Week 10 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Ronald Jones has now led the Bucs in carries in two straight games, although he took a firmer grip on that role last week. He ran the ball 18 times, which is just the second time this season he's had 15 or more carries in a game. He had 82 scrimmage yards and scored a touchdown in an overall solid performance. He should play well again this week in a decent matchup against the Cardinals, but his timeshare with both Peyton Barber and Dare Ogunbowale is still worrisome. Barber should be viewed as a flex option in Week 10.
Week 9 at Seattle Seahawks
Ronald Jones had the most touches out of Tampa Bay's dreaded trio of a backfield last week, but the fewest number of snaps. He ran the ball 11 times for 35 yards and caught one pass for 17 yards. None of these backs (Jones, Peyton Barber, Dare Ogunbowale) have really distanced themselves, and all three are getting consistent playing time. Jones and Barber offer more value than Ogunbowale, but neither one is much more than a desperation flex play in the hopes they can score a touchdown.
Week 8 at Tennessee Titans
Tampa Bay is coming off of a bye week, so you may have forgotten just how frustrating their running back situation has become. After appearing to take over the starting role, Ronald Jones was limited to just 13 snaps (16% of the offensive plays) in Tampa's last game, finishing with four carries for 10 yards with no receptions. He did score a touchdown, but was out-snapped by both Peyton Barber and Dare Ogunbowale. All three backs should be viewed as low-end flex plays moving forward unless someone gets injured.
Week 6 vs. Carolina Panthers
Ronald Jones led the Bucs in carries (9) and rushing yards (35) last week, although Peyton Barber wasn't far behind. Tampa Bay's backfield is about as split as you can get. Jones and Barber each played 20 snaps while Dare Ogunbowale played 19. Jones has been the best option, leading Tampa in rushing yards on the season, but Barber has out-scored Jones 3-to-1. Also, Jones has the fewest receptions out of the three backs on the team. Jones struggled mightily in his first matchup against the Panthers this season, finishing with nine total yards. He should do better, but he's not much more than a low-end flex play.
Week 5 at New Orleans Saints
Ronald Jones has led the Bucs in rushing in three of their four games this season. Even better, he played 49% of the offensive snaps in Week 4, which is a new season-high. He's still splitting time with both Peyton Barber and Dare Ogunbowale, but his 19 carries in Week 4 are very promising. He gets a tough matchup this week, however, as the Saints have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season. With matchup concerns and split duties, it's hard to see Jones as anything more than an RB3 or flex play in Week 5.
Week 4 at Los Angeles Rams
Ronald Jones surprisingly led the Bucs in carries (14) and rushing yards (80) in Week 3. He also added a 41-yard reception on his only target of the day, totaling 121 scrimmage yards. After playing just eight of 65 snaps in Week 2, Tampa Bay decided to include Jones in the offense again. It's hard to get a good read of what Jones' role is moving forward. It's weird for a team to essentially shut him out one week and then give him 14 carries the next. Jones is a low-end flex option this week against the Rams.
Week 3 vs. New York Giants
Ronald Jones played on just eight of the Bucs' 65 offensive snaps in Week 2. He had four carries for nine yards and one catch for seven yards on one target. In other words, he was barely in the game. Dare Ogunbowale played more than Jones (16 snaps) in Week 2. Jones needs to play more than eight snaps to make an impact in fantasy, and it's hard to recommend him until he starts playing a lot more.
Week 2 at Carolina Panthers
As expected, the Bucs went with a committee running back in Week 1. But the breakdown didn't quite happen as we expected. Dare Ogunbowale (27) actually led the backfield in offensive snaps with Peyton Barber (25) and Ronald Jones (22) right behind him. However, Jones led the way with the most carries, running the ball 13 times for 75 yards, which also adding one catch for 18 yards. He already has more rushing yards in 2019 than he did in 2018.
We can likely expect Tampa Bay to continue this three-headed attack, especially Thursday night against the Panthers. Carolina had a hard time stopping the Rams in Week 1, so Tampa could find success this week. Still, all three backs have limited ceilings since they're all being used. Jones should be viewed as nothing more than an RB3 play.
Week 1 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Ronald Jones had injury troubles last season and also had on-field troubles as he ran the ball 23 times for just 44 yards (1.9 ypc). He's expected to have a larger role in 2019, although we'll believe it when we see it. Third-string back Dare Ogunbowale has also drawn some interest, and will likely see some offensive snaps. It's hard seeing Jones having too much production considering he's behind Peyton Barber, and will have to deal with Ogunbowale. He's not much more than an RB4.
Fantasy Upside
Ronald Jones is entering his second season with what should be a better coaching staff. Bruce Arians has expressed an interest in getting Jones involved, even making slight comparisons to David Johnson. "I'm really anxious to get on the field with all our guys but [Jones] especially, to see how much he can do of what we did in Arizona,” Arians said during the offseason. The Bucs didn’t make any big splashes this offseason with their backfield, so that should show some trust that Tampa Bay still has Jones in mind.
Fantasy Downside
Jones had a very disappointing rookie season, finishing with just 77 scrimmage yards all year. He was a healthy scratch for most of the season, and had some hamstring issues when he finally saw playing time. He could struggle to get on the field again in 2019 as we expect him to be behind Peyton Barber on the depth chart.
2019 Bottom Line
Jones could be worth a very late-round flier, depending on how deep your fantasy league is. If he’s able to get things going, it shouldn’t be difficult to knock Barber off the starting running back spot. If Jones can do even half of what Johnson was able to do in Arizona under Arians, he’ll have value in fantasy. At the very least, Jones is a player worth keeping an eye on early in the season and could be a hot waiver wire add at some point.
