Saquon Barkley

Saquon's coming off a devastating knee injury. The Giants might ease him back by limiting his touches. Even if they don't, Barkley's running style, which invovles plenty of quick stops and starts isn't ideal for an ACL injury. Can he be the same RB? Can he stay healthy? And I speak from personal experience having torn my ACL, albeit 20 years ago. The Giants line isn't very good and the book is still out on QB Daniel Jones. Saquon is too risky in 2021 for me as an early round pick. Let someone else take the chance. Pass

The good news is that by the time Week 1 rolls around, Saquon Barkley will have had a full calendar year to recover from his ACL/MCL/meniscus injury that he suffered last September. This is the fantastic as fantasy football is more fun when Barkley is healthy. The bad news? It truly sounds as if the Giants want to limit his workload early on this year, and it's tough to blame them considering Barkley is their franchise player at the moment. I'm also a tad concerned with his ultimate PPR ceiling, as Saquon benefited immensely from Eli "dumpoff" Manning back in 2018. He's still an unquestioned three-down bell cow, but I just don't expect that type of insane usage in the passing game again. Fantasy managers should expect Barkley's workload -- and therefore his fantasy value -- to increase as the season moves along.

After setting the fantasy world on fire his rookie season with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, Barkley hasn't exactly lived up to expectations producing 1,535 total yards and eight touchdowns over 15 games the last two seasons. He tore his ACL early in the season, which should give him plenty of time to bounce back, though his violent running style could take a bit longer in recovery. The Giants suddenly have more weapons than ever in the passing game, so Barkley is unlikely to come close to the 121 targets he saw in 2018, though he should have more scoring opportunities. There is some risk with Barkley at the top of drafts due to his knee, but when on the field, we know he'll produce.

Will injuries take their toll? Saquon is a great pick for re-draft, but scares me in bestball.

Over the last two seasons, Barkley played a total of 15 games combined. The risk of injury is just too great right now for me to take him over some proven guys who stay on the field, even if he is the most talented back in the NFL.

From a talent perspective, Saquon Barkley is the best RB in the NFL when he's on the field. Unfortunately, the issue has been staying on the field the past two seasons. Barkley has played 15 out of a possible 32 games, which makes him a very risky investment at the top of your draft. For fantasy managers to have a shot of competing deep into their playoffs, they need their top draft pick to pull their weight all season long. As the RB3 in ECR right now, that's too high of a cost for Barkley that doesn't take into account his injury history whatsoever. As a late first-round draft pick, the risk is worth the reward. A top-3 pick in your fantasy football draft might be a little bit too rich.

Injuries capped Barkley's 2019 season and completely derailed his 2020 season as he played only two games. I love Barkley's ability, but he needs to stay healthy if he is going to realize his unlimited potential.