LeSean McCoy should be able to soak up some of the production Karlos Williams saw in 2015
Karlos Williams was released by the Bills on Saturday, and out the door with him went his 517 yards rushing, 96 yards receiving and nine total touchdowns from last year. That’s solid production from a backup running back, and those touches, yards and touchdowns have to go somewhere.
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LeSean McCoy will be the biggest beneficiary of Williams leaving Buffalo. In an injury-riddled year in which he started 12 of 16 games, McCoy managed 895 yards rushing with three touchdowns to go with 32 receptions for 292 yards and two scores. While those numbers might not jump off the page, keep in mind McCoy started just 12 games and was gimpy and not at 100% in many others. In addition, when you factor in Williams’ production, the two combined for 1,800 total yards and 14 touchdowns.
Although it’s not reasonable to expect ALL of that production to go to McCoy, it’s hard to imagine any of the remaining backs getting meaningful work. Mike Gillislee, who suffered a concussion in preseason Week 2, is likely still the team’s No. 2 RB, according to head coach Rex Ryan, and Reggie Bush was signed as an expected pass-catching option out of the backfield. James Wilder, Jonathan Williams and Dan Herron are also in the battle for a reserve role. It’s unlikely any of them will have the impact that Williams did last year.
If you go back to McCoy’s last two years in Philadelphia (2013-2014), he amassed 2,926 yards rushing and 14 rushing touchdowns. He just turned 28, is healthy, and will be the focal point in what is expected to be a run-first offense. He’s currently being drafted on the cusp of the top 10 running backs, and in the middle to end of the third round overall in 10-team leagues.
For those teams looking at WRs in the first two rounds, McCoy should be on your radar in the third round and has a great chance to produce as a mid-to-high level RB1 in 2016.
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Matt Wineberg is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @TheFantasyTool.
