Fantasy Football 2017: Jacquizz Rodgers Re-Signs with Buccaneers
By Dan Thomas
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed running back Jacquizz Rodgers. What kind of impact does this move have in fantasy football?
Jacquizz Rodgers seems like one of those players who has been around the NFL for awhile. Maybe it’s due to the fact he’s been on a different team in each of the last three seasons. Either way, the 27-year-old is coming off a 2016 campaign where he led the Buccaneers in rushing yards (560) and in yards per carry (4.3).
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According to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Rodgers will not test the free agency market, but instead will re-sign with Tampa Bay. This signing might fall under the radar to many, but for those in the fantasy football community, it should bring intrigue.
Injuries to both Doug Martin and Charles Sims last season opened the door for Rodgers and he took advantage of the situation. In five starts in 2016, Rodgers averaged 21 carries for 92 rushing yards. His 154-yard rushing performance in Week 7 helped him finish as the 11th best fantasy running back for that week (according to ESPN standard scoring).
Normally in a situation like this, the first- and second-string running backs would take the offseason to get healthy and would assume their original roles the following year. The third-string running back would then go back to the bench. However, that is not the case in Tampa Bay.
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Last season, Doug Martin was suspended four-games for violating the league’s policy on PEDs. He only served one of those four suspended games last season and has three more remaining in 2017. If that wasn’t bad enough, there’s been speculation the Buccaneers could move on from Martin at some point during the offseason. If they do, the door would once again be open for Rodgers to contribute in the Buccaneers backfield.
Yet, that isn’t to say he won’t have some obstacles in his way.
The first hurdle in Rodgers way would be fourth-year running back Charles Sims. In 2015 Sims was a solid contributor as he logged 107 carries and 51 receptions across 16 games. He finished that season as the 22nd RB in fantasy football. In 2016, Injuries limited him to only 75 total touches across seven games. People might assume if healthy, Sims would be the favorite to lead the team in carries in 2017 if Martin were released.
Yet, keep in mind that, in Week 16 last year when Rodgers and Sims were both healthy and active, Rodgers out-touched Sims 17-7 and also out-carried him 15-3. Although this is a significantly small sample size, the Buccaneers very well might view Rodgers as an early-down running back while viewing Sims primarily as a passing-down back. After all, Sims is averaging over three receptions per game for his career.
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The second hurdle in Rodgers way would be any high-profile running back the Buccaneers bring in through free agency and/or the draft. If the Buccaneers bring in a running back like Jamaal Charles or use an early draft pick on a guy like Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara, it would certainly put a damper on Rodgers’ outlook.
Tampa Bay’s backfield is something to keep an eye on during the offseason now that we know Rodgers is returning to Tampa Bay. The same cannot be said for Doug Martin.