Leonard Fournette activated for the Buffalo Bills do-or-die clash with Dolphins

The last time we saw Leonard Fournette, he was taking Josh Allen handoffs against the Los Angeles Chargers. He didn't have a big role in that game but got his feet wet in this Bills offense. He had five carries for 20 yards and no receptions. Now it's time for Playoff Lenny though, as the Buffalo Bills are activating him for this massive battle against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills are well aware, win and you in and Fournette can help the team accomplish that.

Last season Fournette was solid but not spectacular for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's clear that his best years are behind him but even still, he had 189 carries for 668 yards and three touchdowns. He also played a significant role in the Bucs passing game, with 73 receptions on 83 targets (87.9 catch rate). He added 523 yards in receptions and another three touchdowns.

I think this is the move the Bills were planning all along. The team can only elevate a player three times from the practice squad before they have to put them permanently on the 53-man roster, but that number is unlimited in the playoffs. I would expect Fournette to remain active going forward, throughout the playoffs, assuming the Bills advance to the playoffs.

This is the move that needed to happen. Latavius Murray is the oldest running back in the league and that age is showing itself. Murray has 300 yards on 79 carries, for 3.8 yards per carry, the lowest season average of his career. He has four touchdowns on the ground too but he has become a liability in the passing game, an area Fournette should be able to help. Murray has been targeted 22 times this season, catching 17 of them but has a drop rate of 13.6 percent, also the worst of his career.

With Ty Johnson playing as well as he has, I don't anticipate Fournette playing a huge role against the Dolphins, but I would expect him to get close to ten touches in this game. He likely gets around five or so carries and is probably targeted in the passing game two or three times as well. He'll certainly be the Bills' short-yardage and goal-line back. At the end of the day, he's an upgrade over Murray and should contribute in this offense.