After leading the Buccaneers in rushing through three weeks, it may be time that Ronald Jones gets the load at running back; a good sign for fantasy owners.
Coming into the 2019 fantasy season one of the biggest question marks on any team in the league was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield and who would be the guy under head coach Bruce Arians. After three weeks of play, Ronald Jones is clearly the best running back on the team and he deserves the lion’s share of the carries and total snaps.
Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber were late round dart throws in most fantasy leagues, with owners just keeping their fingers crossed that one of them would rise to the top. In week one we saw Jones total 10.3 total fantasy points in PPR formats, carring the ball 13 times for 75 yards and added another reception for 18 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.
Week two was a quiet one for Jones as we saw Barber get almost all of the work at the running back spot. After only posting four carries for nine yards, Jones bounced back in a big way in week three against the New York Giants, as he led the charge on the ground for the pewter and red.
More from The Pewter Plank
- Devin White posts cryptic message to Lavonte David on Twitter
- ESPN predicts surprising outcome to Devin White trade saga
- Updated Buccaneers depth chart after signing two players from rookie minicamp
- Todd Bowles sends clear message about Baker Mayfield’s role with Bucs
- The Athletic is wrong about Bucs one ‘must-watch’ game in 2023
In week three we saw Barber and Jones get a similar workload but Jones was far more productive than Barber was against the Giants. Jones finished the contest with 14 carries for 80 yards and one reception for an additional 41 yards while totaling 13.10 total fantasy points.
Jones seems to see more action when the game is going back and forth score wise, but we see a tick in his workload when the Bucs play from behind. The next month and a half for this Bucs team will be a tough one and we will likely see the Bucs playing from behind more often than not.
The Bucs have a young running back who was a high draft pick and is starting to blossom into a really nice player. If Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich want to win now, then they need to make Ronald Jones the main back.
Jones clearly has big play ability as we’ve seen him bust a couple 20 plus yard plays already this season and provides more upside for this Bucs team than Barber does. I would suggest spending anywhere from $15-20 FAAB dollars on Jones if you are in need of a back.
Starting running backs are hard to find on the waiver wire and Jones very well may be the guy at the end of the season you look back on as someone who helped you win your league. I am officially planting my flag on team Ronald Jones III.