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We're down to eight teams alive in the NFL postseason. Fantasy football managers don't have as many players to choose from with only three weeks remaining, but it's still important to stay abreast of the latest injury news before finalizing playoff and DFS lineups for the Divisional Round this weekend.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won easily in the Wild Card round over the Philadelphia Eagles, but it will be more impressive if they make back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl this year, given all the injuries they've had to deal with late in the season. One of the positions hit the hardest by the injury bug for the Bucs has been at running back. What will their backfield look like on Sunday against the Rams?
Is Leonard Fournette playing this week against the Rams? Will Ronald Jones II miss his third straight game? Read more for a better idea of how the Bucs backfield will shape up this weekend.
Is Leonard Fournette Playing This Week Against the Rams?
Leonard Fournette hasn't played since Week 15, but it's looking increasingly likely that he'll be activated and serve as the lead running back this week. We won't know for sure if Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring) will play on Sunday against the Rams until Saturday's deadline for Tampa to activate him from Injured Reserve.
Should I Start Leonard Fournette If He Plays?
The 27-year-old will be more of a risk for fantasy lineups after essentially missing the last four games, but if he's active on Sunday and doesn't have any limitations, he could be a value play as DraftKings' No. 6 RB in terms of salary ($5,700) and make for a great play:
Fournette finished as the RB11 in overall fantasy points during the regular season with 180 carries for 812 yards (career-high 4.5 yards per carry) and eight rushing touchdowns. Where he became extremely valuable was in the passing game.
His 84 targets, 69 receptions, and 454 receiving yards were third among RBs, behind only Austin Ekeler and Najee Harris. Fournette scored twice through the air. Tampa's receiving corps has thinned out considerably due to injury as well, so Fournette should see plenty of targets from Tom Brady if he plays.
Will Ronald Jones II Return This Weekend?
Ronald Jones II (ankle) will not play in the Divisional Round this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. Jones was ruled out on Friday and has not played since he injured his ankle in Week 17 against the New York Jets.
Jones was unable to practice all week, although he did ditch his walking boot, so there's a chance that he could get cleared to play in the NFC Championship next week if the Buccaneers advance.
The 24-year-old was only relevant in fantasy this year when Leonard Fournette was sidelined due to injury, as Jones averaged only 6.3 carries and 26.8 rushing yards with four total touchdowns in 16 games. He added 10 catches on 13 targets for 64 yards through the air.
Should I Start Ke'Shawn Vaughn or Giovani Bernard?
In the Wild Card win over the Eagles last Sunday, Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard, who returned from Injured Reserve for the first time since Week 14, split the offensive snaps down the middle at 49.3% each. That would likely continue against the Rams if Fournette is inactive.
Both Vaughn and Bernard found success in the blowout win over the Eagles. Vaughn had a team-high 17 carries for 54 yards and a score and caught both of his targets for nine yards. Bernard had 13 rushing attempts for 44 yards and a TD and added five catches on seven targets for 39 yards.
Bernard ran a route just over 50% of the time on all of Tom Brady's dropbacks against Philadelphia and would be the more appealing DFS play in PPR formats. Vaughn might be more attractive in standard-scoring leagues, although the Bucs might have a tougher time finding running lanes against a Rams defense that allowed 103.2 rushing yards per game (sixth-best in the NFL) during the regular season.
If Fournette is out, both Vaughn and Bernard will be rather low-upside sleeper options in DFS at their position in this matchup while in a timeshare. And if Fournette does play, which seems more likely at this point, they'll both merely be change-of-pace options with Fournette seeing the majority of touches.
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