Are we ready to give up on Saquon Barkley EVER being worthy of a 1st round pick? Consider this factoid from Peter King: “Since opening day 2020, Saquon Barkley has played nine games, averaging 32.4 rushing yards per game.” When he plays, Saquon doesn’t do much, and it’s rare that he’s healthy enough to play.
He’s got 2 good matchups ahead of him, so as an owner, I wouldn’t give up on him just yet. But yeah, he’s injured way too often to work as a backbone for your fantasy backfield.
And frankly, if an owner spent a first round pick on him, they should have seen the risk. When I draft late in the first round, and Barkley is the best RB that’s left on the board, I’d go after a top WR instead. I bet that, at the time Barkley was drafted, Tyreek Hill or Davante Adams were still available.
CMC is in a somewhat similar situation. He is injured more often than not. Yes, he is performing when starting and playing a full game. But so far, he put up RB1 type numbers in 4 out of 12 games, disappointed in 3 and missed 5.
Owners will still spend an early 1st round pick on him next year. Yet if experience tells us one thing, then it’s that, as soon as a workhorse RB starts aggravating injuries, his workhorse days are over.
The 1.01 next year should be Taylor. And even he won’t sustain that workload for all eternity. Same for Austin Ekeler, whom I will try to sell high after this season.
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I agree with you about Taylor being the 1.01. I still don’t think he’s a “great” RB, but rather a good RB behind a great O-line. But that scenario worked for Emmitt Smith for quite a long time.
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I agree. You may recall from the Dynasty Trade Value discussion that I thought Taylor was overrated. But it’s not always pure talent. At the end of the day, it’s the fantasy production that counts for us. And Taylor is indeed in a perfect spot for that.
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