Fantasy Football: Top 15 Running Backs to Target in 2019
By Cullen Jekel
FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACKS TO TARGET IN 2019
NUMBER 5 – LE’VEON BELL
Le’Veon Bell tops Todd Gurley for being the biggest enigma among running backs this season. How will he perform after not only sitting out the entirety of the 2018 season but also switching teams, going from the high-flying offense of the Pittsburgh Steelers to the mediocre offense of the New York Jets?
Just like with Gurley, only time will tell, and that time to tell won’t come until after fantasy drafts have concluded. Regardless, I’m ranking Bell a bit higher than Gurley since his questionable status doesn’t come as a result of an injury. Bell is a first-round pick that should be one of the first running backs that comes off the board.
Here’s why I’m so high on Bell: he was an absolute beast when he was on the field as recently as 2017. Sure, now he’s got Sam Darnold handing off, and slinging passes, to him, but I expect Darnold to improve this year, thus helping Bell put up first-round pick numbers.
Two years ago, Bell led the NFL in total touches with 406 as he racked up 1,291 rushing yards and 655 receiving yards en route to 11 total touchdowns, nine of which came on the ground. He’s clearly going to be the bell-ringer for the Jets, a team whose running backs hauled in a total of 68 receptions last season for 599 yards and two touchdowns.
Bell’s primed to pick up where he left off two years ago. Maybe he won’t hit those numbers, but he’ll come close. Feel free to take him in the top half-dozen picks of your draft.