<
>
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Get ESPN+

Fantasy fallout: Can rising RBs Ronald Jones, Phillip Lindsay, D'Andre Swift keep this up?

Nobody has a more stacked lineup of fantasy analysts and NFL team reporters than ESPN. It's the rare backfield by committee that's actually a good thing for fantasy managers. Every Tuesday, we'll ask our NFL Nation reporters a series of burning questions to help inform your waiver-wire pickups and roster decisions.

One of the fantasy themes that emerged in Week 6: a changing of the guard in backfield timeshares.

D'Andre Swift and Phillip Lindsay made compelling cases to become the leading men in Detroit and Denver, respectively. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Ronald Jones II and the Los Angeles Rams' Darrell Henderson Jr. are making cases to do away with timeshares altogether.

Here is a look at some running backs on the rise -- and whether they can sustain their gains:

Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It didn't look great for Jones' chances to finally emerge as a No. 1 back when the Bucs added both Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy shortly before the season. But Jones has finally broken through in a big way with three straight 100-yard rushing games while Fournette has been dealing with an ankle injury.

Buccaneers reporter Jenna Laine wrote a great story last week on Jones' climb from the "cellar" as a seldom-used rookie in 2018 to now, when coach Bruce Arians is complimenting his growth in the offense.

As Laine has consistently pointed out, Jones is still a work in progress in the passing game. And the Buccaneers like the idea of using Fournette as a power runner against worn-out defenses in the fourth quarter. But the way Jones is wearing out defenses himself right now makes it hard to envision him ceding too many touches when Fournette returns. And Laine said the team won't rush Fournette back.

"I don't have any trouble handing it to him 20-25 times and throwing it to him five or six. He can handle that load," Arians said.