Leonard Fournette Fantasy

There will be changes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on offense under new head coach Todd Bowles, and a commitment to run the football more is one of them. Quarterback Tom Brady will embrace the changes, but it could end up benefitting running back Leonard Fournette the most. Under Bruce Arians, the Bucs had the second-highest pass rate over expected last season with Brady under center. Tampa will surely still throw the ball plenty with Brady coming out of retirement, but an increased emphasis on the ground game will only be good news for Fournette, who carried the ball 180 times for 812 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 regular season games. Ronald Jones II is now gone as well, so Fournette has less competition for touches and should be a strong RB1 target.

Apr. 1st • 12:03 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed running back Leonard Fournette to a three-year deal worth $21 million on Tuesday, according to sources. The deal can be worth up to $24 million through incentives and also includes $9 million in guarantees. Fournette had an excellent year in Tampa in 2021 in his second year with the team, rushing for 812 yards and eight touchdowns on 180 carries, while also securing 69 of his 84 targets for 454 yards and two more scores. He might not have returned had it not been for quarterback Tom Brady coming out of retirement. Ronald Jones II and Giovani Bernard could go elsewhere in free agency, so Fournette should have a very similar role in 2022 as a strong RB1 for fantasy managers.

Mar. 22nd • 10:12 AM

The New England Patriots are hosting free-agent running back Leonard Fournette on a visit on Monday, according to a source. The 27-year-old is coming off the best all-around season of his career with 812 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 69 receptions and 454 receiving yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. It seems as though Fournette won't be returning to Tampa, which is bad news for his fantasy value. If he were to land in New England, he'd be joining a much more crowded backfield alongside Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and James White. And fantasy managers are all too familiar with the headaches of a crowded Bill Belichick backfield.

Mar. 21st • 11:14 AM