“He has made big improvements on the stuff we asked him to make improvements on, and we’re kind of happy with him,” said Fears. “So we’re kind of excited to see if he can pick up a new role here. Maybe he can pick up some of the stuff James was doing. We’ll throw it at him this week and see what sticks at practice. See what he can handle.”

The Patriots’ RB coach also said Taylor will be asked to fill the void.

“With James not in there, we’ll actually see what he can do more of,” Fears said about Taylor. “Everybody’s going to have to have a piece of the role, and step their game up a little bit. I think J.J.’s one of the guys we have to take a look at.”

Unfortunately for the entire Patriots’ backfield, they get the ferocious Buccaneers front seven this week. But, it’ll be interesting to see which runner gets the nod in the passing game if the team goes down early and Jones is forced to throw the ball more than usual.

Even after Week 4 Waivers passed, Taylor is still only rostered in 1 percent of leagues. The little squirt scooted up to RB57 (+25 vs ECR) on The Wolf’s Rest of Season Fantasy Rankings.