Fansided

Le’Veon Bell: Suspended 3 Games, Still a First Round Pick

By Robert Townsend

facebooktwitterreddit

Le’Veon Bell was suspended by the NFL for 3 games today due to his arrest from last season, according to Adam Schefter. Early draft projections had Bell as an early first round pick, if not the first overall selection. But with a loss of three games, is he still worth it? Yes. Let me explain why.

More from Fantasy

Bell’s output was insane in 2014. The reason why he was considered a high early pick was that he has been a stud since coming into the league. In 2013, his rookie year, he played 13 games because of injury but still was a top 15 running back by year’s end. In 2014, he was even better, rushing for 1,361 and 8 touchdowns.

In PPR, Le’veon Bell was the best running back in fantasy with the added 83 catches, and was especially incredible in the clutch, scoring the first or second most points for a RB in weeks 13-15. And with maturing wide receivers, defenses won’t be able to stack the box and prevent Bell from getting huge yards.

Say it with me everybody: you will not get a zero in weeks 1-3. This is one of the arguments you’ll hear, that it is crazy to pick a guy in the first round who will get you zero points for three weeks. Unless you’re a masochistic fantasy player, you’re obviously going to put another player in Le’Veon Bell’s place.

With the knowledge that you will need another running back for weeks 1-3, you can plan your draft strategy accordingly. Maybe you reach for Dri Archer, Bell’s backup, a round early to lock up starting Steelers back throughout the season. Or you could draft two other strong running backs early in the draft and hope to trade one later. You can even just play the waiver wire for three weeks with a replacement who can get you 5-10 points.

Regardless of your strategy, the bottom line is that you should easily be able to make up for some of the loss of Le’Veon Bell for 3 weeks. And if you get 5-10 points from the position for 3 weeks, then 13 weeks of 20-40 point production like he’s been good for the past two years, that sounds like a number one running back to me.

No player you select, especially a running back, is guaranteed production in every week of the season. Players can get injured or experience a production dip without, and a fantasy owner won’t have any opportunity to prepare for these events. But with Le’Veon Bell, you will be given ample time to prepare for the three weeks and overcome it. Draft Le’Veon when it’s your pick in the first round. You won’t regret it.

Next: Is Russell Wilson An Elite Fantasy Football QB?

More from FanSided

Home/Fantasy