Isaiah Crowell (RB, NYJ) - 2018 Fantasy Football Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~100

CURRENT ADP: ~110

ANALYSIS: The reason last season’s performance was such a let-down for New York Jets running back Isaiah Crowell owners is due to the promise that he showed the previous season. His 2016-2017 numbers were not necessarily breathtaking, but he finished that year as the 14th best running back in both standard and PPR, and many were baited by this promise into a third or fourth round selection last year. Crowell finished as the RB31, and as a result has ended up at the top of several do-not-draft lists heading into this season. However, with a current 8th round ADP and an opportunity at a fresh start, Crowell could be the mid-round running back that fits perfectly onto rosters that go WR heavy to start.

The Jets’ backfield is admittedly muddled, and Crowell will have to hold off incumbent Bilal Powell and second-year player Elijah McGuire to claim the role as the lead guy. Powell has been with the Jets for seven seasons though, and has only been over 150 carries twice, pointing to the team’s reluctance to make him their feature back. McGuire struggled running between the tackles last year, and tentatively appears slotted in as a change-of-pace option again this year. Thomas Rawls is also in the mix, but on the whole the feature role appears up for Crowell’s taking. Crowell quietly averaged 184 carries per season over the course of his four years with the Browns, and that reliability and consistency could allow him to flourish this year and help fantasy owners move past last year’s disappointment.