It has come to my attention that I have made a glaring omission on my week fifteen waiver wire article for running backs. By not addressing Mike Davis, I gave the impression that I forgot about him. To be clear, I did forget about him. Just like I try to forget about all the running backs in the Seattle backfield. I am still trying to forget about him, but people will not let me. Every expect is telling me why Mike Davis should be owned in fantasy football leagues. Apparently, I am the only one who has no interest in Mike Davis. I want to ask a simple question – is Mike Davis overrated?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes. He has been at the top of waiver wire articles for week fifteen and I just do not understand why. There is nothing about his ignominious career that should merit attention. He is overrated by virtue of the fact that people are actually rating him. Acknowledging his existence is more credit than he deserves.
Steve Gardner of USA Today said of Mike Davis in week fourteen that Seattle finally has someone “who looks like a starting running back.“ I would argue that the only eye test he passes is diagnosing glaucoma. If you think Mike Davis looks good, seek medical attention immediately.
Jon Benne at SB Nation has Mike Davis in his top five for waiver wire acquisitions in week fifteen. Benne points out that Mike Davis is a volume play to stay in the RB2 conversation. The problem with that logic is as a volume play in week fourteen, he was the 38th ranked running back in 0.5 points per reception leagues. In 12 man leagues, that puts him squarely as an RB4 for the week. The only RB2 conversation that should be had about Mike Davis is how he is nowhere near being an RB2.
Yahoo Sports talks about how Mike Davis continues to impress. This season, 19 of Davis’ 37 carries have gone for one yard or less. For his career, 45 of his 91 carries have gone for one yard or less. That is nearly twice the rate of the league average. These types of negative plays impact his opportunities to get more carries, because it forces the Seattle Seahawks into obvious passing downs. Yahoo Sports didn’t even cite an author for their waiver wire article, so all I can say is that Yahoo Sports is easily impressed. I’m just impressed with how bad Mike Davis is at being a productive NFL running back.
There are two backfields that I have marked off as so completely toxic, I won’t look at them. At least, not until they prove me wrong. Those teams are the New York Giants and the Seattle Seahawks. The Seattle Seahawks are the Chernobyl of NFL backfields. Nobody wants to live there. Mike Davis is the 5th string running back on the worst rushing offense in football. He only became a starter because everyone around him has died. According to Football Outsiders, Mike Davis is a -19 DYAR and -22.0% DVOA on the season. So in real football terms, not only is he a below-replacement level player, he also actively hurts his team on a per-play basis.
I get why people want to like Mike Davis. I really do. He is getting so many opportunities on a good football team, you are blinded to the fact that he is squandering every one of them. The peer pressure of having so many experts tell you why Mike Davis is a good decision must be overwhelming. Sitting there under the bleachers of your high school gym, while your friends are experimenting on Mike Davis. Should I try Mike Davis? Maybe just one hit. You want to look cool for your friends. But owning Mike Davis is never cool. It has never been cool. Just say NO to Mike Davis.
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