Geoff Lambert breaks down why Paul Perkins should be on your radar in redraft leagues in 2017.
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For the better part of 2016, Paul Perkins was only an afterthought in the Giants offense. Through Week 12 of the season, Perkins had only one game in which he had double-digit carries, Week 8 when he had 11 carries for a mere 32 yards. That’s not exactly the type of production the Giants were looking for from their fifth-round rookie, but when given the chance to carry the load over the final four games of the season, Perkins gave fantasy owners a glimmer of hope for 2017.
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He finished those last four games with 62 carries for 271 yards and averaged 4.5 years per carry — or better — in three of those four games. He had his first career 100-yard game in the last game of the season against a Redskins team that needed to win to make the playoffs, so it wasn’t just some meaningless “last game” that allowed him to rack up those yards. No, those aren’t exactly “Adrian Peterson” type numbers. In fact, they aren’t even fellow Giants RB “Rashad Jennings” type numbers, but they do bode well for Perkins in 2017.
On more than one occasion this offseason, it has been reported that Perkins is the clear-cut No. 1 running back in Giants camp. In fact, Giants running backs coach Craig Johnson had this to say about his second-year back;
“He ended last season playing like a guy that is ready to take over the job… There is nothing so far this offseason to show he’s not going to be ready to handle that role”
The Giants did spend a fourth-round selection on RB Wayne Gallman, a bruising 6-foot 215-pound back from Clemson, and Perkins and Gallman are likely to split carries, but it’s Perkins that has the leg up with a year under his belt already. This will be an interesting battle to keep an eye on once preseason rolls around, and the lead role may not even be decided until after the season has started.
The backfield is what has kept the Giants from being an elite team over the last few seasons. If either of these backs can take the reigns as the No. 1 ball carrier they could have a good fantasy season playing for this prolific, high-scoring offense. My money is on Perkins winning this job outright, but my only concern would be the potential that the bigger back, Gallman, could vulture some touchdowns.
Perkins is not worth reaching for in any format, but as a late-round pick with upside, he could be a great player to have on your bench.
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