Fournette will be released at the start of the new league year, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports.
Fournette signed a three-year, $21 million extension with the Bucs last offseason, but Tampa Bay is in the process of re-tooling, with Tom Brady calling it a career. Fournette turned 28 last month and is coming off a down year where he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and rushed for three touchdowns. His release opens the door for second-year RB Rachaad White to take over lead-back duties for the Bucs.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Quiet finish to season
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Fournette rushed five times for 11 yards and brought in his only target for six yards in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He finished the regular season with 668 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 189 carries along with 73 receptions for 523 yards and three additional scores on 83 targets across 16 games.
Fournette's season ended with a whimper Monday night, but he showed plenty during a successful regular season where he also went without a single fumble for the third time in his career. Fournette did average only 3.5 yards per carry while usually running behind an injury-hampered offensive line, but he should have a good chance of returning to Tampa Bay in 2023 considering his diverse skill set and the fact he carries what would be considered a relatively reasonable $8.5 million cap number for next season.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Minimal action in finale
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Fournette logged just three snaps from scrimmage and brought in his only target for four yards during the Buccaneers' 30-17 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
Fournette's minimal playing time was by design, as head coach Todd Bowles opted to give his bruising back's legs some much-needed rest ahead of the postseason. Rookie backfield mate Rachaad White saw slightly more work with four carries across 10 snaps, and both backs could work in a near-even timeshare during Monday night's wild-card clash against the Cowboys.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: RBs to Sit
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Fournette might play if the Buccaneers decide not to rest players in Week 18 at Atlanta, but that doesn't make sense to me. Tampa Bay shouldn't risk any of its main players with the No. 4 seed in the NFC locked up, and Fournette is a veteran with little to gain by playing against the Falcons. Instead, the Buccaneers should give more work to Rachaad White or even Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who has sleeper appeal in deeper leagues. Keep an eye on what's said out of Tampa Bay, but plan to be without Fournette in your Week 18 Fantasy lineups.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Inefficient in Week 17 win
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Fournette rushed 10 times for 28 yards and secured all four targets for 19 yards in the Buccaneers' 30-24 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Fournette's production left plenty to be desired from an efficiency standpoint, and he also logged two fewer touches than rookie backfield mate Rachaad White. Nevertheless, as recent weeks have shown, either back can set the pace in that regard in any given game, and it remains to be seen what the usage of each will be in the Week 18 road clash against the Falcons.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: RBs to Start
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Fournette has taken over the Tampa Bay backfield again, and he was awesome in Week 16 at Arizona with 20 carries for 72 yards and nine catches for 90 yards on 10 targets. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 10, but he does have seven games in a row with at least 10 PPR points, mostly due to his work in the passing game. Despite sharing playing time with Rachaad White, Fournette still has 25 catches on 28 targets in his past four outings. This week, he's taking on a Panthers team that has allowed just one running back to score more than 10 PPR points since Week 9, but Fournette will be tough to stop based on his role in the passing game right now.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Massive workload in OT win
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Fournette rushed 20 times for 72 yards and brought in nine of 10 targets for 90 yards in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.
Fournette was arguably the Buccaneers' MVP on the night, as it was his work during an early fourth-quarter drive in particular that sparked Tampa Bay's comeback from a 10-point deficit. The veteran bruiser's 44-yard catch-and-run play to open that possession helped set up an eventual Rachaad White three-yard touchdown catch, and Fournette subsequently helped position the ball for Ryan Succop's game-winning field goal in overtime on his last two carries. His reception and receiving yardage totals also led the Bucs on the night, and he tied with Chris Godwin for tops in targets. Fournette should be in line for another voluminous role in a critical Week 17 home clash against the Panthers that could decide the NFC South title.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: RBs to Start
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Fournette played more snaps than Rachaad White (58 percent to 39 percent) in Week 15 against Cincinnati, and we'll see if that continues again in Week 16 against Arizona. I think both Tampa Bay running backs can perform well this week, but I'll use Fournette as a low-end starter in all leagues and White as a flex. Despite his struggles, Fournette has actually scored at least 10 PPR points in six games in a row. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 10, but he has 16 catches on 18 targets in his past three outings. The Cardinals are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs for the season, and Arizona has allowed five running backs to score at least 16 PPR points in the past four games. This could be one of Fournette's best games of the season.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Flex Starter (Lineup Decisions)
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If I'm making the call based on the film, Leonard Fournette is the Bucs RB I'd want to start. He's solid for them and has produced consistently for Fantasy managers. There's also the possibility this game becomes so lopsided that both backs end up doing well, but I'm not hanging onto that hope for White. I'd start Fournette over Isiah Pacheco, Devin Singletary and both Lions RBs, but I'd start all those players over White.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Modest output in loss
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Fournette rushed 10 times for 44 yards and caught all four of his targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 34-23 loss to Cincinnati.
Rookie Rachaad White (11/38/0) got the start at tailback and nearly split carries with Fournette. The veteran turned in the superior performance this week, but it is unlikely that either back won any favor given the pedestrian rushing lines for both. Fantasy managers did luck out when the plodding back botched a handoff from Tom Brady in the second half, but the official scorebook credited the lost fumble to the quarterback. Fournette has clearly lost a step in 2022 and now has to share the backfield in Tampa Bay, making him a touchdown-dependent asset heading into Sunday's matchup against Arizona.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: RBs to Sit
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Rachaad White played more snaps than Fournette in Week 14, and I expect that to continue in Week 15 against the Bengals. That makes White a low-end starter in most leagues, and Fournette is just a flex. Fournette has been great in the passing game the past two outings against New Orleans and San Francisco with 12 catches for 65 yards on 14 targets. But he rushed 14 times for 62 yards over that span, and he only has two touchdowns since Week 6. The Bengals just held Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to 18 carries for 40 yards and five catches for 26 yards, and Cincinnati should be able to contain White and Fournette on the ground. I like Fournette better in PPR because of his role in the passing game, but he's not a must-start option in any leagues in Week 15.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Sit Them (Lineup Decisions)
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The Bucs running backs are tough to nail down for Fantasy purposes, but at least White seems like the more efficient runner of the two at this point, and he's not much worse in the passing game compared to Fournette. Still, neither one should be considered anywhere close to a must-start against a resilient defense that will probably take some liberties to get after Brady. I'd rather start D'Onta Foreman and Brian Robinson over both, and I'd rather start Latavius Murray, D'Andre Swift and Raheem Mostert over Fournette.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Stifled in Sunday's loss
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Fournette carried the ball four times for 13 yards and caught six of seven targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 35-7 loss to the 49ers.
With the Buccaneers falling behind early, Fournette's usage on the ground was limited, but he wound up being just two targets behind team leaders Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Even so, Fournette's 46 yards from scrimmage was his worst production since Week 7 and was well behind rookie Rachaad White's 77, although it's not clear how much the foot injury that restricted Fournette's practice participation this week may have been a factor. The veteran RB will continue to split touches with White in Week 15 against a Bengals defense that just held Nick Chubb to 34 rushing yards on 14 carries.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Active as expected Sunday
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Fournette (hip) is active for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Greg Auman of FOXSports.com reports.
News on Fournette was positive heading into the weekend despite his limitations this past week, and his active status is now confirmed. The veteran and rookie backfield mate Rachaad White split work nearly down the middle in the Week 13 Monday night win over the Saints, although White was notably featured on the game-winning drive and recorded the decisive touchdown reception. Neither player has an appealing matchup Sunday irrespective of the division of labor, as the 49ers check in allowing the fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Likely to play Sunday
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Fournette (foot), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the 49ers, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
A sore foot caused Fournette to sit out Friday's practice entirely, but Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles downplayed the running back's absence afterward. Schefter's report would seem to support the notion that Fournette's foot issue isn't a major concern, and while the 27-year-old looks like he'll be cleared when Tampa Bay releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, it's unclear what kind of role he'll hold Sunday. With rookie Rachaad White gaining more of a foothold in the Tampa Bay offense in recent weeks and with Fournette likely at somewhere less than 100 perfect, the veteran's touch and snap counts could be monitored more closely than usual. The possibility of a lighter workload than usual along with a tough matchup versus the 49ers' formidable defensive front renders Fournette a less appealing fantasy option than may normally be the case.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Receives questionable tag
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Fournette (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
After being added to the Week 14 injury report Thursday as a limited practice participant due to the sore foot, Fournette sat out Friday's session entirely. While the downgrade in activity heading into the weekend is typically a worrisome sign, head coach Todd Bowles downplayed the situation after Friday's practice, telling Jenna Laine of ESPN.com that he wasn't concerned about Fournette's injury. Even if Fournette is ultimately cleared ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, it's possible he moves into more of a supporting role after he occupied the larger side of a timeshare out of the backfield with rookie Rachaad White in Monday's come-from-behind win over the Saints.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Dealing with new injury
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Fournette was limited at practice Thursday by a foot injury. Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Fournette previously sat out Week 12 due to a hip pointer and was listed as questionable for Monday's eventual win against the Saints, but he suited up for that contest and got the better end of the RB snap share with rookie Rachaad White, 60-41 percent. Overall, Fournette turned his 16 touches into 81 yards from scrimmage, while White had 15 touches for 69 total yards and a receiving TD. With a new health concern in tow, Fournette's status now is one to monitor ahead of Sunday's game at San Francisco.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Totals 16 touches in return
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Fournette rushed 10 times for 49 yards and secured six of seven targets for 32 yards in the Buccaneers' 17-16 win over the Saints on Monday night.
Fournette logged one more snap than backfield mate Rachaad White and also tied his teammate and Cade Otton for second on the team in catches. The veteran back's level of involvement in his return from a one-game absence was encouraging, but the fact White logged just one fewer carry and drew one more target implies there will be a near-even timeshare between the two down the stretch. Fournette next does battle with the 49ers' league-best run defense in Week 14.
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Returning to action in Week 13
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Fournette (hip) is listed as active Monday against the Saints, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Despite practicing in full during Week 13 prep, Fournette wasn't outright cleared by the Buccaneers for this contest on their final injury report, likely to ensure his hip checked out OK in a pregame warmup. Now that he's officially active, he'll be available to Tampa Bay's offense for the first time since Week 10. Fournette's workload remains to be seen, though, as Rachaad White has taken on an expanded role over the last two games (45 touches for 214 yards from scrimmage).
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Buccaneers' Leonard Fournette: Expected to play Monday
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Fournette, who's listed as questionable due to a hip injury, is expected to play Monday against the Saints, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Fournette was a full participant in practice all week but still received a questionable designation. While it appears like the veteran running back will give it a go during Monday's primetime matchup against a divisional rival, fantasy managers are still encouraged to confirm his availability before the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. The last time Fournette faced New Orleans, he totaled a season-high 24 rushing attempts but mustered only 65 yards.
