On The Clock Series
Zeke vs. DJ | Gurley vs. Bell | A. Brown vs. Kamara | Barkley vs. Hopkins | Hunt vs. Gordon | Fournette vs. Beckham Jr.
You’re on the clock! Who do you pick? I will go through the first round and give my thoughts on who to take with the pick. This is based on a 12-team, PPR Fantasy Football World Championship (FFWC) format with one starting quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end and two flex spots.
On the Clock with Pick 1.11
RB Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars
There were some positive and negatives to take away from Fournette’s rookie season last year. He missed three games, two with injuries and one to suspension. One of the concerns about Fournette coming out of LSU was injuries.
Fournette had a left foot injury that caused him to miss some time in training camp. During the season, he had a sprained ankle and a quad injury. Fournette was bothered by a high ankle sprain and bone bruise in 2016 at LSU.
Fournette got the volume, allowing him to finish 9th in PPR formats among running backs. He was third in touches per game and it should continue. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry. Fournette had 268 carries for 1,040 yards, nine touchdowns and caught 36 of 48 passes for 302 yards with a touchdown.
There was some concern with Fournette’s receiving ability since he didn’t have to catch the ball much in college, but he showed it’s not an issue. He was on pace for 44 catches over a full season.
Fournette had seven games of at least 20 carries and ten with 20 touches. The ankle injury appeared to hurt his production. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry his first six games and 3.2 in his final seven.
Fournette was a stud in college, and he has lost weight. He is at 223 pounds, 15 pounds lighter than last season and he can already feel a positive difference. The Jaguars had a good offensive line last season and added Andrew Norwell. While injuries are a concern, Fournette has yet to show his true talent and still produced as a RB1.
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On The Clock with Pick 1.12
WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
Beckham fractured his ankle in Week 5 last season and missed the rest of the year. Beckham was on pace to come close to his stats in 2016 when he had 101 catches for 1,367 yards and ten touchdowns.
In his first three full seasons, Beckham had at least 91 catches, 1,305 yards and ten touchdowns in each year. Beckham is in the final year of his rookie contract and wants to get paid. Beckham has more competition for targets with Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard, but Beckham is explosive and will be one of the top Fantasy receivers.
With running backs dominating the first round, Beckham is falling to the end of the first round. It’s still possible to pair Beckham with a three-down running back picking at the end of drafts. Fournette gets the slight edge since he’s one of few three-down backs getting heavy volume. The addition of coach Pat Shurmur will help the offense.
