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Fantasy football: Fade Le’Veon Bell, just in “Gase”

By Peter Chung

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 12: Head coach Adam Gase of the New York Jets and running back Le'Veon Bell #26 talk before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 12, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 12: Head coach Adam Gase of the New York Jets and running back Le'Veon Bell #26 talk before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 12, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 29: Jordan Poyer #21, Micah Hyde #23, and Kevin Johnson #29 of the Buffalo Bills tackle Le’Veon Bell #26 of the New York Jets during the first quarter of an NFL game at New Era Field on December 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 29: Jordan Poyer #21, Micah Hyde #23, and Kevin Johnson #29 of the Buffalo Bills tackle Le’Veon Bell #26 of the New York Jets during the first quarter of an NFL game at New Era Field on December 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /

Bell’s fantasy appeal comes from absurdly high expected volume. But Gore will certainly challenge that.

With Gore now joining the Jets, he will absorb more touches and head coach Adam Gase is clearly ready to feed him, lowering Bell’s chances of surpassing or even sustaining his mediocre output. To compare Bell and Gore’s advanced stats from last year:

  • Rushing yards per rushing attempt:
  • Rushing yards before contact per rushing attempt:
  • Rushing yards after contact per rushing attempt:
    • Bell: 2.0
    • Gore: 2.0
  • Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA):
    • Bell: -16.6% (44th of 45 ranked RBs)
    • Gore: -15.2% (42nd)
  • Successful running plays divided by total running plays:
    • Bell: 42% (40th)
    • Gore: 45% (36th)

Not the greatest results (in fact, some were career lows), but the numbers show Gore performed slightly better in nearly all advanced metrics when compared to Bell.

But don’t get it twisted – Bell is most definitely the starter, and Gore is most certainly the backup. The concern, though, is that Bell will continue to perform unexceptionally under a poor offensive line like last year, but this time he won’t have as many touches to boost your lineups as Gore siphons the workload.

By the way, his 245 rushing attempts were the 11th most of all qualifying RBs. And his combined 311 rushes and receptions were the 8th most in the NFL.

Whether or not Bell improves his performance this year, Gase seems Adam-ant (sorry) on spreading the load by lessening Bell’s. But don’t just take my word for it…

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