Let some other schmuck draft Best. Players who were previously concussed are more likely to be concussed again - and Best is one or two more concussions away from an early retirement. Indeed, many writers were clamoring for him to retire last year.
The injury risk is too high.
"There is no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness." - Po (Kung Fu Panda)
News of Jahvid Best's impending stint on reserve/PUP all but locks in Kevin Smith as the Lions' primary ball carrier to open the season. Best (concussions) definitely won't play in the first six games, and he may not play at all this season. Mikel Leshoure (Achilles') still can't get off the shelf and is likely to struggle after he returns from two-game suspension. The Lions may explore a weak free agent market (Ryan Grant?), but Smith possesses three-down ability and should be locked into 15-18 touches a game to open the season. His current ADP is mid-seventh round, and should keep on rising.
I think the more important question is how does the combination of Stafford/Pettigrew/Johnson/Young/Burleson impact Kevin Smith's ability to have an effective running game, from a fantasy perspective. Smith's late season stats were pretty nice last year. I'm loving the possibility that this kid, still 25 years old (!), might actually turn the corner this year.
Cuffs wrote:I think the more important question is how does the combination of Stafford/Pettigrew/Johnson/Young/Burleson impact Kevin Smith's ability to have an effective running game, from a fantasy perspective. Smith's late season stats were pretty nice last year. I'm loving the possibility that this kid, still 25 years old (!), might actually turn the corner this year.
He's definitely being undervalued in drafts at this point. Tonight I got him in the 8th and feel like I got a steal for what I believe is a solid RB2 in PPR leagues, for at the very least the first two games of the season. He's no superman himself, suffering from knee ailments through out his career but if he can manage to stay healthy he can easily make a fantasy impact, much like last year. He averaged 12 points a game, scoring 7 TDs in 7 games. All I see is value here.
Cuffs wrote:I think the more important question is how does the combination of Stafford/Pettigrew/Johnson/Young/Burleson impact Kevin Smith's ability to have an effective running game, from a fantasy perspective. Smith's late season stats were pretty nice last year. I'm loving the possibility that this kid, still 25 years old (!), might actually turn the corner this year.
He's definitely being undervalued in drafts at this point. Tonight I got him in the 8th and feel like I got a steal for what I believe is a solid RB2 in PPR leagues, for at the very least the first two games of the season. He's no superman himself, suffering from knee ailments through out his career but if he can manage to stay healthy he can easily make a fantasy impact, much like last year. He averaged 12 points a game, scoring 7 TDs in 7 games. All I see is value here.
I completely agree. I see nothing but great value with Kevin Smith. The combo of Best/Leshoure mean absolutely nothing to me. They're both busts at this point and shouldn't be any bother to Smith with regards to key rushes. Smith's the guy. Heck, I think Keiland Williams probably eats into more Kevin Smith time during passing downs where Williams excels more than anything we'll see from Best or Leshoure.
Cuffs wrote:I think the more important question is how does the combination of Stafford/Pettigrew/Johnson/Young/Burleson impact Kevin Smith's ability to have an effective running game, from a fantasy perspective. Smith's late season stats were pretty nice last year. I'm loving the possibility that this kid, still 25 years old (!), might actually turn the corner this year.
He's definitely being undervalued in drafts at this point. Tonight I got him in the 8th and feel like I got a steal for what I believe is a solid RB2 in PPR leagues, for at the very least the first two games of the season. He's no superman himself, suffering from knee ailments through out his career but if he can manage to stay healthy he can easily make a fantasy impact, much like last year. He averaged 12 points a game, scoring 7 TDs in 7 games. All I see is value here.
I completely agree. I see nothing but great value with Kevin Smith. The combo of Best/Leshoure mean absolutely nothing to me. They're both busts at this point and shouldn't be any bother to Smith with regards to key rushes. Smith's the guy. Heck, I think Keiland Williams probably eats into more Kevin Smith time during passing downs where Williams excels more than anything we'll see from Best or Leshoure.
Yup and when comparing Smith to the rest of the RB crop this year, let's be honest, he might as be going in the first right after DMC. Of course, I'm over exaggerating, but when the RBs look THIS bad, sleepers going in the 7th+ rounds like Donald Brown, Kevin Smith, Stevan Ridley and etc. are whats going to make or break your fantasy season.
I’d like to go ahead and call myself out on all the Kevin Smith praise I have been giving on this forum. Leshoure immediately took every one of Smith’s touches in a single week, and Joique Bell took the rest. Smith played, he just didn’t get any touches. Meanwhile Leshoure produced on 28 touches (26 carries), a really impressive outing for a guy coming off Achilles surgery who has really only played football for 3 seasons since high school and none in the NFL before now. Unless there’s something going on that hasn’t been made public, at this rate Smith doesn’t look to have any value unless someone else gets injured.
I know he’s injury prone, but I’m a little surprised the Lions are completely taking him out of the offense, as they appear to be. His ypc stats over the past 10 games dating back to last season are very solid, and he scores at a pretty high rate even when he doesn’t dominate carries. Everyone knew Leshoure was a threat to Smith’s value, but I never would have dreamed it would happen that fast. I would have thought Smith would be the third down back at worst. There’s clearly something the stats don’t tell that the staff isn’t happy with.
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by joejlitz » Wed Aug 15, 2012 12:31 pm 
