Ronald Jones had a paltry 16 yards on 10 rushing attempts in the NFC Championship game. The meager stat line wasn’t all his fault; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t get much going on the ground against the Packers. Jones has a chance to finish off his season on high note when the Bucs take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55, and he might be a decent fantasy play too.
Fantasy Football analysis: Bucs RB Ronald Jones, $3,300
Jones has also been dealing with a quad injury throughout the playoffs. He missed the Wild Card game because of that, but was finally able to return to action in the Divisional round against the Saints. Despite his quad not being close to 100 percent in either of his last two outings, he still managed to rack up 62 yards on 13 carries against New Orleans. And with an extra week to rest, he should be a full go for the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs defense is just mediocre against the run. They’ve allowed an average of 4.52 yards per carry to opposing running backs through the regular season and playoffs. It’s a vulnerability the Bucs can’t afford to ignore. Their two-headed running back committee with Jones and Leonard Fournette could be key to their game plan.
Jones had 10 carries to Fournette’s 12 last week, and he had 13 to Fournette’s 17 in the Divisional round. The thing to remember about Jones is that when he’s healthy, he’s got way more potential than Fournette to break off big plays on the ground.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
I think Jones is a sneaky good play this week. He doesn’t have as much upside as Fournette, because he doesn’t get the looks in the passing game, but Jones could have a good day carrying the ball in this one. His DraftKings price is hard to beat too.