Zeke Holdout Could Last Months & Lamar Jackson Running Less
Welcome to the preseason! I'm already looking forward to Hard Knocks and with each pointless preseason game, we'll slowly gain a clearer picture on how depth charts and position battles will play out. Follow me on Twitter @mattkdelima
Cowboys owners believes Elliott's holdout could last months
NEWS: A NFL.com report crystalised owner Jerry Jones' thoughts on Ezekiel Elliott by saying, "Because of CBA rules that [Jones] called kind of sloppy, he does not yet see an end to this holdout. He even made a quick comment that it could be months into the season."
ANALYSIS: We know how these holdouts work in terms of media coverage. The two sides are far apart until they are not. Usually we will have maybe one day where maybe we hear "the two sides are close to an agreement" or sometimes it's out of the blue that a guy will sign.
Look, I understand for now having a healthy skepticism on whether he will play and maybe I grab Kamara, CMC or Barkley over Zeke if any of these guys are available when I pick. Maybe David Johnson as well. Beyond that though, it's up to you where you want to take on risk. Personally, my first round guy needs to be a lock. I can't have a bust, a holdout, an injury etc to my first round guy and expect to have a fighting shot at a title. So you have to determine the risk for yourself. So I won't draft Zeke until he signs or unless he's falls to the second round, then OK maybe then he's worth the risk. But I am assuming someone want him just a little bit more than I do so he won't fall far.
Backup RB Tony Pollard's stock is rising quickly but I don't think we have any clue who the Cowboys really like to take over the backfield if Zeke holds out for real.
In the most recent high-stakes draft over at FullTime Fantasy, Zeke went with the No. 5 pick and he's been steadily trickling down to that 5 slot during this holdout news cycle. His Advanced ADP is 3.5 or fourth overall.
FantasySP's free Start/Sit tool takes into account multiple factors to determine the best start recommendations. It's the backbone of what makes the Fantasy Assistant a total game-changer for your Fantasy needs!
L. Jackson doesn't think he'll run as much & has "totally different" mindset
NEWS: When speaking to NFL Network's Rich Eisen, Lamar Jackson said, "I don't think I'll be running as much as I did last year," and Jackson is bringing a "totally different" mindset.
ANALYSIS: I understand where he's coming from because as he becomes more familiar with the offense, more comfortable with his receivers and more adept at reading defenses, Jackson won't have to fall back on his escapability as frequently. But realistically, what does not running "as much" mean? From Weeks 11 to 17, Jackson had 119 carries in those seven games or 17 carries a game. So let's say he runs 10 times a game, a 40 percent decrease, that's still 160 carries in a season. Randall Cunningham's season-high was 118 attempts. Steve Young season-best was 76 attempts. Michael Vick (123) & Cam Newton (139).
Point being, Jackson is still going to run it a lot and Jackson is just as fast as in-his-prime Vick. The ceiling is high and so is the risk. Although, if the Ravens rookie WRs can hit the ground running, we may be severely underestimating him.
I would love him in a best ball format and paired with a more steady QB1 like Russell Wilson. But beyond that league format, Jackson can only be considered a moderate gamble in redraft leagues as a QB2 because there are much safer, stable options in his draft range (146 to 195).
