Week 8 at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bucs have four rushing touchdowns on the season, and only one belongs to a running back. Ronald Jones carries that honor as he scored on a goal-line play last week, finishing with 13 yards on six carries. He also had one catch for 15 yards.
Jones appears to be splitting carries with Peyton Barber while Jacquizz Rodgers comes in on passing downs/spot appearances. Tampa's backfield is a mess and Jones is a low-end RB3 option vs. the Bengals.
Week 7 vs. Cleveland Browns
Ronald Jones made his debut in Week 4 and had 11 touches, but he followed that up with just four touches and 19 total yards last week while Peyton Barber finally had success. Jones was a hot commodity before the season started, and it appears he has a small role now, but he doesn't really carry much value in fantasy at the moment.
Week 6 at Atlanta Falcons
After being a healthy inactive at the start of the season, it appears the Bucs are trying to rejuvenate their backfield with Ronald Jones. The second round rookie received a season-high 10 carries in Tampa's last game, although he only managed 29 yards. He also had just one catch, for went for negative yardage.
It looks like Jones and Peyton Barber will both get touches moving forward, although neither one has been productive at this point. If either one gets it going, they'll likely get more touches moving forward. But for now, neither one is really a good option for fantasy.
Week 1 at New Orleans Saints
Ronald Jones received a lot of hype heading into this season, but he's not even listed as the backup for Week 1. The Bucs spent a second-round pick on Jones, so he'll surely get some opportunities this season, but he's not worth playing this week vs. the Saints.
Fantasy Upside
The Bucs needed running back help after last season when they failed to have a rusher run for at least 500 yards on the ground or average 3.7 yards per carry as a team. Insert rookie Ronald Jones. The Bucs selected Jones in the second round of the draft and some compared his running style to that of Jamaal Charles. He’s an explosive back that can escape tacklers to make big plays. He’s the type of playmaker Tampa Bay needed in the run game.
Fantasy Downside
Jones has a smaller frame and many scouts worry about how many touches he can get in a game without risking injury. To combat this, the Bucs have named Peyton Barber the starting back, which means Jones will be used sparingly. The Bucs also still have Charles Sims and Jacquizz Rodgers on the roster, so this could end up being a committee approach in Tampa Bay.
2018 Bottom Line
Jones clearly has the most upside of any Tampa back, but early reports seem like the rookie is still learning the system and will take some time before the team fully trusts him. He could end up getting the majority of the carries at some point in the season, but the team may bring him on slowly to start. His ADP got off to a high start in the beginning of the fantasy year when it looked like he’d be starting, but has fallen in recent weeks. Right now he’s worth a bench stash, at best.
