Leonard Fournette had a disappointing 2018 season. Fantasy football aside, he had injuries and off the field concerns. He ultimately only played in eight games last year. The young back had high expectations for fantasy owners and fans alike but disappointed both. Fans likely still have high expectations, however fantasy owners should be cautious.
Fantasy Football Draft Headquarters
Fantasy Football 2019 Season Preview: Leonard Fournette
2018 Recap
Fournette’s 2018 season was likely worse than even a pessimist could have projected. Besides a nagging hamstring injury, he also had behavior issues. The feature back for the Jacksonville Jaguars had a one-game suspension due to throwing punches during a game. Including his suspension and injury time, Fournette only played in eight games in 2018.
In the games he played, it was obvious he wasn’t his 2017 self. He had 133 attempts for 439 rushing yards good for a total of 3.3 yards-per-carry. He had six total touchdowns which includes one receiving score. Though he was on fantasy rosters for a while, Fournette’s relevance waned as the season went on. In fact, there was a time where T.J. Yeldon, his back up, was in the top 10 of PPR rankings.
2019 Outlook
Due to how 2018 ended, Fournette isn’t as high on analyst or fan radars as the previous offseason. But perhaps low expectations will work in his favor. Fournette has a chance to start fresh. He has a new running backs coach in Terry Robiskie and he also spent some time in Wyoming to train. If he remains focused, Fournette could be a top ten fantasy back like he was his rookie year. If not, there’s a new stable of backups waiting in the wings to eat up his carries.
The running back room in Jacksonville is almost completely different from 2018. Yeldon and Carlos Hyde are gone. Others such as Jamaal Charles and Corey Grant are also gone. David Williams is back along with newcomers in Alfred Blue, Benny Cunningham, Ryquell Armstead, and Thomas Rawls. None of these backs stands to challenge Fournette’s starting role, but he’d better stay out of trouble. The team has a new offensive coordinator and quarterback, but they still plan for the running game to be a big factor of their offense.
Now is the time for Fournette to gain chemistry with Nick Foles and be fully committed to staying on the field as much as possible. When healthy he can be an angry runner, not afraid to take on contact and push for extra yardage. He’s also decent as a pass catcher. Fournette had 36 receptions for 302 yards and one touchdown in his rookie year. He’s got the potential to put up better numbers than we’ve seen from him yet. The number four overall pick from 2017 is still one of the centerpieces of Jacksonville’s offense and 2019 his the year to prove he should stay there.
Leonard Fournette Average Draft Position
According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Fournette is currently projected to be the 25th overall pick and the 15th running back taken in fantasy drafts. This projection puts Fournette at the beginning of the third round. It’s a definitely a fall from 2018, where his ADP was eighth overall and the seventh running back taken in non-PPR formats.
With the beginning of the third round as the current average, there will be many people that will wait longer to take Fournette. And who can blame them? He’s got a history of injury concerns and has missed time due to suspension both seasons he’s been in the NFL. There are many backs who are both safer options and will likely rack up more yards that can be taken sooner than Fournette.
The 2019 season is a prove-it year for the young back. He’s got to prove that he’s serious about the game of football, that he can stay healthy, and that he can stay out of trouble. If he can do all three of those things, he will at least be a reliable fantasy starter. But it’s safer if Leonard Fournette is your second running back.
Fantasy Football Draft Headquarters
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
