Le’Veon Bell must leave Gotham City immediately to be fantasy relevant

I forgot he even played this year before I saw the news that both sides are willing to part ways this offseason. It may be for the best, but the problem is now who is willing to take Bell in? After a poor performance in 2019, his stock has plummeted even more. He didn’t have a great market to begin with when he was seeking a new team in 2018 and that was before his numbers took a nosedive.

So now it’s even harder for a deal to get done. While it’s not a contract that broke the bank for the Jets, it’s still sizable enough to give them problems dumping him now. Personally, I really would like either the Steelers or Kansas City Chiefs to take him during the offseason.

I know there is some tension between Bell and Pittsburgh, but the Steelers still have a great o-line and require a steady presence in their backfield. While I like James Conner, he isn’t Le’Veon Bell and he has become injury prone since assuming the number one back duties. Should Pittsburgh not work out, Kansas City is the other destination I would prefer.

I obviously don’t know the Chiefs’ current financial status, but let’s take a second and imagine they can strike a deal. Bell would be playing in arguably the most dynamic offensive in the NFL should that occur. Almost as versatile as it was in 2017 when the Steelers featured Bell, Antonio Brown, and Juju Smith-Schuster in their offense.

With the speedy Tyreek Hill and a beast in Travis Kelce at tight end, Bell would be the third member of a trio that could be one of the most lethal offenses to have ever played in the NFL.

Of course, it’s all speculation for now. It’s also possible that Bell may have lost a step in his playing ability as he is getting a little older in his playing career. Should he go to another team with a much better system, and he is still struggling, then maybe the Jets aren’t entirely to blame. I still believe Bell has plenty in the tank and it was just the system he played in that made his production suffer in 2019.

Hopefully Bell will be playing elsewhere next year which would then increase his fantasy stock slightly enough to make him fantasy worthy of drafting in 2020. He could potentially be a sleeper pick as he will be flying under the radar after what transpired this past season. He would make for a great mid-second-round pick and it could very well be a repeat of what happened in 2016.

He was suspended for the first four games after failing a drug test that showed he had marijuana in his system. Fantasy managers were reluctant to take him early because of the suspension causing his draft stock to slip. He wound up finishing with 1,268 rushing yards, 616 receiving yards and nine total scores in 12 games that season! Way better than what we witnessed this year.

Keep a close eye on what unfolds between the Jets and Bell during the offseason. For now, he remains a Jet and there’s still a possibility he stays in New York. But for the sake of fantasy, I’m sure a lot of us are hoping he moves on to greener pastures.