As we gear up to the start of the NFL season, Football Absurdity is going to bring you a comprehensive breakdown of every notable player that will be available in fantasy football drafts. When you don’t see us talking about Christine Michael or Mike Davis, don’t get mad at us for neglecting your favorite sleeper. Get mad at yourself for having bad taste in football players. We are only focusing on the top-rated running backs in standard scoring and points per game leagues. If you are wondering how important training camp is to running backs, then this Jay Ajayi player profile is for you.
With my player profiles, I’ve only decided to go back to look at their fantasy scoring for three years. I could show you lists from earlier, but most of the guys at the top are no longer in the league anymore. I’ve also added a chart for their usage over that time span. We will try to determine, based on those two factors, where the best running back value lies.
Fantasy Football Jay Ajayi
Current ADP (As of 9/3/2018):
Standard: Number 19 among running backs. Number 38 overall.
PPR: Number 20 among running backs. Number 45 overall.
Stats:
FANTASY FOOTBALL JAY AJAYI SCORING — STANDARD
| Rank | Total Points | PPG Rank | PPG | |
| 2017 | 28 | 111.1 | 32 | 7.9 |
| 2016 | 10 | 180.4 | 11 | 12.9 |
| 2015 | 75 | 35.5 | 69 | 4.4 |
FANTASY FOOTBALL JAY AJAYI SCORING — PPR
| Rank | Total Points | PPG Rank | PPG | |
| 2017 | 36 | 135.1 | 35 | 9.7 |
| 2016 | 13 | 204.4 | 14 | 14.6 |
| 2015 | 80 | 42.5 | 76 | 5.3 |
FANTASY FOOTBALL JAY AJAYI USAGE
| Carries | Carries Per Game | Targets | Targets Per Game | |
| 2017 | 208 | 14.9 | 34 | 2.4 |
| 2016 | 260 | 17.3 | 35 | 2.3 |
| 2015 | 49 | 5.4 | 11 | 1.2 |
Overview: I don’t really like Jay Ajayi. As I mentioned last year when I went full homer on Jordan Howard, all of Ajayi’s 2016 hype came from four games where he dominated. The rest of those games, he was mediocre. In 2017, he only rushed for over 100 yards twice and only had three touchdowns. On top of that, he is in a crowded backfield in Philadelphia that has Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, and the ghost of Darren Sproles. When you consider how much the Eagles love a running-back-by-committee approach, I just don’t understand why I am supposed to like Ajayi.
Strategy: At the same spot you could draft Ajayi, you could have your pick of Jarvis Landry, Brandon Cooks, or Golden Tate. Hell, if you just want yourself an Eagle, grab Alshon Jeffrey. All of those guys have produced consistently at a high level in the NFL. Jay Ajayi cannot say the same. Don’t drat him at his current ADP or at all.
Ceiling: I guess if I imagine really hard, I could see Jay Ajayi ending the year as a low-end RB1. I try not to think that hard because I don’t want an aneurysm.
Floor: What will actually happen is Jay Ajayi will do what he always does. He will have two to three amazing games, but those games will only happen while he is on your bench. Why is he on your bench? Because he is unreliable!
