Fantasy Football Player Notes

It's worrisome that Barkley had 482 touches last season, playoffs included. Maybe he's at greater risk of injury this year after handling such a massive workload, but it's hard to quantify the risk. What we can judge with a greater degree of certainty is that Barkley is a phenomenal running back and has a near-perfect ecosystem, playing with a great offensive line in a run-heavy offense. Barkley might not be able to top a 2024 regular season in which he had 2,283 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, but if he stays healthy, he's a good bet to finish as a top-five fantasy RB.

Tank Bigsby was very effective as a runner in 2024. He had 168-766-7 rushing, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Etienne averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Bigsby averaged 3.74 yards after contact per carry, which ranked third among RBs with at least 60 carries. He forced 46 missed tackles last year, tied for 13th most. Bigsby averaged 0.74 rushing yards over expected per carry, the ninth-best mark in the league. But Bigsby is basically a zero as a pass catcher -- he has eight receptions in 33 NFL games -- and the Jacksonville backfield is crowded, with Travis Etienne and a pair of rookies, Bhayshul Tutan and LeQuint Allen, also in the mix.

With Kenneth Gainwell out of the picture, Will Shipley is the clear handcuff for Saquon Barkley. Shipley's per carry metrics last year in a SMALL sample size (only 30 carries) weren't great. He had only a 7% missed tackle rate and 1.70 yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). He's a viable late-round handcuff option, but not someone I'm prioritizing in drafts in 2025, despite my fade of Saquon Barkley.