Warrick Dunn

49-Year-Old Running BackRB
 Free Agent  
2023 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Warrick Dunn in 2023. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Released by Tampa Bay in February of 2009.
RBFree Agent
August 18, 2009
Dunn has had several teams contact him about a return to the NFL, NFL Blogs reports.
ANALYSIS
Dunn was released by Tampa Bay after last season, and Philadelphia and Seattle have been mentioned as two possible landing spots for the veteran running back.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
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2023 Warrick Dunn Split Stats
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Dunn comes back home to Tampa Bay after several seasons in Atlanta. It'll be interesting to see how Jon Gruden utilizes him along with Earnest Graham and Michael Bennett; Dunn could see action in a third-down role, and could also serve as either injury insurance or just a change of pace if Graham is ineffective. He likely won't get as many carries or targets as he did with the Falcons last year, as Gruden may frustrate fantasy owners by mixing and matching backs all season.
After struggling through injuries from 2001-2003, Dunn has beaten the odds by playing 16 games and rushing for more than 1,100 yards in each of the last three seasons. While he's been remarkably durable, all that mileage should eventually catch up to his 5-9, 180-pound frame. He's set career-highs in carries each of the past three years, totaling 831 in that span. It began showing during the last season's final eight weeks, when Dunn averaged just 3.4 YPC. Dunn isn't much of a threat in the passing game, catching just 22 balls last year, and he was woefully miscast as a goal-line runner, failing on 11 of his 14 attempts. The new coaching regime wants a power running game, so Jerious Norwood is likely the starter. Dunn, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery that took several months to heal, is a better fit in a third-down role at this point in his career.
Dunn had a career year in 2005, adding almost 300 yards to his previous best and breaking the 5.0 YPC mark for the second time in three seasons. Despite creeping into his 30s, Dunn hasn’t lost a step and still displays the speed and acceleration that make him so dangerous in the open field. There are some warning signs around Dunn other than his size and age, though. His red-zone performance fell off a cliff in 2005, as he converted just one of 37 touches. T.J. Duckett’s (a very impressive 8-for-23 in the red zone) continued presence will likely ensure that Dunn remains a non-factor from in close for Atlanta. The team also drafted Jerious Norwood, a younger, larger version of Dunn in many respects who could spell him on occasion. Moreover, Michael Vick’s inability to fully utilize him in the passing game (Dunn’s caught just 29 passes in each of the last two seasons) also limits his production. Judging from his strong showing a year ago, assume Dunn still has something left in the tank, just realize that he comes with an extra helping of risk.
Despite splitting time with T.J. Duckett for a good chunk of the season, Dunn managed nearly a full-time workload last year, carrying 265 times, which is a lot for a back who goes 5-9, 180. Dunn still has the quickness to change directions and the speed to go deep. He’s also a good route-runner, a dangerous receiver out of the backfield and a nice fit for Atlanta’s West Coast offense. Despite his size, Dunn was surprisingly effective around the goal line last year, scoring on 5-of-11 attempts from inside the five. While Duckett was even better (6-of-10), he and Dunn split the attempts equally, indicating that Dunn won’t necessarily come out in all short-yardage situations. On the downside, Dunn has 1,690 career carries (38th all time), and has missed nine games over the last four seasons due to injury, so his ability to absorb more pounding at age 30 could be limited. As such, we see last season’s numbers as his ceiling.
While the young, bruising T.J. Duckett seems like an appealing choice as Atlanta’s feature back and Dunn’s foot (torn ligament) may still be of concern, the former Florida State back will be in the mix in 2004. Dunn’s speed and agility could be a perfect fit for Atlanta’s new West Coast offense, and his receiving ability far surpasses that of Duckett, which in a West Coast scheme is a critical skill.
Dunn surprised us by rushing for seven touchdowns last year, but it will be awfully hard for him to repeat that number with Michael Vick and T.J. Duckett sharing time, and carries, in the same backfield. The Falcons usually farm out a couple short touchdowns to their fullbacks, as well, so it wouldn't be a shock if Dunn rushed for just 3 to 5 scores in 2003. Possibly even more of a problem is Dunn's declining role as a receiver. He gained a modest 377 yards through the air last season, the second-lowest total of his six-year career, and Dunn has said in public that he wants to be used even less for catching passes because he feels it beats up his body too much and takes away from his running abilities. Bottom line, although Dunn was a top-20 back in anyone's scoring system last year, we'd be very surprised if he repeats in 2003.
More Fantasy News
Warrick Dunn: Let Go by Bucs
RBFree Agent
February 25, 2009
Dunn was released by the Bucs on Wednesday, the Tampa Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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RBTampa Bay Buccaneers
December 29, 2008
Dunn gained 37 yards in 10 carries for Tampa Bay on Sunday, and caught two passes for four yards.
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RBTampa Bay Buccaneers
December 22, 2008
Dunn gained 20 yards in nine carries for Tampa Bay versus San Diego on Sunday, and also caught four passes for 19 yards (six targets).
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RBTampa Bay Buccaneers
December 15, 2008
Dunn gained 40 yards in 12 carries for Tampa Bay on Sunday, and added 50 more yards on seven catches (seven targets).
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RBTampa Bay Buccaneers
December 8, 2008
Dunn carried just 10 times for 49 yards and caught three passes for a mere 13 yards in Tampa Bay's 38-23 loss at Carolina on Monday night.
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