So it's the time of year when lots of trade rumors involving big names are making the rounds. One reported by Adam Schefter yesterday has the Jaguars shopping Leonard Fournette. It's plausible in that the Jaguars have been blowing up the front office and locker room since late last year, so what's one more player?
Fournette has apparently been a locker-room and/or attitude issue at times. He was suspended by the team for a game at one point, apparently clashing with Tom Coughlin along the way. Coughlin is gone, so whatever. Fournette last week said he hoped the team would sign Cam Newton. That blew up into being a shot against Gardner Minshew, of course. Maybe it's a relationship that can't be salvaged.
Fournette himself hasn't really been an elite NFL back. His first two years in the league he averaged just 3.9 and then 3.3 yards per attempt. Last year he touched the ball nearly 350 times, but somehow managed to score only 3 touchdowns, which hardly seems possible.
But we play fantasy football here, and in that respect he's been an awfully nice asset in a lineup. Over the last three years, he's averaged 15.1, 17.4 and 17.7 PPR points per game. Those are three of the top 50 seasons over that span. Only four other backs show up three times in that list: Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara, Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon. Select company.
| RUNNING BACKS PER GAME, 2017-2019 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | St | Run | Rec | Total | TD | FPG |
| 2019 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 16 | 86.7 | 62.8 | 149.5 | 1.21 | 29.5 |
| 2018 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 14 | 89.4 | 41.4 | 130.8 | 1.57 | 26.7 |
| 2017 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 15 | 87.0 | 52.5 | 139.5 | 1.27 | 25.8 |
| 2018 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 16 | 81.7 | 45.1 | 126.8 | .96 | 24.1 |
| 2018 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 16 | 68.6 | 54.2 | 122.8 | .85 | 24.1 |
| 2018 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 15 | 58.9 | 47.3 | 106.1 | 1.27 | 23.6 |
| 2017 | LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 15 | 86.1 | 43.7 | 129.7 | .73 | 23.0 |
| 2018 | Melvin Gordon, LAC | 12 | 73.8 | 40.8 | 114.6 | 1.22 | 23.0 |
| 2017 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 13 | 51.5 | 57.7 | 109.2 | 1.03 | 22.5 |
| 2018 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 15 | 95.6 | 37.8 | 133.4 | .60 | 22.1 |
| 2018 | James Conner, Pitt. | 13 | 74.8 | 38.2 | 113.1 | 1.05 | 21.8 |
| 2019 | Dalvin Cook, Min. | 14 | 81.1 | 37.1 | 118.1 | .93 | 21.2 |
| 2018 | Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 11 | 74.9 | 34.4 | 109.3 | 1.27 | 20.9 |
| 2017 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 10 | 98.3 | 26.9 | 125.2 | .90 | 20.5 |
| 2019 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 15 | 102.7 | 13.7 | 116.4 | 1.20 | 20.0 |
| 2019 | Aaron Jones, G.B. | 16 | 67.8 | 29.6 | 97.4 | 1.19 | 19.9 |
| 2019 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 16 | 84.8 | 26.3 | 111.1 | .88 | 19.7 |
| 2019 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | 16 | 34.8 | 62.1 | 96.9 | .69 | 19.6 |
| 2017 | Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 15 | 86.1 | 30.3 | 116.5 | .67 | 19.2 |
| 2019 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 13 | 77.2 | 33.7 | 110.8 | .62 | 18.8 |
| 2017 | Melvin Gordon, LAC | 16 | 69.1 | 29.8 | 98.8 | .75 | 18.0 |
| 2019 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 14 | 56.9 | 38.1 | 95.0 | .43 | 17.9 |
| 2017 | Mark Ingram, N.O. | 16 | 70.3 | 26.0 | 96.3 | .75 | 17.8 |
| 2017 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 13 | 80.0 | 23.2 | 103.2 | .77 | 17.7 |
| 2018 | Aaron Jones, G.B. | 8 | 67.5 | 20.6 | 88.1 | 1.00 | 17.6 |
| 2019 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 15 | 76.8 | 34.8 | 111.6 | .20 | 17.4 |
| 2018 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | 14 | 83.4 | 21.1 | 104.6 | .64 | 17.4 |
| 2018 | James White, N.E. | 16 | 26.6 | 46.9 | 73.5 | .75 | 17.3 |
| 2018 | Phillip Lindsay, Den. | 9 | 76.8 | 14.2 | 91.0 | .89 | 16.8 |
| 2017 | LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 16 | 71.1 | 28.0 | 99.1 | .50 | 16.6 |
| 2018 | Nick Chubb, Cle. | 10 | 82.3 | 14.9 | 97.2 | .80 | 16.5 |
| 2019 | Mark Ingram, Balt. | 15 | 67.9 | 16.5 | 84.3 | 1.04 | 16.4 |
| 2019 | Nick Chubb, Cle. | 16 | 93.4 | 17.4 | 110.8 | .50 | 16.3 |
| 2018 | Marlon Mack, Ind. | 11 | 79.5 | 9.2 | 88.6 | .97 | 16.1 |
| 2019 | Chris Carson, Sea. | 15 | 82.0 | 17.7 | 99.7 | .60 | 16.0 |
| 2017 | Dion Lewis, N.E. | 11 | 72.5 | 15.6 | 88.1 | .82 | 16.0 |
| 2019 | Raheem Mostert, S.F. | 9 | 66.6 | 19.2 | 85.8 | 1.00 | 15.9 |
| 2018 | David Johnson, Ariz. | 16 | 58.8 | 27.9 | 86.6 | .65 | 15.7 |
| 2019 | Melvin Gordon, LAC | 12 | 51.0 | 24.7 | 75.7 | .75 | 15.6 |
| 2017 | Chris Thompson, Was. | 10 | 29.4 | 51.0 | 80.4 | .60 | 15.5 |
| 2019 | Kenyan Drake, Mia.-Ari. | 14 | 58.4 | 24.6 | 83.0 | .60 | 15.4 |
| 2019 | David Johnson, Ariz. | 8 | 37.8 | 40.4 | 78.1 | .63 | 15.4 |
| 2018 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 8 | 54.9 | 23.1 | 78.0 | .75 | 15.1 |
| 2018 | Tarik Cohen, Chi. | 16 | 27.8 | 45.3 | 73.1 | .54 | 15.0 |
| 2018 | Kerryon Johnson, Det. | 9 | 69.3 | 21.4 | 90.8 | .44 | 15.0 |
| 2019 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 15 | 57.1 | 13.8 | 70.9 | .96 | 14.9 |
| 2019 | Josh Jacobs, Oak. | 13 | 88.5 | 12.8 | 101.2 | .54 | 14.9 |
I don't know if a trade is going to happen, but things are usually at least in the realm of plausibility before Schefter reports them. Landing spot will determine if Fournette continues to be a top fantasy back, but if he goes to the right team -- one without a notable incumbent -- he should be.
Ryquell Armstead would be the nominal starter in Jacksonville, should Fournette get dealt. For now. He was the team's fifth-round pick a year ago.
But the Jaguars would certainly add to that backfield, both in the draft and perhaps free agency. Probably not Carlos Hyde, who was briefly with the team a year ago, but there are other veterans of varying ability floating around. Armstead carried 35 times for 108 yards in spot duty a year ago (3.1 per attempt). Unlikely that he's a Week 1 starter. Question is whether the Jags deal Fournette before they add his replacement, or after.
--Andy Richardson