Fantasy Football

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly added a veteran to their backfield after a significant injury to starting running back Leonard Fournette.

NFL.com's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday that Tampa Bay is signing Le'Veon Bell pending a physical.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers are "likely" to place Fournette on injured reserve after he suffered a hamstring injury Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Fournette, who was seen using crutches after his injury, would miss the remainder of the regular season.

So what does this mean for Tampa Bay's backfield from a fantasy standpoint?

With Fournette banged up, Ronald Jones II will likely move into the starting role to try to fill his shoes. Jones has played in all 14 games this season and has rushed for 337 yards and three touchdowns, a steep drop-off from the 978 yards and seven touchdowns he recorded last season in the same amount of games.

Jones has totaled over 50 rushing yards just twice this season with just one game with double-digit carries. He's also been a non-factor in the passing game, recording seven catches for 47 yards on nine targets.

Veteran Giovani Bernard served as Tampa Bay's third-down back, but he is also on injured reserve because of hip and knee injuries. Bernard provided strong production as a receiver out of the backfield with three touchdown receptions. Bell should be able to fill a similar role.

At his peak, Bell was one of the most versatile running backs in the NFL. He made a name for himself as a dual-threat option for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but since leaving the team, he's seen a sharp decline in production in his stints with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.

Bell played five games for the Baltimore Ravens this year and ran the ball 31 times for 83 yards and two touchdowns. His average of 2.7 yards per carry is a career low. But with newfound opportunity in the Buccaneers' high-powered offense, Bell could have the chance to prove he's still a capable NFL running back.

It's hard for fantasy managers to trust either Jones or Bell, but Jones is the safer bet because of his familiarity with the offense. As the likely starter, Jones should see the same amount of volume as Fournette. Bell will likely not be used as a workhorse back, as he will need some time to acclimate himself to the team.

What might frustrate fantasy managers is how Tampa Bay uses its running backs in goal-line situations. Even when Jones was the team's starter in 2019 and 2020, he would frequently relinquish goal-line carries to Fournette. Bell could be utilized as the Buccaneers' short-yardage back, which would open up some scoring opportunities.

Consider Jones to be an low-end RB2/flex option, while Bell is a boom-or-bust player whose value would be determined by whether he finds the end zone.

For fantasy players trying to decide between Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Rams face the Seattle Seahawks, well, good luck. 

According to head coach Sean McVay, the team will be considering both as RB1s, meaning they could be in line for a fairly even time split:

With Henderson out of action the past two weeks, Michel responded by rushing 44 times for 200 yards and a touchdown, making the most out of his starting role. He added three receptions for eight yards. 

For the season, Henderson has rushed for 648 yards and five touchdowns, while Michel has posted 505 yards and two scores, though a huge chunk came in the past two games. 

Much to the chagrin of fantasy players everywhere, this has all the makings of a platoon. At the very least, it's hard to pinpoint which player might get the start. 

One thing that is easier to predict is that Michel won't go back to the very limited role he had as Henderson's backup earlier in the season. He's played too well in relief duty to not see significant touches.

Henderson is the better receiver of the pair, meanwhile, with 27 catches for 172 yards and three scores on the season. So the Rams could utilize the more physical running style of Michel between the tackles and lean on Henderson more heavily on passing downs. 

That type of platoon would favor Michel, but again, it's mere projection. There simply is a lot of uncertainty heading into Tuesday night. And if there's one thing that can kill a fantasy season, it's that type of uncertainty. 

Consider both players flex options on the evening. Until there is more clarity on this backfield, it's hard to trust either player as anything more than that.

Fantasy managers are going to be hurting after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw stars Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette all leave Sunday night's game versus the New Orleans Saints because of injuries.

Expectations are always high for Evans, who has had at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first seven seasons in the NFL. His yardage total was down a bit in 2020 (1,006, the second-fewest of his career), but he more than made up for it in the red zone with 13 touchdowns. The 28-year-old is still Tom Brady's favorite red-zone target, though his potential absence could open up more opportunities for Rob Gronkowski.

After Sunday's injuries, a lot of focus will likely turn to Gronkowski, Antonio Brown—who was suspended for having a fake vaccination card but will rejoin the team Monday—and Ronald Jones II.

Brown is thriving in his first full season in Tampa. He leads the team with 83.6 receiving yards per game and is being targeted 8.2 times per contest. The seven-time Pro Bowler did miss games against the Chicago Bears and Saints with an ankle injury to go along with his three-game suspension.

Of note, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that Brown is "ready to go" in regard to his ankle injury.

Injuries have already hit Gronkowski this season. The four-time All-Pro suffered four cracked ribs, one broken rib and a punctured lung on a hit in the Bucs' 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. He missed the next four games and attempted to play against the Saints in Week 8, but the Bucs removed him after he played just six snaps.

As long as Gronkowski can stay on the field, he will have fantasy value. The 32-year-old caught 16 passes for 184 yards and four touchdowns in the first three games of the season before his injury.

While Brown is an obvious WR2 if either of Evans or Godwin are absent—and a WR1 if both miss time—and Gronk should be started if he's healthy, Jones is a bigger question mark. He's become the clear backup in Tampa behind Fournette but has shown in the past he could have some value in a starting role, rushing for 724 yards and six scores in 2019 and 978 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

Consider him a flex with RB2 upside in the right matchups so long as Fournette is out.