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INJURY UPDATE: Jones injured his quad in pre-game warmups and is questionable to play tonight.
UPDATE: Leonard Fournette gets the start over Ronald Jones and is getting the bulk of the work to start the game.
Despite missing Week 15 and 16, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones finished the season on a high note. He had 78 yards on 12 carries last week against the Atlanta Falcons, finding the end zone for his seventh rushing score too. This week he has a great chance to rack up fantasy points once again when the Bucs take on Washington in Saturday’s NFC Wild Card playoff game.
Fantasy Football analysis: Bucs RB Ronald Jones, $5,500
There were some questions about a potential rotation in the Bucs’ backfield early in the season, but Jones has solidified his role as the team’s clear No. 1 running back. They’ll likely lean on him early in this one too, in part as a means to keep Washington’s pass rush honest. Jones has at least 66 rushing yards in four of his last five games, scoring four times during that stretch too. And if Tampa can build up an early lead, he could get a boost in his stats this week helping to close things out in the fourth quarter.
Washington’s defense gave up rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs in three of its last four games. For the season, running backs are averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Jones doesn’t have the upside of some of the other running backs playing this weekend, which limits his appeal to that of an RB2 in traditional formats. I really like him in DFS this weekend, especially if you’re playing some games that are just based on Saturday’s matchups. He’s less expensive than riskier options like Chris Carson and Antonio Gibson.