Should Le’Veon Bell be the first player off your draft board this year?
Le’Veon Bell was one of the best players of the 2014 season, finishing a close second among all backs in an era where elite workhorse RBs are scarce and highly sought after.
DeMarco Murray, who finished ahead of Bell, had the benefit of a superior offensive line in Dallas. Murray racked up the most yards on the ground, but wasn’t as proficient as Bell at pass-catching. Bell’s dual-threat ability already has some fantasy outlets putting him as high as first overall in early mock drafts for 2015. Is this justified? Well, he certainly makes a good case.
Although his touchdown rate at the beginning of the year was pedestrian for a top running back (he had only three touchdowns through the first ten games of the season), Bell made up for it with an impressive 2,215 total yards.
Murray, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Forte and Arian Foster were the other RBs who rounded out the top five. Along with Eddie Lacy and Jamaal Charles, they will likely be Bell’s main competition for the number one spot next year, but the Steelers’ back may be better than all of them.
Charles and Foster may be used less next year as they both approach the age of 30, with Knile Davis and Alfred Blue waiting in the wings to pick up the extra carries. Forte isn’t as pure of a runner as Bell is, and Lacy doesn’t provide the same pass-catching threat that some of the other top-tier running backs do.
As for Lynch, it is unclear whether or not he’ll produce as well as he has done over the last few years, considering his high-volume workload as he enters his ninth season in the league. Bell, on the other hand, is still young and fresh – and unlike Murray, knows where he’s playing football next year. Pittsburgh has proven to be a good breeding ground for running backs in the past (James Franco, Jerome Bettis and Rashad Mendenhall all examples of this). Bell is better-rounded than any of those players, and has greater potential to achieve the value that fantasy owners want from a first-round pick.
However, it isn’t all rosy for Bell, who might miss the first two games of the season to a suspension. And while he’ll still be eligible for the remainder of the 2015 season, it’s worth considering that only two running backs to miss two or more games in a single season have gone on to finish in the top ten in fantasy scoring.
Of course, many people will elect to draft a quarterback, wide receiver, or tight end in the first round. However, most people these days suggest taking a running back in the first round, and Bell has a solid argument for being drafted first.
Though he may miss the first two games, most people’s fantasy season lasts at least 16 weeks. If Bell can perform like he did this past season, there’s no reason to have qualms while taking him first overall in your fantasy draft.
Tom Woods is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Tom, check out his archive and follow him @RealTomWoods.
