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 players in standard scoring and points per game leagues.
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.
LeVeon Bell ADP and AAV
Standard: 7th among RBs, 8th overall
PPR: 7th among RBs, 9th overall
LeVeon Bell Average Auction Value (AAV) $200 Budget: $41
Stats:
FANTASY SCORING — STANDARD
| Rank | Total Points | PPG Rank | PPG | |
| 2018 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017 | 2nd | 256.6 | 3rd | 17.1 |
| 2016 | 4th | 242.4 | 2nd | 20.2 |
FANTASY SCORING — PPR
| Rank | Total Points | PPG Rank | PPG | |
| 2018 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017 | 2nd | 341.6 | 2nd | 22.8 |
| 2016 | 3rd | 317.4 | 1st | 26.5 |
FANTASY USAGE
| Carries | Carries Per Game | Targets | Targets Per Game | |
| 2018 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017 | 321 | 21.4 | 106 | 6.0 |
| 2016 | 261 | 21.8 | 94 | 7.8 |
Overview: A perennial top-3 RB is on a new offense that’s a step down from high-octane Pittsburgh. Still, he is poised to get a majority of the workload, and being in a less disgruntling situation could have desirable results.
Strategy: Our LeVeon Bell Auction Value ($200 Budget): $48
We think his 8-9th overall ADP is a bit high, we’d like one of the other top 7-8 RBs or top 2-3 WRs there. The Jets aren’t great and might have to pass the ball deep in the second half of many games. Still, it’s hard to argue that Bell doesn’t have a high floor, which is why will still like him as a late first-rounder.
In auction, we think the $41 AAV is ridiculously low. No decent league is going to let him go for a price that better fits a high-end RB2. If you have faith in Bell, this season, pay the extra money and go get him. If you don’t, no need to bid him up, someone will reach into the $40s for him.
Best Case Scenario: Bell returns to his top 5 offense with a NYJ offense that starts to click.
Worst Case Scenario: New York fails to move the ball and Bell ends up more like a RB12-15 based on excessive volume, alone.
