Fournette full-go again Friday

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette (hip) put in another full practice on Friday. He remains on track to return for Monday night's game vs. the Saints.

The Bills released RB Leonard Fournette from the practice squad. He was not elevated for the Wild Card win over the Steelers, so the news isn't a big surprise. Buffalo will continue to roll with RBs James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Latavius Murray. The 29-year-old Fournette's NFL career is on the ropes.

Bills RB Leonard Fournette will make his 2023 debut tonight against the Chargers. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo expects the veteran to get “some run” behind James Cook. Of course, Cook is coming off a career-best game vs. Dallas, so any work Fournette takes is likely to come from Latavius Murray or Ty Johnson. Ultimately, we’re not expecting Fournette to turn into a fantasy asset down the stretch.

Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reports that RB Leonard Fournette is planning to sign with the Bills, pending a physical. The move would add Fournette to a backfield currently led by James Cook, who ranks just 26th among RBs in PPR points per game. Adding Fournette would seem to indicate the team hopes he can at least be an upgrade over Latavius Murray and Damien Harris -- and perhaps that the Bills would like to siphon a bit more work away from Cook. The crowd will make it tough for any Buffalo RB to consistently help your fantasy lineup. We'll watch for more details on how quickly the Bills plan to bring Fournette along and how the work might be split.

Update: Fournette has passed his physical and is signing with the team's practice squad, his agents have said. Don't be surprised if the Bills elevate him as soon as this weekend.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Patriots hosted free agent RB Leonard Fournette for a workout on Wednesday. It's unclear as of this writing whether an impending deal is in place. While it's too soon to overreact to this news, the hypothetical addition of Fournette would make this Pats' backfield a complicated mess. The current depth chart behind RB Rhamondre Stevenson is somewhat barren following the offseason departure of Damien Harris via free agency and the quick cup of coffee James Robinson had with the team before being released in early June. Stevenson stands to lose the most by an addition to the backfield, as he’s the only Patriots RB to lead the team in carries and target share in the same year over the last five seasons. Replicating this feat from 2022 would be considerably more challenging with a player like Fournette in tow and knock him down further in our RB rankings.. We'll be sure to stay on top of this story as any updates come to light.

The Bucs plan to release RB Leonard Fournette on March 15, the first day of the new league year, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. The move will save the rebuilding Bucs $3.47 million against the 2023 salary cap. Fournette remained reliable in the passing game last year, hauling in 73 of 83 targets for 523 yards (7.2 YPC). But he mustered just 3.5 yards per carry and ranked bottom 4 among 51 qualifiers in both Pro Football Focus' Elusive Rating and NFL Next Gen Stats' Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. The 28-year-old figures to land a committee job on the open market and isn't an exciting pick in early best-ball drafts. The Bucs, meanwhile, are left with RB Rachaad White atop the depth chart for now. He caught 50 balls as a rookie last year but averaged just 5.8 yards per catch. White was only a little better than Fournette on the ground, averaging 3.7 yards per carry while ranking 41st in Elusive Rating and 45th in Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. We'll see what else the Bucs add to the backfield this offseason.