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Fantasy Football 2016 Preview: New York Jets running backs

By Zachary Thompson

Nov 22, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) hands off the ball to running back Bilal Powell (29) during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) hands off the ball to running back Bilal Powell (29) during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 28, 2016; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Matt Forte (22) sits in front of defensive back Kendall James (36) during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2016; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Matt Forte (22) sits in front of defensive back Kendall James (36) during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

Matt Forte

Forte is risky entering his ninth season in the league.  He has been they to the Bears offense since bursting onto the scene with 1,238 yards all the way back in 2008.  He has been a fantasy stud since then blending solid rushing totals with good receiving skills to be a top-ten back almost every season.

Last year, he only managed to play 13 games, though, and finished with 898 yards rushing and 389 yards receiving with seven total touchdowns. His injury issues have continued at the start of this year, and he hasn’t practiced much at all in the month of August.  His current injury is a strained hamstring which is keeping him “week-to-week” at this point but shouldn’t result in him missing the start of the regular season.

The immediate injury may not be a serious one, but there’s still questions about Forte’s durability since he’s such a high-mileage back at this point in his career. The Bears were pretty ready to move on from him despite no clear-cut successor which raises further questions as to how much he has left.

In fantasy drafts so far, Forte is going in the fourth round as the 16th running back taken.  I think that’s a little high for him, but I do still think he’s a low-end RB2. In PPR leagues, he definitely remains a RB2 since he is such an accomplished receiver out of the backfield. However, I think both Bilal Powell and Khiry Robinson will get serious run in the New York backfield as well which could eat into Forte’s time as a “feature-back.”

Next: Sneaky productive last year

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