Leonard Fournette was the most underappreciated RB1 in all of fantasy football this year up until he got injured. Now, with Fournette set to miss Week 18 and Ronald Jones’ status very much up in the air, fantasy managers could be looking at a backfield of Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Le’Veon Bell. What should we expect from the backfield?
Ke’Shawn Vaughn has received opportunities lately
It took almost two seasons after getting drafted, but Vaughn is finally starting to see some playing time. The Bucs have given him 15 carries over the last two weeks, turning them into 101 yards and 1 TD. It looks as though Vaughn is the second option behind Jones with Fournette injured. Thus, he could see a decent workload this coming week if Jones misses the game.
Vaughn was a third-round draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but that was before Tampa Bay brought in Fournette. Vaughn has been buried on the depth chart ever since.
Le’Veon Bell is in the picture as well
Bell made his Buccaneers debut last week against the New York Jets, and while he only saw 3 carries, he also caught 3 passes for 30 yards. With the injuries to the wide receiver position and the recent … umm … departure of Antonio Brown, Bell could have an opportunity to carve out a decent role in this offense’s passing game.
That role is likely where he will stay. In his time with Baltimore and in his one game with Tampa Bay this year, Bell has averaged only 2.4 yards per carry on 36 attempts. His days of being one of the top backs in the NFL are behind him. Nevertheless, he does provide veteran experience and pass-catching ability to a depleted running back room.
Bell and Vaughn fantasy expectations
With no Fournette and what appears to be no Jones, it looks like Vaughn will be in line to lead the backfield in Week 18. Tampa Bay is also jockeying for playoff positioning, despite the fact that the Packers have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Tampa Bay will play the Panthers in Week 18, who are in the middle of the pack in fantasy points per game allowed to RBs over the last four weeks. Where they’ve been more vulnerable, however, is to pass-catching backs. They’ve given up 137 receiving yards and a TD to running backs in the last four weeks.
Vaughn should get some run, but I wouldn’t expect him to be much more than a low-end RB2. Bell could make some noise in the passing game, but I also wouldn’t trust him as anything more than a flex play for Week 18.