Ronald Jones was already on our “Overpriced Avoids” list to enter the preseason, yet continues losing fantasy value, and fast. He’s played firmly behind starter Peyton Barber for two straight weeks, and has even begun ceding snaps to *puke* Jacquizz Rodgers. Even worse, in the time he’s earned, Jones has been a disaster, netting more carries (12) than total yards (11), while dropping both of his two targets.
A quick look at the Bucs preseason first-team backfield snap counts are about all you should need to see here: Peyton Barber: 25-of-34 (73.5%) – Jacquizz Rodgers: 6-of-34 (17.6%) – Ronald Jones: 3-of-34 (8.8%). Failing to make plays and struggling in pass-protection during practice, Jones has fallen completely out of the starting picture as of now.
Not only has Jones been buried on the depth chart, he’s been vastly outplayed by Barber. On 10 carries, Barbers gone for 53 yards (5.3 YPC) and a score, while also hauling in 3 receptions. As mentioned earlier, Jones has averaged under 1 yard per carry, and dropped both his passing game looks.
Thus, while Jones does carry the longer-term ceiling and more overall explosiveness, this simply isn’t translating onto the NFL field at the moment. Barber is far more productive, and unsurprisingly the clear starter in HC Dirk Koetter‘s eyes. The coach went as far as suggesting a workhorse role for Barber, stating, “He’s got his eye on the prize and right where it should be. He’s doing everything he should be doing right now, and I think if we went out there and gave it to Peyton 20 times, we’d like what he does.”
Thus, the fact Barber is even drafted after Jones, nevermind over 70 spots later, is absurdity. The starter carries a 134 overall, RB46 Price Tag as compared to the 61 overall, RB26 asking price for the struggling rookie. These price tags should begin balancing out as people wake up, but Barber still projects to be a massive bargain, while Jones looks like a severe reach. Side with the starter, production, and price here.
