This is how our crew breaks down the Fournette/Jones combo in today's Fantasy Football Today in 5 podcast. This is sort of how I view the new situation in Tampa:
Is there a clear No. 1 RB here? Fournette is certainly more accomplished than Ronald Jones, but does that mean he'll step in as the starter from Day 1? Jones was a better playmaker in the passing game last season, and it's not like Fournette has been a dynamic rusher either.
But there will be one eventually, right? I'm not sure there has to be. This signing seems to create the worst of both worlds, with neither Jones nor Fournette standing out in any one facet of the game enough to say there will be clear roles. It could be a true timeshare.
But why would they bring Fournette in if they didn't want him to start? Maybe they just saw an opportunity to get a talented player for cheap, and they aren't married to using him in any one specific role. Ride the hot hand and keep a rotation without tipping your hand by bringing in a pass-catching specialist.
But why would Fournette sign so quickly to split work? This is the better question, and it's the one that gives me pause. Running backs aren't typically hot commodities in the NFL these days, but apparently there were several teams after Fournette after he cleared waivers Wednesday, and it didn't take long at all for him to sign. If Fournette got a promise that he'd be the lead back on one of the busiest offenses in the league, that'd be a pretty good incentive for an impending free agent.
What kind of split do you expect? I lean toward Fournette being the lead back, which makes it awfully tough for Jones to carve out a role unless he really has improved as a pass blocker. Of course, if Jones improved as a pass blocker enough to take on that role, Fournette probably wouldn't be in Tampa. I would guess Fournette settles in around 60-65% of the touches in Tampa, including the goal-line work, most likely.
Where should I draft Fournette and Jones? I view Fournette as a fringe starting option right now, someone in the 25-30 range at running back; Jones probably drops to the 35-40 range. So, fourth/fifth range for Fournette, may be seventh/eighth for Jones? Either could dramatically outperform that cost, obviously, but it would require a clear hierarchy to be established one way or the other.
Should I just fade the backfield entirely? This is where I'm leaning, because I'm also personally pretty pessimistic about Tampa's offense in general.