this week, but because of his reduced role, he's not worth playing in fantasy.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021 - 2:10pm
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 5 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 5 vs. Miami Dolphins

Ronald Jones scored a touchdown last week, but that's about all he did. He had just six total touches, all carries, for 25 yards. Jones played on just 17% of the offensive snaps, the third time in four games he's played under 20%. Even if Jones touched the ball on every snap he played last week (13), he still would've finished 10 touches short of Leonard Fournette. He's also had 0 targets in three games, meaning he's not involved in the pass game. It's odd to see the Bucs just disregard a player who had 1,000 scrimmage yards a year ago, but Jones' role is too small at this point to warrant fantasy consideration.

Friday, October 8, 2021 - 11:52am
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 4 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 4 at New England Patriots

Ronald Jones led the Bucs in carries in Week 3, but it doesn't mean a whole lot as he finished the game with five total touches for 11 yards. In fact, Jones barely even played, seeing 12 total snaps (out of 73). We'd expect his snap count to increase somewhat this week with a more normal game plan, and Giovani Bernard's likely absence. But it's been a tough year for Jones who is averaging just 20 total yards per game. It's weird to see Jones not being used a year off of a 1,000-yard season, but it's the reality we're in. Jones isn't much more than a desperation flex play in Week 4 against the Patriots.

Friday, October 1, 2021 - 12:48pm
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 3 at Los Angeles Rams

Ronald Jones got out of Bruce Arians' doghouse, but the grass wasn't much greener. He did get decent playing time, seeing 26 snaps compared to Leonard Fournette's 31 (out of 63). But he didn't get many touches, getting six carries and one reception for a total of 36 scrimmage yards. It's weird to see the Bucs just not use someone who had 1,000 scrimmage yards and a 5.1 ypc just last season, but that's where we're at. Jones is mostly off of the fantasy radar until Arians realizes he has a good running back.

Friday, September 24, 2021 - 10:52am
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 2 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 2 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Ronald Jones played six snaps in Week 1 when he fumbled and was then sent to the doghouse by Bruce Arians. It's the second time in the past two seasons Jones has been inexplicably benched because of a fumble. It's not even really an issue for Jones, who has only fumbled six times out of 1,826 career touches. We expect Jones to play more than six snaps in Week 2, but it's hard to trust him moving forward. Even before Jones was benched, it appeared as if Leonard Fournette was the favored back in this offense. We wouldn't fully cut ties with Jones in fantasy, but it's probably best to leave him on the bench in Week 2.

Friday, September 17, 2021 - 3:11pm
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 1 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 1 vs. Dallas Cowboys

Ronald Jones enters the season with an interesting dynamic in the Bucs' backfield. Leonard Fournette was brought back, and the team added in Giovani Bernard as a free agent. Jones was productive last season, finishing with over 1,000 scrimmage yards, but his role is somewhat confusing, especially with Bernard in the mix. We'd expect Jones and Fournette to split duties carrying the ball, with both having a very minimal role as a receiver. This will be a frustrating backfield all year as it will likely come down to which running back gets the hot hand on a given week. As for now, Jones can be viewed as a solid RB3 play.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021 - 12:04pm
TB RB Ronald Jones - 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

Fantasy Upside
Ronald Jones finished with 1,143 scrimmage yards last season (leading all players on the team), despite Bruce Arians’ love affair with Leonard Fournette. Jones only played 67 more total offensive snaps than Fournette but had 543 more yards. When Jones actually gets the ball, he plays well, as he averaged 110 scrimmage yards in the games where he played 50% or more of the snaps in 2020 (there were seven such games). He also scored five of his eight touchdowns in those games.

Fantasy Downside
The Bucs not only brought back Fournette, but they also added Giovani Bernard in the offseason. Jones already had a minimal role as a receiver, finishing with just 28 catches last year, but now it feels as if that’ll be non-existent. Bernard’s arrival feels like Fournette’s role as a receiver will diminish, which means he’ll be incorporated more as a runner. We saw this throughout the playoffs as Fournette out-touched Jones 82 to 35 (although Jones did suffer a quad injury in the team’s first game of the postseason).

2021 Bottom Line
Expect Jones to return as the Bucs’ primary runner, but Fournette will continue to be a nuisance. We project Jones to finish with more carries and rushing yards, but Fournette won’t be far behind. And Bernard’s arrival will only make things more difficult as it adds a true third threat that the Bucs didn’t have a season ago in LeSean McCoy. If Fournette goes down with an injury, Jones will be a hot commodity, but as it stands, we’re projecting him outside of the top 30 running backs (half-PPR). He should be viewed as an RB3/flex option in 2021.

Sunday, July 18, 2021 - 10:46am
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 17 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 17 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Ronald Jones was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, but he was limited in practice with his lingering finger injury. His health is worth monitoring this week, but he certainly has a chance to play. When active, Jones has been a steady force in the Bucs' backfield, averaging 81.9 scrimmage yards per game despite having to battle for snaps with Leonard Fournette. In the six games when he isn't battling Fournette as much (playing 50% of the offensive snaps or more), Jones is averaging 121.5 scrimmage yards. Jones does draw a tough matchup against the Falcons this week (No. 2 aFPA), and his injury could limit his snaps, but his performance should be solid. We like Jones as a strong RB2 play in Week 17.

Friday, January 1, 2021 - 11:17am
TB RB Ronald Jones - Week 14 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 14 vs. Minnesota Vikings

After an explosive 23-touch game in Week 10, the Bucs have gone back to limiting Ronald Jones' touches in the two games since. Jones has seen just 10 touches in each of his last two games, although he was able to do more with less in his last outing in Week 12. Jones finished with 103 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in that game, despite only being on the field for 36% of the offensive plays. Jones has been great this season when he gets the ball, but for whatever reason, the Bucs don't want to give him the ball. He gets a middle-of-the-road matchup against the Vikings this week, where we like Jones as a solid RB2 play.

Friday, December 11, 2020 - 2:18pm

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