Jets Beat: Bilal Powell 'will become the lead back'

May 08, 2017

I think there will be a shift from last season, which is to say Bilal Powell will become the lead back.

Powell rushed for 411 yards over the final four games, third in the NFL, opening a lot of eyes around the league -- and probably some on his own coaching staff. Curiously, he was an afterthought at the start of the year as Matt Forte was used as the workhorse, but Powell -- perhaps because his legs were fresh -- came on strong when Forte went down with a knee injury.

Forte finished with more offensive touches than Powell -- 248 to 189 -- but Powell was on the field more than Forte -- 51 percent to 47 percent.

Look for the "touches" to flip in the coming season, with Powell moving ahead.

Fantasy Impact:

Powell was the #32 RB through Week 13, before he took over as the lead back, so he should have flex value even if Cimini's prediction doesn't come true. In the final four games, he averaged 23.7 fantasy points (PPR) and was second only to LeVeon Bell at his position. Powell is currently the 30th RB off the board, so there's quite a bit of value here.

yesterday

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson officially Out for Week 12

Adam Schefter

yesterday · 4:12 PM EST

Cowboys list TE Jake Ferguson as out for Sunday’s game vs. Washington due to his concussion.

Related Players: Luke Schoonmaker

Fantasy Impact:

This puts Schoonmaker more or less in TE streaming consideration, but there are far better options this week, which puts him low on the totem pole.

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith officially Out for Week 12

Mike Garafolo

yesterday · 4:04 PM EST

Eagles ruled out WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) for Sunday against the Rams.

Related Players: A.J. Brown, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson, Dallas Goedert

Fantasy Impact:

It's a bit of a crapshoot as to who the "WR2" on the offense will be, but now that he's ruled out, Brown and Goedert should get a nice boost to their bottom line. That would lock Goedert into a no-doubt TE1 role in Week 12.