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Will Le’Veon Bell Pick Up From Where he Last Left off?

By Matthew Catalano

FLORHAM PARK, NJ - JULY 29: New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell (26) during New York Jets Training Camp on July 29, 2019 at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Facility in Florham Park, NJ (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FLORHAM PARK, NJ - JULY 29: New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell (26) during New York Jets Training Camp on July 29, 2019 at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Facility in Florham Park, NJ (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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FLORHAM PARK, NJ – JULY 29: New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell (26) carries the ball during New York Jets Training Camp on July 29, 2019 at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Facility in Florham Park, NJ (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FLORHAM PARK, NJ – JULY 29: New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell (26) carries the ball during New York Jets Training Camp on July 29, 2019 at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Facility in Florham Park, NJ (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Is There Reason to Doubt His Production?

The Steelers have one of the most dominant offensive lines in football, which made Bell’s job a little easier to find openings. Hence the reason why his patient running style was so effective during his time in Pittsburgh. The Jets, on the other hand, have a much weaker offensive line with some question marks.

This is not to take away from Bell’s undeniable talent. He certainly is one of the top backs in the NFL, but I just can’t help but feel that his production may go down a little due to his offensive linemates.

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Another factor that probably helped Bell a lot while he was in Pittsburgh was the fact that the Steelers had arguably the best wide receiver in the game on the outside perimeter as well in Antonio Brown. Not only did defenses have to contend with an elite run game, but they also had to devote a good chunk of their attention to the air attack as well with Brown’s crazy athleticism.

Not all of the attention was put on Bell making it easier for him to eat defenses alive on a week to week basis.

The Jets do not have as strong of a supporting cast as the Steelers have which means that Bell will be the key focus for defenders. The idea will be simple. Shut Bell down and the Jets will have very little offensive production. This, in turn, is a bad sign for fantasy’s standards as production is the power supply to a team’s success rate.

Finally, Bell does not want to be used as heavily as he was in Pittsburgh. The Steelers were running him into the ground each season, averaging nearly 246 carries per year. The Jets will likely limit those touches, which as a result, will affect Bell’s volume in fantasy.

The fewer touches, the less opportunity for production. It’s that simple. It’s not like he won’t get any touches at all, but it is highly unlikely he will see the same type as he did in recent years past. Also in the last two seasons that Adam Gase was in Miami, his backfield only produced 11 total touchdowns.

While we can attribute that to the fact that the Dolphins’ running are nowhere near Bell’s talent, on cannot feel just a little bit uneasy that Gase will use Bell in a similar fashion.

Also as a fun fact, during Gase’s last two years with the Dolphins, Miami running back totaled for a combined 43 rushing attempts within the red zone. The Steelers backs were able to get 43 red zone attempts just during the 2018 season, even without Bell!

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I totally understand where Bell is coming from. He wants to preserve his body so he does not get worn out too quickly like other runners in the past such as Demarco Murray. It’s completely understandable and I applaud him for making such a conscientious effort in doing so.

Unfortunately for fantasy’s standards, it makes me a little more reluctant to choose him so high in drafts this year. I do believe he will have a statistically sound season in 2019, but I don’t think we will see the same kind of numbers as we have in years past.

Bell is currently going somewhere towards the end of the first round in many fantasy drafts. If you want my opinion, that is probably the absolute earliest you select him. I’ve seen in some mock drafts where people are selecting him as high as fourth overall. There are even some cases where he doesn’t go until the beginning of the second round.

In the end, I have to agree with the people who are drafting him towards the end of the first round/beginning of the second round.

It’s been over a year since we saw him on the field, his supporting cast isn’t as strong, and his usage will likely see a dip with New York. All in all, Bell will be a solid runner but until he proves to me otherwise, I have him as a low-end RB1. Hopefully, I am wrong and Bell can prove that he has what it takes to be the best runner in the NFL.

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