@sschwarz21 I think I trust Goff at this point. Last season, it was the expectation Jameson Williams is a real threat to his target share.
Honestly, there aren't a lot of reasons to fade him anymore. He's passed all the fade risk in past seasons.
Uh Oh: Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson has gone viral for looking extremely "WASHED" during offseason practice.
Hockenson is only 28 years old and looks twice his age running drills.
π¬π¬π¬
Before Bucky Irving's injury last season, had was healthy weeks 1-4.
68.9% of his points came from receiving production.
And his rushing metrics:
- 3.34 YPC (Last)
- 1.93 Yds after contact/Att (RB41)
- 2.8% Explosive Run Rate (RB42)
- 36.6% Success Rate (Last)
- NO RUSHES INSIDE THE 5-YD LINE (Sean Tucker still on the team)
Enter: Kenneth Gainwell, a receiving back coming off his best season.
- 4.8 Tgts/G (RB6)
- 28.6 Rec YPG (RB5)
- 1.60 YPRR (RB5)
The managers still drafting WR-WR in rounds 1-2 are playing a strategy that peaked three years ago. The data has moved. The consensus hasn't.
Workhorse RBs produced only 36% of top-6 RB seasons despite high carry volume. Henry, Taylor, Jacobs can work but the TD variance makes it a riskier path than people admit.
There are two kinds of elite RBs right now:
- the ones who catch passes
- the ones who need 15+ TDs to justify the finish.
One of those has a much more repeatable floor.
An elite RB with 60+ targets is now more valuable than most WR1s. The position has changed. The ADP hasn't fully caught up.
The NFL pass rate dropped 2.7 points since 2019. Rush rate is up the same amount. Most managers are still drafting like it's 2021.
First-round RBs hit top-12 at an 83% rate last season. First-round WRs hit it at 50%. The position perception hasn't caught up to the results.
The WR3 scoring edge over RB3 was 2.4 PPG in 2019. It's 0.8 PPG now.
WR7 through WR12 averaged 17.3 PPG in 2023. Last year it was 14.3.
64% of top-6 RB finishes since 2019 came from workhorse backs with 60+ receptions. Only 36% came form traditional ground-and-pound RBs.