The man, the mystery, the haze, the emotion, the climax. LeGarrette Blount had a troublesome path through the 2014 season that crept out of the catacombs to surface in the gleaming sunshine of glory, finishing the year as a champion. Well he is back and is being extremely undervalued and forgotten about which I believe can lead you to a similar place of prestige. LeGarrette Blount is a league winner that can be had in the middle of your draft and propel you to the top.
Opportunity
LeGarrette Blount is listed atop the depth chart and although he will miss one game he is worth the week you won’t have him for the advantage he provides on a week to week basis. The Patriots have a potent offense that provides many goal line opportunities which Blount is sure to take care of as the leading power back.
If you are worried about the offense moving the ball during the 3 weeks Jimmy Garoppolo and LeGarrette Blount will be on the field together (If Brady is suspended), consider the thought that the Patriots will pound the ball on the ground to keep pressure off of the QB to hide him.
Talent
Blount averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season, which is far better than average. He has scored a touchdown in 16 of his last 18 games as a Patriot, playoffs included.
LeGarrette Blount averaged 10.93 half ppr fantasy points per game from week 12 through 16, in which he was featured, as he will be in the coming season. That was good for 23rd best of the season in fantasy points per week. That means he will be a serviceable RB2 most weeks and I think that is his floor. His ceiling is certainly much higher in a Tom Brady, Bill Belichick offense. I seriously think he has top 12 RB potential and will get far more work as he did in the postseason, especially in situational matchups like he did in the Conference Championship notching 148 yards 3 TDs on 30 carries vs the Indianapolis Colts. The guys being drafted around him are Tevin Coleman, Arian Foster, and Joique Bell. I don’t think I need to make the case why he is a better pick than a rookie not guaranteed to start on Atlanta’s subpar run offense, a player with a murky injury situation of a detached groin, and the guy who can’t get on the field while watching Ameer Abdullah beast from the sidelines.
You can get him in the 5th or 6th round, with his ADP currently being 69 as the RB29, and if he averages his 10.93 half ppr points per game that he did while on the Patriots, he would have finished as the 16th highest scoring back on the year in half PPR scoring with 175. Take away the game he’ll miss and he would still be the RB18 of last year. The back being picked at RB18 in drafts currently is Andre Ellington, who actually finished as the RB18 last year. Their ADP stratification is alarming compared to their upsides.
Upside. Upside. Upside. That’s all I know and all I want. Get a Leg Blount up on your competition and draft the number 1 running back in the potent New England Patriots’ offense cheap with intentions to ride him to the chip.
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Featured Image Credit: By Jeffrey Beall (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
