Player: Le'Veon Bell
Position: Running Back
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
2016 Statistics | Rush | Yards | AVG | TD | Rec | Yards | TD | Points | Ranking |
| 261 | 1,268 | 4.9 | 7 | 76 | 616 | 2 | 279.90 | 3rd |
2016 Review
Despite missing the first three games of the season to suspension, Bell put up what has to be described as one of the best all-around performances for a running back in the history of the game. Here's a guy that averaged 28 touches per game and 5.6 yards per touch. Yes, this means Bell averaged 157 total yards per game in 2016. That's just absolutely absurd.
What makes his performance so much better is the fact that Pittsburgh relied on him so much. We're not talking about a scat back that averaged a half dozen touches per game while accumulating seven yards per touch. This isn't a repeat of Reggie Bush, Danny Woodhead and Darren Sproles. This is a dude putting up awe-inspiring numbers while his offense was relying on him a great deal.
All said during the 2016 campaign, Bell tallied 100-plus total yards in all but one of his 13 games. This includes 100-plus rushing yards in half of his performances. All this led to him still finishing as the league's third-best fantasy running back despite missing nearly 20 percent of the regular season.
Dynasty Outlook
At just 24 years old, Bell has to be considered the top dynasty running back in the NFL, ahead of the likes of Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson. That's when we look at his production on the football field itself. Unfortunately, in today's NFL, that's just something we cannot do.
As mentioned above, Bell was suspended for the first three games of the season. This is the second time in as many years that Bell has been suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Another mishap off the field, and he's looking at a 10-game suspension. Bell also missed the final eight games last season to injury. That's just too much risk to take when looking at the No. 1 overall dynasty player. Instead, and no matter where Bell ends up, Elliott has to take over that spot.
Free Agency Outlook
There's not much to look at here. Simply put, Pittsburgh will not let Bell hit the open market. He'll have the franchise tag slapped on him prior to the start of the new league year in March should the two sides fail to come to terms on a long-term contract. So, really, there's no reason to bring up what has to be considered a remote possibility.
Potential Suitors: Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers