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Is Leonard Fournette playing this week against the Panthers? Is Ronald Jones worth picking up and starting off the waiver wire? Read the Week 16 injury updates.
It's hard to believe, but Week 16 is nearly here. What's that mean? Well, in most fantasy football leagues, Week 16 represents the semifinal matchups. With players still getting injured all around the league and with guys constantly being put on and taken off the COVID-19 list, it's been even harder for fantasy managers to keep up at the most crucial time.
Not only did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose two key receivers to injury in their Week 15 loss to the division-rival New Orleans Saints, but their starting running back also went down with injury. So let's zero in on the Buccaneers RB picture as they head into a big division clash with the Panthers in Week 16.
Is Leonard Fournette (hamstring) playing in Week 16? Is backup Ronald Jones II worth picking up off the waiver wire? Continue reading as we attempt to answers these questions and more...
Is Leonard Fournette Playing This Week Against the Panthers?
Running back Leonard Fournette left Week 15 with a hamstring injury, and is now unlikely to be available to the Buccaneers or fantasy football managers for the rest of the 2021 regular season. With most fantasy football leagues wrapping up with championships in Week 17, it means Fournette is off the table the rest of the way.
The 26-year-old is currently the RB5 in fantasy football. This is a massive loss for fantasy managers still alive for a trophy at the end of the year. He's carried the ball 180 times for 812 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. Fournette leads all NFL RBs in targets (84) and receptions (69) and ranks second in receiving yards (454) with two additional TDs.
Even though the Buccaneers were shut out in Week 15, they are still the league's highest-scoring team at 29.3 points per game. Receiver Chris Godwin (knee) is out for the rest of the year as well, so the Bucs will need to replace their most productive pass-catcher and RB.
Is Ronald Jones II Worth Pickup Up Off the Waiver Wire?
Running back Ronald Jones II should be the No. 1 waiver-wire priority in fantasy football once the two Week 15 games conclude on Tuesday night. Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is likely to miss the last three games of the regular season, and Jones has been productive in this offense in place of Fournette before:
When Fournette was forced from the Week 15 Sunday night game against New Orleans, Jones finished with eight carries for 63 yards, which tied his season-high. He added a season-high two catches for eight yards.
Jones will be Tampa's No. 1 RB in at least the next three games. If you need any more incentive to run out and grab Jones, who is currently rostered in only 36% of Yahoo leagues, here you go:
Ke'Shawn Vaughn is also worth a flier in deeper PPR leagues, but Jones will be the one with RB1 upside for however long Fournette is sidelined. Remember, pass-catching specialist Giovani Bernard (hip, knee) was put on Injured Reserve last Tuesday, so he won't be eligible to return until the season-finale in Week 18.
The Bucs signed Le'Veon Bell on Tuesday with Fournette heading to Injured Reserve. Given how unproductive Bell was in five games with the Ravens earlier this year (less than 3.0 yards per carry) and the fact that he has to learn a whole new offense on the fly, it's unlikely that he makes any kind of fantasy impact over the next two weeks.
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