BALLER MOVE: Target In Eighth Round
CURRENT ADP: Overall #84, RB #31
ANALYSIS: On the surface, it might appear that Jennings is too old, too brittle and in a backfield that's too crowded to trust him. Jennings is 30, a supposed age of decline for running backs, has never played 16 games in a season and will have to compete with second year back Andre Williams and newly signed free agent Shane Vereen.
However, Williams was a disappointment during his rookie season, averaging 3.3 yards per carry and showing off his hands of stone with just 18 receptions on 37 targets. Vereen has never been more than a receiving back, with the 96 carries he got a year ago in New England being a career high. While Jennings certainly did not set the fantasy football world on fire last year, he averaged more yards per carry and was a bigger factor in the passing game than Williams. He is also a much more reliable down-to-down ball carrier than Vereen has proven to be.
In 2015, Vereen will likely be the lead receiving back in New York, but there's no reason to believe that Jennings won't get the bulk of the carries and flirt with 200 totes. Additionally, he proved to be a very capable receiver last year, actually gaining more yards per catch than Vereen. The big question with Jennings, as it is with all running backs, is health. If Jennings can stay healthy, there's no reason that he can't be a Top 25 back with Top 10 flashes from time to time. You can't ask for more than that from an eighth round selection.
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